Reduce sugary drinks
Help children develop healthy habits by serving water instead of sugary drinks at every snack or meal.
Children often replace healthy drinks like water or milk with sugary drinks like punch, soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks.
Help children develop healthy habits by serving water instead of sugary drinks at every snack or meal. Drinks with artificial sweeteners (like “light” or “diet” drinks) are not a healthy alternative, because the long-term safety of artificial sweeteners is unknown.
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 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!
Drinking too many sugar-sweetened drinks, as well as eating sugary foods like candy and cookies, can lead to dental cavities and may increase the risk for being overweight, as well as diabetes and heart disease. In fact, some children are developing type 2 diabetes because of poor diets and being overweight.
GET STARTED
Create an account, assess your program & create an action plan
Create an account for your program–it’s quick and easy–then assess how closely your program environment and practices align to the OSNAP goals, and create a customized plan for healthier beverage practices and policies at your program.
Tip Sheet and Fast Map
Find ideas on how to engage staff and children in cutting out sugary drinks at your program.
Write policies
Clearly lay out your program rules for reducing sugary drinks.
Afterschool curriculum, Unit 3
Find activities to encourage kids to drink fewer sweetened beverages and eat fewer sweets!
Parent materials
Communicate with families about reducing sugary drinks at home.
