Think About What You Drink

Think About What You Drink
  • Drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated
    • 6-10 cups a day varies with age, refer to SuperKids Nutrition water article
    • Children get dehydrated faster than adults
    • Pack a reusable water bottle to school and work
  • Offer fat-free or 1% milk to your child over the age of 2, or calcium and vitamin D fortified soy milk (non-genetically modified soy)
    • Milk contains calcium, which is needed for growing strong bones.
  • Juice
    • Mix ½ 100% fruit juice with ½ water
    • *Do not use powder juice or add sugar to juice mixes –these drinks contribute to too much weight gain and are not good for your family’s health
    • Avoid artificial sweeteners –see https://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
    • Limit juice to no more than 6 ounces a day.
    • Never put juice or soda in baby’s bottle
  • Agua frescas – homemade without added sugar is a nice treat
  • Jamaica (hibiscus tea) or herbal tea (caffeine free) without added sugar is a good alternative
  • My family loves Tzao passion and wild sweet orange teas. We combine them together and add water to make a pink drink. My daughter loves bringing it to school and having the kids guess what it is.
  • Try sparking water or club soda with sliced lemons, limes, or oranges for a fun alternative to water or soda.
  • Water with cucumber slices is refreshing.

Water Tasting

  • Make 4 different varieties of water with the kids for them to try
    • Water with Orange slices
    • Mint water
    • Raspberries in ice cubes placed in water
    • Cucumber or Jicama water

Now -Think about What Drink by setting a STOP/START/KEEP GOAL

Start

Example: Drinking water during school days by packing a reusable BPA free water bottle.

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Stop

Example: Stop packing lemonade with artificial chemicals in my child’s lunch bag and pack herbal tea water instead.

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Keep

Example: Keep including fat free or 1% milk for strong bones in healthy whole grain cereal in the morning.

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