Delay serving sugary foods and drinks to little kids
More added sugar means there’s less room for the healthy stuff
JUNE 29, 2023 – You’ve likely heard a few health reasons for cutting back on added sugar for your little kids. The more sugar kids eat and drink, the more health problems they may develop in childhood and later in life. That includes cavities in baby and adult teeth, gaining weight that can make it harder for kids to play and move, and developing heart disease.
But more sugary foods and drinks also means less room for the healthy stuff. Sugary treats and drinks can crowd out the fruits and vegetables; whole-grain cereals and breads; and proteins that include beans, fish, or lean meats.
“Sugary foods and drinks are usually low in nutrients,” said Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “When young children fill up on sugary foods and drinks, they're not eating the healthy foods that provide the needed nutrients to grow and develop.”
Children at Cook Inlet Head Start in Anchorage enjoy milk, fruit and reindeer stew for lunch.
Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign supports families to serve healthy drinks, like water or plain milk, to help children grow up at a healthy weight. The campaign has an online library of posters, handouts, videos, and other materials. Preschool and child care providers, teachers, pediatricians, dentists and others can download these materials or request free copies at playeveryday@alaska.gov.
Many kids start eating and drinking added sugar at young ages
For the best health, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend children younger than 2 have foods and drinks without any added sugar.
A recent national study showed that many young children have their first sugary drinks and foods before age 2, and often before turning 1 years old. This published study looked at food and drinks served among families with limited household incomes enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children program that provides nutrition education and healthy foods and drinks. This program is often abbreviated as WIC, and it helps 14,000 people in Alaska.
This recent study showed most young children drink and eat added sugar very early. When looking at 3-year-old kids who were part of this study:
- 83% of the kids enrolled in WIC had their first sugary drink before turning 2.
- 91% of the kids enrolled in WIC had their first sweetened foods before turning 2.
The study had two key recommendations to help more children grow up healthy.
- Continuing a family’s WIC benefits for multiple years as a child grows may improve that child’s overall nutrition and reduce chances of consuming too much added sugar.
- Helping parents and caregivers understand the importance of delaying sugary drinks and foods served to young children can improve children’s food choices later in life.
“The WIC Program provides families with nutritious foods and nutrition education tailored to the needs of their family,” said Jennifer Johnson, Alaska’s WIC nutrition coordinator. “The food and nutrition education improve the food choices families make and the choices their children will make even later in life, which gives them a healthy start.”
In Alaska, the WIC program helps 14,000 people.
Delaying the serving of sugary drinks is a priority in Alaska, too. Almost 1 out of 3 (31%) of Alaska 3-year-olds has a sugary drink every day, according to the ongoing Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey (CUBS) of Alaska mothers of preschool-age children.
Some of the most common sugary drinks consumed by preschoolers are sweetened fruit drinks and chocolate and flavored milk. One goal for Healthy Alaskans 2030 is to reduce the percentage of 3-year-olds who have sugary drinks daily. Running Alaska’s Play Every Day campaign that includes healthy drinks messaging is one strategy to meet that goal. A campaign evaluation published in 2022 showed Alaska parents reported changing the drinks they serve their families because of the campaign messages.
Switch out sugary drinks to cut down on added sugar
Added sugar is in many types of drinks that families serve. Sugar is added to sports and energy drinks, vitamin drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, chocolate and other flavored milk, sweetened fruit-flavored drinks, and soda.
Want to cut back on added sugar? Switch out sugary drinks for healthier options that contain no added sweeteners.
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Choose water, plain milk or fortified plain soy milk instead of sugary drinks.
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Pack water when you’re on the go. Make it easier to choose water by packing a water bottle in your child’s backpack or lunchbox.
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Make water tasty and fun. Add lemon, lime or mint to your glass. Freeze 100% fruit juice in small ice cube trays and toss a few cubes into a glass of water. Try unsweetened, sparkling, or carbonated water.
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Turn drinks around and look for the Nutrition Facts label. A line called “Includes Added Sugars” now makes it easier to spot the added sweeteners in foods and drinks. Choose options that say 0 grams, which means no added sugar.
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Cut back on buying sugary drinks. If you choose sugary drinks, limit them to special occasions and cut down on the sizes served.
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