Reduce Sugary Drinks

About this goal

Children often replace healthy drinks like water or milk with sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks.

Help children develop healthy habits by serving water instead of sugary drinks at every snack or meal. Not allowing sugary drinks to be brought in during program time can help promote healthy beverages during the program. Drinks with non-sugar sweeteners (like “light” or “diet” drinks) may not be healthier alternatives because we do not know about their long-term health impacts.

Fruit juice, even 100% fruit juice, contains as much sugar as soda. Fruit juice is not as healthy as eating whole fruits, which also contain fiber. Try to limit juice servings to 4 ounces of 100% juice.

You can also teach children and their parents about the many different forms sugar can take. High fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, honey, cane juice, molasses, and malt syrup on ingredient lists all mean one thing: SUGAR!