Drinks
W H AT S H O U L D I D R I N K ?
Drink More Water
DRINK MILK
■■ Carry a reusable bottle of water.
■■ If you don’t like plain water, add slices of fruit like
■■ Skim and 1% milk are recommended for children 2
DRINK WATER - at least 4-6 cups a day
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lemons, limes, or oranges to the water.
Try sugar-free, flavored waters
Vitamin waters are not recommended.
The vitamin content may be too much for
children.
Order water with your restaurant
meal.
Tap water is free!
years and older. They contain the same nutrients as
2% and whole milk.
■■ Drinking milk helps meet your calcium and vitamin D
needs which make your bones strong.
■■ If you don’t like plain milk, try a skim, sugar-free,
flavored milk for one of your servings.
Don’t like milk or it hurts your stomach?
■■ Try milk in smaller amounts - about a 4 ounce glass.
■■ Try to eat 3 servings a day of other high calcium foods
BENEFITS of
WATER
such as: Lactaid milk, enriched soy products, low-fat
cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, non-fat/lite yogurt, or
tofu.
■■ If you cannot eat these calcium rich foods, talk to
your doctor or a dietitian for a calcium and vitamin D
supplement recommendation.
■■ It is one of the most important
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nutrients in the body.
Quenches thirst.
Carries nutrients through the
body.
Cools the body.
Helps digest food.
Improves skin complexion
WHAT ABOUT JUICE
■■ Fruit juice has vitamins but can have as many calories
LIMIT SUGARY DRINKS
Sugary drinks include:
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Drink 2-3 cups of 1% or skim milk a day.
(1 cup = 8 oz = 1 carton)
soda
Kool-Aid™
fruit drinks (Sunny Delight™, CapriSun™)
fruit punch
lemonade
sweet tea
sports drinks (Gatorade™, Powerade™)
Energy drinks
X
as soda. Choose whole fruit instead.
■■ If you do drink juice, limit to 4-6 oz of 100% fruit juice
a day.
WHAT ABOUT DIET
SODA?
■■ If you do drink diet soda, limit to one serving a day.
■■ Diet soda does not contain sugar, but it has acid that
can cause cavities and tooth decay.
■■ When you drink diet soda, you are not drinking milk,
which is important for strong bones.
My Goal: _____________________________________________________
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Drinks
What’s in your cup?
Soda Size
Calories
tsp of sugar
wt. gain in 1 yr
8oz108 kcals7 tsp11#
12oz156 kcals10 tsp16#
20oz260 kcals16 tsp27#
1 liter432 kcals27 tsp45#
2 liters864 kcals54 tsp90#
Any size water0 kcals0 tsp0#
DON’T BE FOOLED!
■■ Water is best for hydration.
■■ Sports drinks like Gatorade™ and Powerade™ contain sugar, sodium, and calories.
■■ Energy drinks are like sports drinks but also contain caffeine and other stimulants that
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are not recommended.
Drinks in a jug, pouch, or box may not be 100% fruit juice and may contain high fructose
corn syrup or sugar. Sunny Delight™, Capri Sun™, Snapple™, Tropicana Twister™ are types
of sugary drinks.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are basically sugar water with no vitamins, minerals, or
protein.
When individuals drink sugary drinks, they often do not reduce the amount of solid foods
they eat which can lead to weight gain.
The chance of becoming obese increases 1.6 times for every sugar-sweetened drink
consumed per day.
Teen tips
■■ The average person drinks 55 gallons of soda a year often replacing milk
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or water.
If you don’t drink milk each day, it is difficult to get in enough calcium which
is an important nutrient for your bones.
When having coffee drinks containing milk, choose skim milk.
Your body may lose calcium when you drink a caffeinated beverage.
When choosing drinks other than milk or water, choose decaffeinated
soda, coffee drinks, or tea. Caffeine can cause you to be nervous and
disturb your nighttime sleep.
Avoid energy drinks - they contain caffeine, other stimulants, sugar, and
few nutrients.
MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
FOR GOOD HEALTH
Revised 1/15/10, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Nutrition Services