Summertime often includes outdoor play, sports, and family activities. It may also be a time when kids want sugary drinks. To help steer them toward more healthy choices, we have some suggestions. But first, let’s recap why it’s hard to resist sugary drinks.
In general, what (and how much) we eat and drink is shaped by a combination of internal and external factors. One powerful internal factor is the natural taste preference for sweet that begins at birth. When you couple this with unavoidable external factors in our environment, such as persuasive marketing and easy access to a wide variety of appealing and affordable options, it can make it difficult to resist sugary drinks.
Making the healthy choice easier is one way to overcome these challenges. Here are five ways to do so:
- Keep a covered pitcher of water in the fridge so there is always a quick, easy, and refreshing option available. Place the pitcher on a low shelf so that kids can help themselves.
- Plan for trips away from home. Bring along a reusable water bottle filled with ice-cold water for each person. It’s a simple way to avoid the temptation of sugary drinks offered at stores, vending machines, and sporting events. (See our tips for keeping your water bottles safe.)
- Choose restaurants that offer low-fat milk or 100% juice as drink options on the kids’ menu. As you are seated, ask your server not to offer sugary drinks.
- Have a few types of fresh and frozen fruit on hand for making one of these delicious, simple and low-cost drink recipes at home. The assorted flavors and colors help keep the drinks fun and appealing.
- Get kids involved in choosing and preparing healthy drinks. We developed a few recipes with that in mind. Radical Minty Raspberry is a favorite!
Kids can learn to enjoy other tastes, like sour, bitter, and umami. Parents play a key role in shaping these taste preferences by offering a wide variety of foods and using a few simple strategies when kids need a bit more encouragement.
If you have an idea for making the healthy choices easier, please write to us at rethinkyourdrink@unr.edu. We will include your ideas in next month’s newsletter.
