- 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.
__________________________________________________
Stop
Example: Stop packing lemonade with artificial chemicals in my child’s lunch bag and pack herbal tea water instead.
__________________________________________________
Keep
Example: Keep including fat free or 1% milk for strong bones in healthy whole grain cereal in the morning.
__________________________________________________
