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BEFORE YOU DRINK

THINK

Concerned about your family’s health? Start by cutting back on

sugary drinks; HEALTH outlines the tips below to help.

Avoid Hidden Calories

and Caffeine in:

•

Sports drinks

- In most cases,

your kids don’t require these

sugary drinks. Suggest plain

water.

•

Oversized sugary drinks

- many

bottled soft drinks actually

contain two (or more) servings.

Choose smaller drink sizes.

•

Vitamin waters

- These can

contain 50 or more calories a

serving. Choose vitamin waters

that have no calories.

•

Energy drinks

- Many have more

caffeine than colas do. Too much

caffeine can lead to increased

anxiety and sleep problems.

•

Sodas of a different shade

some orange and lemon-lime

sodas contain caffeine. Read the

labels.

•

Gourmet coffee drinks

- these

can pack a lot of calories,

especially if they have flavorings,

whole milk and whipped cream.

Replace Sugary Drinks with

the Following:

• Water-plain or fruit-flavored

(no-calorie or low-calorie).

• For kids, use fun-shaped cups or

containers.

• Sugar free coffee or tea – replace

your sugar with a no calorie

sweetener, like sucralose, that tastes

like sugar but doesn’t contain the

empty calories.

• Soda water-plain, pre-flavored, or

mixed with unsweetened juice.

• Lemonade or fruit drinks made with

no-calorie sweeteners, instead of

sugar.

• Nonfat or low-fat milk (after age 2),

which provides calcium, protein and

vitamin D. Children 2 to 8 years old

should have 2 cups of nonfat/low-

fat milk or dairy products per day;

children 9 years and older should

have 3 cups per day.

Steps to Converting

Your Family to Low-Sugar Drinks

• Have low-sugar drinks around. We drink what’s

handy. So don’t stock the sugary stuff.

• Give your family choices so you won’t feel

deprived: bottled water, sugar-free lemonade,

nonfat/low-fat milk, iced tea flavored with no-

calorie sweetener.

• Take your kids to the supermarket and let

them pick their choice of no-calorie or low-

calorie drinks.

Drinks like sodas, sports drinks and some juices can

contain lots of added sugar. With absolute numbers of

79 million obese people and 180 million overweight

people living in the MENA region we are becoming

more aware of nutritional topics like the link between

sugar-sweetened drinks and weight gain. Cutting back

on sugary drinks will help you and your family cut

calories. Cutting calories, along with adding physical

activity, is key in slowing down the rate of weight gain.

May/June 2015