The increasing rates of childhood obesity are alarming. Studies have shown that what children drink can play an important role in maintaining children’s health and, ultimately, children’s weight (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), warns that excessive daily sugar intake may lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the AAP recommends aiming for less than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for children 2 years of age and older.

Many parents and caregivers offer children fruit juices and fruit drinks and may think they are giving their children needed vitamins or nutrients, but this may not always be the case. Nutrition facts can be found on the back of the juice packaging (e.g., bottle, box), and parents/caregivers should look carefully at the ingredients and at the amount of sugar per serving in the drink.

Here’s a closer look at how much sugar is in popular children’s drinks. Each teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams (remember, aim for less than 25 grams of added sugar per day) (Penn State Extension, n.d.):

Drink	Serving Size	Amount of sugar
Soda	8-ounce cup	26 grams (less than 1 can) = 6.5 tsp.
Fruit punch juice drink	8-ounce cup	30 grams = 7.5 tsp.
Fruit punch cocktail	8-ounce cup	34 grams = 8.5 tsp.
100% juice (no sugar added)	8-ounce cup	26 grams = 6.5 tsp.

Best practices for beverage consumption according to the AAP (2017) are as follows:

• Water: Available from household water faucets or in bottles or cans, and often a child can access water independently
• Fruit juice: Offer only products that are 100% juice; limit to no more than 4-6 ounces per day per child and
  encourage parents to support this limit (keep juice from getting on the loose!)
• Sugary drinks: Never offer these drinks (includes fruit drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, and soda)
• Milk: Serve only 1% or non-fat (skim) milk to children 2 years and older (unless otherwise directed by the child’s health provider)

According to the AAP (2017), even 100% fruit juice, while there is no added sugar, is simply sugar from the whole fruit, and the juice lacks the fiber and some nutrients that are found in the whole fruit. Research suggests that drinking juice may lead children to develop a taste for sweet things, which could be detrimental to children’s overall and continued health. In addition, the AAP recommends that fruit juice not be given to infants under 12 months of age since it offers no nutritional benefit to babies in this age group. After 12 months of age, infants may have limited amounts (see recommendations below) of 100% fruit juice daily (APA, 2017). Remember, just because a drink claims to be 100% fruit juice doesn’t mean it’s a healthy option for children (Eichberger, 2018).

Key tips regarding fruit juice follow:

• Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruit. Whole fruits also provide fiberand other nutrients. Infants should not be given fruit juice at bedtime or as a treatment of dehydration or management of diarrhea.
• For children ages 1 to 3 years old:Limit fruit juice consumption to no more than 4 ounces each day.
• For children ages 4 to 6 years of age:Limit fruit juice consumption to 4 to 6 ounces each day.

Additional resources:

Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State. (2017, July 11). 5210 Make your own sugar bottle display. https://5210.psu.edu/toolkits/

Penn State Extension. (n.d.). The best drinks for kids. Better Kid Care. https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/the-best-drinks-for-children

References:

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017). Fruit juice and your child’s diet. Healthy Children. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Fruit-Juice-and-Your-Childs-Diet.aspx

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017). Where we stand: fruit juice. Healthy Children. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Where-We-Stand-Fruit-Juice.aspx

Cleveland Clinic. (2019). Parents: Regular milk and water is best for kids. Health Essentials. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/parents-regular-milk-and-water-is-best-for-kids/

Eichberger, S. (2018, August 27). Is fruit juice healthy for kids? Michigan State University Extension Food and Health. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/is-fruit-juice-healthy-for-kids

Penn State Extension. (n.d). The best drinks for kids. Better Kid Care. https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/the-best-drinks-for-children

This year’s flu season will coincide with the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are cautioning the occurrence of a “Twin-demic.” That is when two diseases spread at the same time. Yes, you can contract Influenza and COVID-19 at the same time, which could overwhelm our healthcare systems.

