Happy National Nutrition Month! Every year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes an educational campaign to help your family make informed choices about the things you eat and drink. This year, the theme is “Go Further with Food”. This theme encourages everyone to achieve the many benefits that healthy eating and drinking habits offer. Try “Going Further with Food” with these beneficial drink tips. Remember that even small changes can add up to great health benefits!
- Include a variety of healthful foods (and beverages) from all of the food groups on a regular basis. This includes drinks too! Encourage your kids to drink a variety of healthful beverages such as water, non-fat and low-fat dairy products, and 100% juice. Fruit juice should be limited to no more than 4-6 oz per day for children 1-6 years-old and no more than 8-12 oz per day for children 7-18 years-old. Including these healthy drinks in their diet will help keep your kids stay hydrated and provide them with the essential nutrients they need to stay healthy.
- Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount that’s right for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do. Being mindful of portion sizes for sugary drinks can help your kids stay healthy. MyPlate encourages limiting sugary drinks for kids and adults. A sugary drink is any drink with added sugar to it. For more information about how to identify sugary drinks, visit www.rethinkyourdrinknevada.com.
- Continue the use of good food safety practices. When serving your kids healthy drinks, consider making a recipe from our recipe website. Ensure that these drinks are safe for your kids to drink by removing choking hazards (for example, small pieces of fruit) from the drink. Also, remember that the drink is only good for 2-3 days after you make it. Discard the drink after 2-3 days to prevent harmful bacteria from forming. It is not recommended to keep fruit in a water bottle throughout the day, because harmful bacteria can grow without proper refrigeration.
- Realize the benefits of eating and drinking healthy! Limiting sugary drinks can offer your family many health benefits. These include maintaining a healthy weight, better sleep at night, and lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and cavities. To learn more about the health benefits that limiting sugary drinks can offer your family, visit our website.
For more information about National Nutrition Month or about healthy eating and drinking habits for your family, visit choosemyplate.org. Lastly, check our main website, which is focused on healthy drink choices and practical tips to help keep your family healthy!
