What else
could kids
drink?
Compare these common drink choices to see how
many teaspoons of sugar they have.
Milk
Which one will you choose?
Breastmilk is the best way to feed babies until they are
at least 12 months old, with other foods introduced
from 6 months. Small drinks of water can be introduced
from around 6 months.
A glass of water
Nil
Encourage plain, reduced fat, unflavoured milk for
children and teenagers as it provides the calcium
needed for bones and teeth. From 12 months of age
offer full cream plain milk and over 2 years swap to
reduced fat milk.
Juice
Limit pure or 99% fruit juice to one small glass a day
for children. Fruit juice ‘drinks’ can contain as little as
5% fruit juice and have added sugar, so like all sweet
drinks are best limited.
Drink water
not sugar
A 250ml glass of cordial
A 200ml box of fruit juice drink
Think how
much you
can save!
10 tips for
success
As a family, if you swap bought drinks for free
tap water, the savings will start adding up.
3Teach kids to help themselves to water, but to ask
2 litres of blackcurrant cordial concentrate
@ $4.00 per week = $16 per month
1 can of soft drink from canteen or shop
@ $2.00 per day = $60 per month
1 600ml bottle of sports drink
@ $3.50 per weekend = $14 per month
A 375ml can of soft drink
2 litres of fruit juice drink (25%fruit juice)
@ $3.00 per week = $12 per month
A 600ml bottle of sports drink
These changes alone could save your family
74kg of sugar (14,800tsp) or $1224 each year!
A 500ml can of energy drink
1 tsp of sugar = 5 grams of sugar
1
Provide water or milk with all meals and snacks.
2 Always have a jug of fresh tap water on the bench.
for other drinks.
4 Add ice or straws to the water for crunch and fun.
5Buy refillable water bottles for your kids to take
to school.
6Pack water for outings so you don’t need to
buy drinks.
7Reduce temptation by not having sugary drinks
in the house, except for special occasions.
8Lead by example – make water your drink
of choice.
9As a family, plan what you’ll do with all the money
you save.
10Keep trying – changes take time, but the health
of your children is a great reward.
HELP YOUR KIDS TO
Hendit in henisi
blandreet, sit aci
blandrer aut alit
prat. Or senisl
Why plain
water
is best
Soft drinks, fruit drinks, cordial, flavoured mineral
waters, sports waters and sports drinks, energy drinks
and fruit juice all contain water. But they also contain
sugar and sometimes caffeine that water doesn’t have,
so they are not good for kids to have everyday. If your
kids regularly drink these instead of water it may cause
tooth decay and they could put on excess weight. So
limit sweet drinks – and give your kids water instead.
Water is also good for your kids’ teeth. In South
Australia, tap water has added fluoride that helps
to prevent tooth decay.
water.
The original cool drink.
What is OPAL?
OPAL is a program that’s about everyone in your
community working together to create all kinds
of ways to enjoy healthy eating and to have fun
being active.
The way OPAL comes to life in each community
will depend on your input and enthusiasm.
Every 6 months new information about healthy
eating and physical activity will be provided
to help you make healthy choices in your life.
Your council will also be supporting you, by
coordinating activities and making changes to
local services to make sure healthy choices are
easy for you and your family.
So look out for OPAL in your community –
there will be opportunities for everyone.
To find out more and be involved, visit www.opal.sa.gov.au
or call your OPAL Local Council Team:
Playford: Lisa Atwell 8256 0226
OPAL by EPODE is a joint program of Australian, State
and Local gGovernments.
© Department of Health. All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-1-74243-022-5-1. Printed December 2009. DH-SSS9107.16
Remember
water?
Cool fresh water used to be a favourite drink for kids.
But nowadays there’s so much choice in drinks and
many are quite unhealthy.
So this brochure explains why plain water is a better
choice. You could call it ‘a refresher course in water’.
Your kids
are Mostly
water
Our bodies are made up of 50-60% water. That’s a lot of
water. And even when your kids aren’t running around,
their bodies are using it up. There’s water in the air they
breathe out; plus they sweat and cry. For their bodies and
brains to work well – and for them to think clearly – the
water needs to be replaced. It can come from the food they
eat, like fruit and vegetables, from milk and other drinks.