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Preschool Nutrition
Week 1 Challenge - Say Goodbye to Sweetened Beverages
This week's challenge is to stop the everyday use of sweetened beverages. Sweetened beverages are those drinks that have sugar added to them, often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Other than sugar and calories, these drinks have little or no nutrient value.
They include:
Regular soda
Sugar-added fruit drinks (not including 100% fruit juice)
Bottled waters with sugar added – with or without added vitamins
Sugared teas
Sports drinks
Why Limit Sweetened Beverages?
Sweetened drinks provide lots of calories and sugar and no other nutrients for your preschooler. An eight-ounce serving of these beverages is the same, nutritionally, as 6-8 teaspoons of table sugar or 30-40 small jellybeans. Given this poor nutrient profile, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit or restrict the use of sweetened beverages by young children.
Some families don't consume any soft drinks or other sweetened drinks at home. If you are among them - congratulations! You have already met the challenge. Unfortunately many families with preschoolers drink sweetened beverages often or everyday. Preschoolers, on average, are getting about 16% of all calories from sweetened beverages. That's too many calories from a food with no nutrients. In addition, a recent national study found that 39% of preschoolers, aged 2-5, consumed soda on the day of the dietary survey.
Two things can happen when your preschooler drinks sweetened beverages. S/he could replace a food or beverage that contains nutrients and miss out on those valuable nutrients. Or s/he could add the extra calories on top of a complete diet, which could lead to obesity. A great step in reducing the risk of becoming overweight is to eliminate empty calorie foods, such as sweetened beverages.
What to Work On This Week
1. Do not offer sweetened beverages like soft drinks, sweetened fruit drinks and fruit punch, waters or tea with added sugar, and sports drinks
2. Do not let your preschooler take a sweetened drink to bed
3. Offer milk, a milk alternate like soy milk, or water with meals
4. If your preschooler is still thirsty throughout the day, water works wonders!
Tips for Success
Get others in the household to set a good example by following the challenge as well. Scientists have shown that preschoolers whose parents drink sweetened drinks consume more themselves.
Stop stocking the house with sweetened beverages. If they are not available, there will be fewer battles with your preschooler.
Children who are accustomed to drinking sweetened beverages are likely to protest when they are not available. But if you believe sweetened drinks have no place in a healthy diet, it will be easier to stick to your guns and leave sweetened drinks for occasional use only.
Next Week's Challenge
Fruit Juice - Fruit juice that is 100% juice contains no added sugar but still contains natural sugars and calories. Look for more on fruit juice in next week's challenge.
References
1. Dietary Recommendations for Children and Adolescents: A Guide for Practitioners. 2005. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/
2. Saalfield S, Jackson-Allen P. Pediatr Nurs. 2006 Sep-Oct;32(5):460-2, 467-71. Biopsychosocial consequences of sweetened drink consumption in children 0-6 years of age.
3. O'Connor TM and Yang SJ. Pediatrics. 2006 Oct;118(4):e1010-8. Beverage intake among preschool children and its effect on weight status.