Give Kids a Sweet Summer Without the Added sugar

When your kids need to quench their thirst during long days of summer play, what drink will they reach for?

Too many will choose a drink that is sweetened with added sugar – soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, sweet teas and even sweetened water.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are everywhere and they are costing our kids their health.

Give your kids a sweeter summer by providing them with healthy drink options. Try these fun beverage ideas to keep your kids hydrated and happy this summer.

• Plain water
• Low-fat milk
• Small cups of 100 percent juice with no added sugar
• Infuse plain water with real fruit, such as lemon, strawberries or oranges
• Add a splash of 100 percent juice to plain or sparkling water
• Help your kids squeeze a small glass of their own fruit or vegetable juice
• Serve up a small smoothie made with real fruit and low-fat plain yogurt

In addition to providing healthier beverage options for kids at home, parents should advocate for sugary drink alternatives at the places their children frequent including schools, day care centers, camps, parks and other recreation centers.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of added sugar for kids. In fact, consumption of sugary beverages has increased 500 percent over the past 50 years.

Drinking just one extra serving per day of a sugary beverage increases a child’s risk of obesity by 60 percent, increasing their risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. Nearly 32 percent of children in America are overweight or obese.

Get more healthy eating and living tips for the whole from the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.