What Kids Drink Is Important, Too
If your children fill up on high-calorie fruit drinks and soft drinks, they may skip food containing essential nutrients—and pack on extra pounds.
"Overall, children seem to be drinking a lot more, except for milk," says Sharon Mickle of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Carbonated soft drinks, non-citrus fruit drinks, and "power" drinks have become much more popular than milk, she says.
Better choices
Just what should kids be drinking? "I think good old H2O,'' says Barbara S. Levine, Ph.D., R.D., a dietitian in New York City. But you can add pizzazz: Buy flavored water or make your own with lemon or lime.
You can also steer your children toward skim or 1 percent milk and pure citrus juice (orange and grapefruit, fortified with calcium but without added sugar) and away from soft drinks and non-citrus juices, such as the grape- and apple-based mixes.
Children love apple juice, for instance, but 100 percent apple juice is high in natural sugar. That doesn't mean a child shouldn't drink it, just that it should be limited or diluted, says Jennifer Ricketts, Ph.D., a registered dietitian in Tucson, Ariz.
Extra calories
An 8-ounce serving of apple juice contains about 120 calories. Other juices rank even higher: grape juice (155 calories), cranberry juice (145), and pineapple (140). Orange juice has 109 calories.
Calories aren't the only problem. Dentists say too many sugary drinks of any kind can cause cavities. Most of these drinks do not contain calcium, either, which is important for building strong bones and teeth.
When kids drink more soda, they have less room for milk. Preschoolers need three cups of milk each day just for the calcium—and on average, they're drinking about half of that, the USDA says.
How much your child should drink depends on climate and season. When it's hot, kids need more fluids because they lose more perspiring and breathing; they may need a drink even if they're not thirsty. Dr. Ricketts recommends they get the daily equivalent of six to eight 8-ounce cups of fluids, especially water—more if they're out in the heat.