If you’re a parent, you know just how busy life is. Between juggling work schedules and children’s activities, our families are eating out more than ever, and nearly two-thirds of kids are consuming at least one sugary drink every day. The American Heart Association recommends that children over the age of two have no more than one 8-ounce serving a week. One way to curb the amount of sugary drinks kids are having is by making water, milk, or 100% fruit juice the default beverage that comes with kids meals.
Kids who consume more sugary drinks are 55% more likely to be at an increased risk for developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease compared to kids who consume fewer sugary drinks.
Restaurants have the opportunity work with parents to reverse this trend. By providing healthier drink options, restaurants can play a role in supporting our children’s health. Instead of automatically offering kids a soda, they can replace that choice with milk, water, or 100% fruit juice.
Do you want to join the effort to make milk, water or juice the easy choice? Click here to sign up.
Fast Facts:
A recent analysis found that 34 percent of parents purchased a soda or other sugary drink with their child’s kids’ meal at four common fast-food restaurants.
- Soda and other sugary drinks are the top source of added sugars in the American diet and account for nearly half of the added sugars consumed by Americans.
- Excessive consumption of added sugars contributes to an increased risk of developing heart disease and obesity.
- An extra-small (ten ounce, child-size) cola contains approximately 33 grams of added sugars, which exceeds the 25 grams of added sugars that the American Heart Association (AHA) has established as the daily upper limit for children and teenagers.
- The AHA recommends that children consume no more than eight ounces of sugary drinks per week; kid-sized beverages vary across restaurants, but are usually six to twelve ounces.
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