Birthdays
Iced water with lemon – no sugar!
Childhood obesity has become a national problem, and making healthy choices at every meal sets a great example for kids to follow. In the US, 1 preschooler in 5 is at least overweight, and half of these are obese.
One of the culprits sabotaging kids’ diets is sugary beverages. We often don’t think about the sugar, calories, and negative impact of beverages – after all, it doesn’t feel the same as ‘eating’ when we consume the empty calories in beverages.
Calories in drinks are not hidden (they are included on the Nutrition Facts label), but many people don’t realize just how beverages contribute to their caloric intake each day. High-sugar sodas, sports drinks, juices, and other beverages definitely contribute to the obesity epidemic.
And today’s super-sized drinks don’t help at all!
Here are some ways to help adults and children change habits of drinking sugary beverages:
- Choose water, diet, or low-calorie beverages instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
- For a quick, easy, and inexpensive thirst-quencher, carry a water bottle and refill it throughout the day.
- Don’t “stock the fridge” with sugar-sweetened beverages. Instead, keep a jug or bottles of cold water in the fridge and make it easily accessible for kids.
- Purchase fun water-botttles that kids will enjoy using.
- Pack a bottle of frozen water in school lunches – it will be perfect by lunch-time!
- Serve water with meals.
- Make water more exciting by adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or watermelon, or drink sparkling water.
- Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, low-calorie drink.
- When you or your child do opt for a sugar-sweetened beverage, go for the small size. Some companies are now selling smaller 8-oz. cans and bottles of soda, which contain about 100 calories.
- Be a role model for your children, friends and family by choosing healthy, low-calorie beverages.
Help your kids learn to enjoy fresh water as often as possible. Take the sugar out of beverages for healthier children.
