Thirsty?

Steering You Kids

to Better Drinks

In an ideal world, kids would drink only water and milk in the quantities recommended by dietary guidelines: 16 ounces of nonfat or low-fat dairy for children ages 2 or 3; 20 ounces for children ages 4 to 8; and 24 ounces for anyone 9 and older.

But the lure of sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, flavored milks and flavored waters that have made sugar-sweetened beverages the leading source of added sugar in children's diets — and, consequently, a prime culprit in tooth cavities and childhood obesity — is as unavoidable as Justin Bieber's singing toothbrush.

How can you steer your kids toward more healthful choices? Here are some tips.

Practice what you preach

Pour yourself a glass of milk when you give one to your child, and don't keep sugary drinks in the house, Dr. Mary Lou Gavin, a pediatrician specializing in weight management at Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and a medical editor at kidshealth.org. The younger your child is when you instill healthy habits, the easier it will be.

Limit fruit juice

Though it provides some nutrients, 100 percent fruit juice has loads of sugar and, being liquid, doesn't offer the same fiber and fullness you get when you eat an actual piece of fruit, Gavin said. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 4 to 6 ounces of 100 percent fruit juice per day for children age 1 to 6, and no more than 8 to 12 ounces for kids older than 6.

Treat sugary drinks as dessert

Rather than ban them outright, which might make them all the more appealing, allow them as occasional treats, said Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and Yale University.

Visualize the sugar content

A can of full-calorie soda has 39 to 44 grams of sugar — the equivalent of 10 to 11 teaspoons of sugar, an image that just might give a kid pause, Schwartz said. Convert grams of sugar to teaspoons by dividing by 4.

Avoid diet drinks

Although they can be useful tools when weaning overweight or soda-addicted kids off of sugary beverages, it's generally best not to feed kids artificial sweeteners when we don't know their potential long-term effects, Schwartz said.

Interpret ingredient lists

Added sugars and artificial sweeteners can be hard to spot because they come under many names. Some common aliases for added sugar, according to the Rudd Center: high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, glucose, crystalline fructose, cane sugar. Artificial sweeteners might go by acesulfame potassium, aspartame, sucralose, stevia/rebiana.

Fun alternatives


Instead of: Store-bought flavored milk

            Try: Nonfat or low-fat milk with a dollop of chocolate or strawberry syrup

Instead of: Vitamin water or flavored water

            Try: Regular water with a twist of lemon or lime, or a slice of cucumber or watermelon

Instead of: Soft drinks

            Try: Seltzer water with a splash of 100 percent fruit juice

Instead of: Fruit drinks, sports drinks and sweetened teas

            Try: Homemade, unsweetened tea with a splash of juice

Instead of: 100 percent fruit juice

            Try: A fruit smoothie with real fruit, low-fat yogurt and no added sugar

Electronic conversion from Chicago Tribune - 3 March 2012