Sugar Sweetened Beverages August 31, 2023 General Sugar sweetened beverages Sugar sweetened beverages are defined as drinks with “added sugars”, such as soda, fruit punch, energy drink, sports drink, flavored milk, sweetened coffee and tea. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) estimates that about 20% of children in the United States drink two sodas a day, and 10% drink three or more. The typical 12 ounce can of soda contains anywhere from 7-10 teaspoons of sugar, which equates to roughly 28-40 grams of sugar. Consuming excessive amounts of sugary beverages increases the risk for tooth decay, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes in children. Below are some tips you can use to reduce the amount of sugar your child consumes. Tips to reduce sugary beverages: Offer mostly water or milk Limit 100% fruit juice to 4 oz daily and dilute it with water Cut back on buying sugary beverages Infused water with slices of fruit, lemon or cucumber Drinking smaller cans or containers Make a smoothie out of fruits and vegetables References: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/143/4/e20190282/37217/Public-Policies-to-Reduce-Sugary-Drink-Consumption?autologincheck=redirected https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/How-to-Reduce-Added-Sugar-in-Your-Childs-Diet.aspx https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/26/americans-were-making-a-lot-of-progress-cutting-back-on-sugary-drinks-now-thats-stopped/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-drinks/ Comments are closed.