In children, the flu illness is more dangerous than the common cold. There are more than 200 different viruses that cause the common cold, which is an upper respiratory virus that usually only causes symptoms in the nose and throat areas. Rarely does the common cold cause fever or serious complications for children. Influenza or the flu is a lower respiratory infection that attacks the lungs and our oxygen exchange system. The flu commonly causes fevers and reduced oxygen levels, which can lead to very serious and life-threatening illnesses for children, like pneumonia (CDC,2020).

There can be some confusion surrounding the flu shot and how it actually works in our bodies. The flu shot is a vaccination made up of three to four different kinds of influenza virus strains. This year, the flu shot contains the H1N1, Type A, and Type B strains (CDC, 2020). The flu shot has only pieces of the viruses and does not cause the flu. It takes about 2 weeks for the immune system to create antibodies from the flu shot.  Every year, scientists decide what are the best viral strains of the flu to use in the annual flu vaccination, and these strains, on average, have a 45% rate of accuracy (CDC, 2020). Any flu antibodies your body creates will lessen the symptoms and severity of the flu, and you may be better off than if you had not been vaccinated at all (Arriola, 2017).

The flu shot offers several benefits to your child, such as the following:

• Reduce the spread of flu to others.
• Reduce flu illnesses and make them shorter and milder if you do get them.
• Reduce doctor’s visits.
• Reduce the number of missed school days.
• Reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalization and death.
• Provide preventive care for children with chronic health conditions.

The flu shot is very important for children and teenagers who are at high risk of complications from the flu, including those who have the following characteristics:

• Are between 6 months and 5 years of age.
• Have chronic heart or lung disorders.
• Have chronic conditions that weaken the immune system.
• Have diabetes.
• Have chronic kidney disease.
• Have chronic anemia or a hemoglobin disorder.
• Have a chronic neurological disorder.
• Are severely obese (body mass index ≥40).
• Need to take acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin) on a daily basis.
• Live with another child or adult who is at risk of complications from the flu.

In addition to children, pregnant women and individuals and caregivers who care for children less than 5 years of age should also receive the flu shot (Thompson, 2016). Given during pregnancy, the flu shot helps to protect the baby from the flu for several months after birth, which is a time when he or she is not old enough to be vaccinated (Benzowitz, 2010).

 

Additional Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, August 31). What are the benefits of flu vaccination? https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-benefits.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 11). A strong defense against flu: get vaccinated! https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/general/strong-defense-against-flu.pdf

 

References

Arriola, C., Garg, S., Anderson, E. J., Ryan, P. A., George, A., Zansky, S. M., Bennett, N., Reingold, A., Bargsten, M., Miller, L., Yousey-Hindes, K., Tatham, L., Bohm, S. R., Lynfield, R., Thomas, A., Lindegren, M. L., Schaffner, W., Fry, A. M., & Chaves, S. S. (2017). Influenza vaccination modifies disease severity among community-dwelling adults hospitalized with Influenza. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(8), 1289–1297. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix468

Benowitz, I., Esposito, B., Gracey, D., Shapiro, D., & Vázquez, M. (2010). Influenza vaccine given to pregnant women reduces hospitalization due to influenza in their infants. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 51(12),1355-1361. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21058908/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, August 31). What are the benefits of flu vaccination? https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-benefits.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 11). A strong defense against flu: get vaccinated! https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/general/strong-defense-against-flu.pdf

Thompson, M., Kwong, J., Regan, A., Katz, M., Drews, S., Azziz-Baumgartner, B., Klein, K., Chung, H., Effler, P., Feldman, B., Simmonds, K., Wyant, B., Dawood, F., Jackson, M., Fell, D., Levy, A., Barda, N., Svenson, L., Fink, R., Ball, S., Naleway, A. (2016). Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing influenza-associated hospitalizations during pregnancy: A multi-country retrospective test negative design study. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68(9),1444–1453. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy737