When you open your refrigerator to pour your child a drink, what
do you reach for? Is it Kool-aid, or soda, or a fruit drink? A small
decision in the course of our day that we don't really think much about
is now having a major impact on the health of children all over the
United States. It has been determined that the lack of water in
children's diets is actually a huge factor in childhood obesity. It's
not the lack of hydration as much as it is the choice of what the
children are drinking. The fact that they are not choosing to drink
water instead of other sugar-sweetened drinks is not only helping to
cause obesity, but also other health issues. It is high time that we as
adults start helping our children make better choices for a healthy
future.
According to the Center for Disease Control, over the last 20 years, obesity in preschoolers and teenagers has doubled, while obesity in children aged 6-11 years old has tripled. These facts are horrifying and need to be given a good hard look.
One approach that has been deemed successful is the substitution of sugar-sweetened drinks for water. In Germany, a study was done on second and third graders in different schools. In some of the schools, more water fountains were added and water bottles were handed out to the children so that they could fill them at the beginning of the day. Added to that, teachers began to throw into their lesson plans some healthy benefits of drinking water. At the start of the school year, there were no great differences in the groups of kids at the different schools. However, by the end of the year, the students who had more exposure to drinking water and learning about water were thirty percent less likely to be overweight.
The theory behind this study is that replacing the sugary drinks for water reduced the children's caloric intake. About ninety percent of children in the United States consume sugar-sweetened beverages every day. These include soda, fruit drinks, punches, sports drinks, and sweetened tea. The calories from these drinks add up to over 10% of their daily calorie intake. Switching to water makes even more sense because there is no evidence that their food consumption increases with substituting their water. What that means is that, on average, 235 calories would be completely eliminated from their diet if they chose to drink water instead. Since one in every five calories consumed is from a liquid, what we choose to drink affects our weight.
If obesity isn't enough reason to make a change, there are other health factors involved in drinking so many sugary drinks. Sipping juice and/or soda all day may lead to tooth decay. Soda leads to bone loss. Obesity is actually coming close to overriding smoking as the number one killer in the United States. Obesity may lead to diabetes and heart disease, which can start in children and be carried on throughout adulthood. Lastly, overweight teens have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults. All of these are very scary and very real risks to be exposing to your child. Developing and promoting good water drinking habits can be a life-saver...literally.
Many adults like to place the blame on McDonald's, soda companies, commercials, and movies. However, poor parenting habits are more likely the problem. It is said that the first three years of a child's life are crucial to developing habits. If you start your children with good, healthy habits, they will continue them throughout their lives because that is what they are used to and have come to like. In schools, the children walk right by the water fountain to reach a soda or juice machine. I think it is fair to say if these vending machines are eliminated, they will have no choice but to drink what is readily available. Why not promote drinking water at home and at school? Consistency is important for children so that they are not receiving mixed signals about what is important. Nothing is more important than their health.
If you are unsure about how to help your child make the change to water, here are some good tips to encourage them. Install a water filtration system at home. If any odor and/or chemical taste is removed from your tap water, they will more than likely enjoy a fresh glass of water. It will be more refreshing and actually taste better. Also, it is a healthier choice than bottled water which may contain contaminants and be bottled in a carbon-based container that could leak into the water itself. You can try a process that may be easier to them by switching first from Kool-aid to a lighter powdered green tea or sugar-free lemonade. Gradually you will then be able to put a filtered water pitcher in the refrigerator and they will be more apt to drink it.
If you put ice in their water it will be more refreshing and thirst quenching. Also, it may help to use a fun cup and/or straw to give them the water in. Using the plastic shaped ice cubes may also make it fun for them. These tricks will turn their focus from what is inside the cup to the fun parts of drinking it. It definitely helps to use a refrigerator with a water dispenser. If you keep Dixie cups close to the refrigerator, they will enjoy being able to dispense the water themselves whenever they are thirsty. Making soda a treat is an excellent idea. If you allow them to have it only on special occasions like going out to dinner or to the movies, they will have something to look forward to and it will become routine. If they are missing the fizz of soda, a flavored seltzer or club soda are good substitutions. Last and most important, this should be done as a family. If you are practicing what you preach, they will see you drinking water and that will become the norm in the household. You need to be a positive influence.
Something important to remember is that the goal is not to make children lose weight. Children are always growing, so the point of switching to water is to slow the weight gain. If they are already overweight, switching to drinking water instead will help them to even out as they grow, not lose all their weight. It needs to be healthy.
Obesity in children is a nationwide issue. Something needs to be done about it so that all these children do not become obese adults. If our generation starts now teaching good, healthy habits, they will grow to teach their own children the very same habits. So, though it may take a little effort at home and in schools, the health of our children and their future is absolutely worth it. Changing our habits to drinking water instead of sugary drinks is such an easy way out of a nationwide epidemic. It doesn't include dieting our children, affecting their nutrition, or even taking a pill to fix the problem. If every parent and every teacher in every school cared enough to do their part, obesity will no longer be a huge problem in the United States. Just a little education and a lot of promoting good habits will save our children from unnecessary health problems in the future. Definitely worth a shot!
