Make Life Sweet—Not Your Drinks Limit Sugar-­‐Sweetened Beverages to No More Than 36 Ounces (450 calories) Per Week Lesson Plan
Call To Action
Limit Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to
No More Than 36 Ounces (450 calories) Per Week
Community Need Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the
No. 1 source of added sugars in the American diet:
• A 12-ounce can of regular soda typically
contains about 130 calories and 8 teaspoons
of sugar.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are now the single
largest category of caloric intake in children. Our kids
drink more sugar-sweetened beverages than milk.
High intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages put you
at higher risk for health problems. These include
heart disease, obesity, diabetes and dental cavities.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 450 calories (36 ounces)
per week from sugar-sweetened beverages (based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet).
“Make Life Sweet—Not Your Drinks” reviews the health risks linked to high intakes of
sugar-sweetened beverages. Learn why drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages is
better for your body, as well as how to reduce your intake and meet the American Heart
Association recommendation.
Three Important Points
Our lives are busy and many of us are on information overload. That’s why we focus on
three key health messages:
• Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages daily puts your health at risk.
• Drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages can improve your health.
• Limit your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.
EmPowered To Serve Health Check
The EmPowered To Serve Health Check is a way for community members to develop an
awareness about their blood pressure and current weight. The goal is to get at least 15
percent of your community organization checking these health measures. And, with it in
hand, to complete the My Life Check® personal health assessment using your group’s
unique URL.
Make Life Sweet—Not Your Drinks, Lesson Plan
Page 1 of 3
© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
There are many ways you can conduct this optional EmPowered To Serve health check:
• Before the program, ask participants to check their blood pressure and weight at
home, Higi Station (portable health kiosk) or at their doctor’s office.
• Provide a scale and blood pressure machine on site. Ask participants to check
their weight and blood pressure before the program gets under way.
• Invite a local healthcare provider or partner with a healthcare organization to
check blood pressure and weight for participants at the start of the program.
If you can host a screening, try to offer blood glucose and cholesterol checks, too.
Length of Program
• Budget 1 – 1 ½ hours to present the lesson.
• If you are conducting a health screening, add 20 minutes or more before the
meeting for participants to get their blood pressure and weight checked.
Program Materials
No Access to a Slide Projector? Print out the slides and put them in a three-ring binder.
Use the printed slides as a script to deliver your health lesson.
•
•
•
•
Flip chart and markers.
Handouts (one copy per participant)
o Added Sugar is Not So Sweet (Infographic)
Pens
Goody bags: Reach out to local businesses such as hospitals, wellness centers,
local clinics and other health organizations. Ask them about donating giveaways
for participants. Also check out the American Heart Association store
(shop.heart.org) for brochures to buy in bulk. For example:
o Simple 7 Know and Go Cards.
Audiovisual Needs
• Projector for PowerPoint slides.
• Internet connection (optional).
Wrap-Up
Reminder! Once your participants have left, be sure to complete the Ambassador
Questionnaire. For details, see your Ambassador Guide page 11.
Make Life Sweet—Not Your Drinks, Lesson Plan
Page 2 of 3
© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Slide Program with Talking Points and Discussion Questions
The “Notes” section of the PowerPoint slides includes scripted comments for the
lesson. Use this to help walk through the lesson. To help engage participants, the
script includes discussion questions. For your reference, below is a list of these
questions:
• Let’s see a show of hands: if given the choice, do you order sugar-sweetened tea
or unsweetened tea?
• How many of us regularly drink sugar-sweetened beverages?
• What beverages do your kids consume regularly? Soda? Fruit juices? Water?
Milk?
• Are you surprised about the negative impact sugar-sweetened beverages have
on health?
• Does this information about the risk of heart disease motivate you to reduce your
intake of sugar-sweetened beverages?
• Does the link between high blood pressure, heart disease and sugar-sweetened
beverages surprise you?
• Does this health risk make you rethink how often you choose a sugar-sweetened
beverage?
• Do you think drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages is an easy way to help
control blood pressure?
• Are you surprised about the health risks linked to drinking sugar-sweetened
beverages?
• Do these health risks make you rethink how often you choose sugar-sweetened
beverages?
• Does the goal of losing weight motivate you to decrease your intake of sugarsweetened beverages?
• Were you aware that a high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages results in your
getting less vitamins, minerals and other nutrients? Now that you know this, will
you think twice before choosing a sugar-sweetened beverage?
• Are you able to reduce your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to one or less
per day?
• Do you typically read the food label before buying a drink?
• Is there a sugar-sweetened drink that will be difficult for you to give up?
• What alternative beverages are you going to try instead of sugar-sweetened
beverages?
• Will you commit today to take steps to reduce your intake of sugar-sweetened
beverages? And will you commit to drink no more than three 12-ounce servings
per week, which is a weekly total of about 450 calories?
Make Life Sweet—Not Your Drinks, Lesson Plan
Page 3 of 3
© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.