A new Change4Life campaign launched by Public Health England will encourage families in Wessex to make one easy swap to help cut sugar and fat from their everyday snacks, drinks and meals this January.

Change4Life’s Smart Swaps will focus on swapping sugary drinks to diet, sugar free or milk, as it’s revealed that by doing so, an average family could save up to three quarters of a 1kg bag of sugar over four weeks.

While milk and dairy products are great sources of protein and calcium, families looking to make healthier choices could also swap whole milk for semi-skimmed milk, potentially saving up to a third of a pint of fat over four weeks.

The Smart Swaps campaign is launched as the latest data, from the 2012/13 National Child Measurement Programme, shows that more than a quarter (29 per cent) of children aged ten to 11 in Wessex carry excess weight.

Those who sign up to the campaign are able to choose from five simple Smart Swaps: Changing sugary drinks to diet, sugar free or no added sugar drinks or to milk or water, cheese to reduced fat cheese, butter to lower fat butters or spreads, sugary cereal to low sugar cereal, whole milk to semi-skimmed; or semi-skimmed to one percent fat or skimmed milk.

Professor Kevin Fenton, Director for Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England, said: “Figures show that more needs to be done to help local families cut out certain unhealthy elements of their diet, in order to improve their health.

“Swapping like-for-like food in your diet could help you cut out surprising levels of fat, sugar and ultimately calories.”