According to the Center for Disease Control, over the last 20 years, obesity in preschoolers and teenagers has doubled, while obesity in children aged 6-11 years old has tripled. These facts are horrifying and need to be given a good hard look.
One approach that has been deemed successful is the substitution of sugar-sweetened drinks for water. In Germany, a study was done on second and third graders in different schools. In some of the schools, more water fountains were added and water bottles were handed out to the children so that they could fill them at the beginning of the day. Added to that, teachers began to throw into their lesson plans some healthy benefits of drinking water. At the start of the school year, there were no great differences in the groups of kids at the different schools. However, by the end of the year, the students who had more exposure to drinking water and learning about water were thirty percent less likely to be overweight.
The theory behind this study is that replacing the sugary drinks for water reduced the children's caloric intake. About ninety percent of children in the United States consume sugar-sweetened beverages every day. These include soda, fruit drinks, punches, sports drinks, and sweetened tea. The calories from these drinks add up to over 10% of their daily calorie intake. Switching to water makes even more sense because there is no evidence that their food consumption increases with substituting their water. What that means is that, on average, 235 calories would be completely eliminated from their diet if they chose to drink water instead. Since one in every five calories consumed is from a liquid, what we choose to drink affects our weight.
If obesity isn't enough reason to make a change, there are other health factors involved in drinking so many sugary drinks. Sipping juice and/or soda all day may lead to tooth decay. Soda leads to bone loss. Obesity is actually coming close to overriding smoking as the number one killer in the United States. Obesity may lead to diabetes and heart disease, which can start in children and be carried on throughout adulthood. Lastly, overweight teens have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults. All of these are very scary and very real risks to be exposing to your child. Developing and promoting good water drinking habits can be a life-saver...literally.
Many adults like to place the blame on McDonald's, soda companies, commercials, and movies. However, poor parenting habits are more likely the problem. It is said that the first three years of a child's life are crucial to developing habits. If you start your children with good, healthy habits, they will continue them throughout their lives because that is what they are used to and have come to like. In schools, the children walk right by the water fountain to reach a soda or juice machine. I think it is fair to say if these vending machines are eliminated, they will have no choice but to drink what is readily available. Why not promote drinking water at home and at school? Consistency is important for children so that they are not receiving mixed signals about what is important. Nothing is more important than their health.
If you are unsure about how to help your child make the change to water, here are some good tips to encourage them. Install a water filtration system at home. If any odor and/or chemical taste is removed from your tap water, they will more than likely enjoy a fresh glass of water. It will be more refreshing and actually taste better. Also, it is a healthier choice than bottled water which may contain contaminants and be bottled in a carbon-based container that could leak into the water itself. You can try a process that may be easier to them by switching first from Kool-aid to a lighter powdered green tea or sugar-free lemonade. Gradually you will then be able to put a filtered water pitcher in the refrigerator and they will be more apt to drink it.
If you put ice in their water it will be more refreshing and thirst quenching. Also, it may help to use a fun cup and/or straw to give them the water in. Using the plastic shaped ice cubes may also make it fun for them. These tricks will turn their focus from what is inside the cup to the fun parts of drinking it. It definitely helps to use a refrigerator with a water dispenser. If you keep Dixie cups close to the refrigerator, they will enjoy being able to dispense the water themselves whenever they are thirsty. Making soda a treat is an excellent idea. If you allow them to have it only on special occasions like going out to dinner or to the movies, they will have something to look forward to and it will become routine. If they are missing the fizz of soda, a flavored seltzer or club soda are good substitutions. Last and most important, this should be done as a family. If you are practicing what you preach, they will see you drinking water and that will become the norm in the household. You need to be a positive influence.
Something important to remember is that the goal is not to make children lose weight. Children are always growing, so the point of switching to water is to slow the weight gain. If they are already overweight, switching to drinking water instead will help them to even out as they grow, not lose all their weight. It needs to be healthy.
Obesity in children is a nationwide issue. Something needs to be done about it so that all these children do not become obese adults. If our generation starts now teaching good, healthy habits, they will grow to teach their own children the very same habits. So, though it may take a little effort at home and in schools, the health of our children and their future is absolutely worth it. Changing our habits to drinking water instead of sugary drinks is such an easy way out of a nationwide epidemic. It doesn't include dieting our children, affecting their nutrition, or even taking a pill to fix the problem. If every parent and every teacher in every school cared enough to do their part, obesity will no longer be a huge problem in the United States. Just a little education and a lot of promoting good habits will save our children from unnecessary health problems in the future. Definitely worth a shot!
Source : http://www.rayneoffullerton.com
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