Sugary Drinks - A Deep Dive into the common drinks children and teens consume daily

After chatting with my kids this week about the beverages teens and children are drinking at school, I was inspired to bring you a breakdown of these common drinks.

Before we jump in here are some things to keep in mind.

• 6 teaspoons (25 grams) is the maximum amount of added sugar a child (ages 2-18) should consume a day according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

• Children under 2 should consume 0 grams of added sugar a day. 

• Added sugars are hidden in many unsuspecting foods.

• The AHA recommends children have no more than one 8-ounce sugary beverage a week.

• Eating lots of added sugar early in life is linked to:

  • Obesity*

  • High blood pressure*

  • Type 2 diabetes*

  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease*

  • Tooth decay

  • Inflammatory conditions 

  • Digestive issues

  • Mood swings

  • ADHD symptoms

  • Behavioral problems

  • Problems with concentration and attention 

  • Difficulty with learning and memory

*These problems put children and young adults at risk for heart disease.

Let's breakdown some of the most common Kid/Teen drinks and see how much sugar is in each beverage. Keep reading and we will give you our TOP swaps for each category!

Pop/Soda - The average 12-ounce Soda contains 39 grams of added sugar (about 10 teaspoons of sugar)

Sports Drinks - A 20-ounce bottle of a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade can contain 32 to 36 grams of sugar. (About 8-9 teaspoons of sugar). Please note, this is basically the same as consuming a soda.

Energy Drinks - Some energy drinks can contain as much as 20 teaspoons of sugar per 500ml can. For example, Monster Energy (500ml) contains 14 teaspoons (57g) of sugar.

Juice Boxes - An average 8-ounce juice box, whether it contains 100% juice, or a fruit drink contains around 20-26 grams of sugar. (5-6 teaspoons).

Chocolate Milk - An 8-ounce serving contains 24 grams of sugar. 12 grams is naturally occurring sugar and 12 grams of added sugar. (3 teaspoons of added sugar).

Sweet Tea - The typical 16-ounce serving contains 20-25 grams of sugar (5-6 teaspoons). Some are much worse! A medium sweet tea from McDonald's has 47g of added sugars! A large sweet tea at Chick-fil-a contains 40 grams of added sugar! (10-11.75 teaspoons of added sugar). 

Juice - The typical serving of a glass of 100% juice contains 20-25 grams of sugar. Although these are not added sugars, this is still considered extremely high for a beverage and should be consumed sparingly. (many juices also add sugar too!)

Starbucks Frappuccino - The average sugar amount of the typical grande Frappuccino is 49 grams. (12 teaspoons)

NK Approved Beverage Alternatives:

Pop/Soda: 

1. Club Soda with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

2. Seltzer Water such as Spindrift (0-3 grams of naturally occurring sugars from juice.

3. Poppi (5 grams of added sugar). This should be consumed no more than once a week.

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

Sports Drinks for Hydration: 

1. LMNT electrolyte drink mix. This is one of the cleanest, purest hydration mixes on the market.

2. JOCKO Hydrate - a great, clean, already made hydration drink available at most stores.

3. Coconut Water - a wonderful, whole source of hydration.

4. Simply make your own with 16 ounces of water, a pinch of pink salt, and a squeeze of lemon or your choice of fruit.

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

Energy Drinks:

1. Nothing. The AHA recommends children and teens DO NOT consume energy drinks due to the amount of sugars and caffeine in them.

2. Unwell Hydration - contains 4g sugar and a small amount of natural green coffee extract which gives a small amount of caffeine. 

   
   
   

Juice Boxes:

1. Uncle Matt’s Organic Juice Boxes

2. Lakewood Littles Organic Juice Boxes

Chocolate Milk:

1. Regular Milk 

2. Make your own with milk, cocoa powder and a tablespoon of maple syrup. Mix ingredients and enjoy.

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

Sweet Tea:

1. Unsweet Tea. Black tea brewed with herbal fruity tea provides delicious flavor to the tea. Add a squeeze of lemon if you like.

2. You can make your own sweet tea and control the sugar amount by brewing regular tea, and adding your own amount of honey for sweetener (start with a teaspoon at a time). Add a squeeze of lemon or lime.

3. Herbal Tea - fruity and delicious with no caffeine. A teaspoon or less of honey can often provide enough sweetness to the tea if needed.

Juice: 

1. Fruit-infused water. Simply cut up your desired fruit (oranges, lemons, cucumbers, strawberries, etc) and place in a pitcher of water. Let sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Store leftovers in the fridge.

2. Coconut water

3. Homemade Fruit Smoothies

4. Herbal Tea

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

Starbucks Frappuccino: 

1. Vanilla Steamer - one pump of vanilla and no whipped cream (bonus, make your own vanilla)

2. Iced Passion Tango Tea

3. Hot Chocolate with half a pump of chocolate for a kids size, one pump for a tall size.

These simple swaps are easy to make and will be a game changer for your child’s nutrition. Many beverages filled with sugar are void of nutrition and loaded in calories and unnecessary sugars. Eliminating beverages loaded in sugar will help get children on the path to consuming no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day. The benefits are endless for their health and well-being. Just remember when they complain, this is what is the very best for them and their future selves!

Source:

nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/2016/08/23/aha-added-sugar-limits-children/

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sugar-how-bad-are-sweets-for-your-kids