What you drink is as important as what you eat. The 0 in 5210 Healthy Military Children stands for 0 Sweetened Beverages. Many drinks have added sugar and do not contain vitamins or minerals. Here are 7 tips for choosing better beverages.
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Be a role model for your family by choosing water!
Drink water when you are thirsty, and offer water to thirsty children. Carry a water bottle with you, so you always have something to drink.
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Add flavor to water.
Try adding slices of cucumber, lemon, or other fruits. Add crushed ice and a fun straw!
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Instead of soda or soft drinks, try sparkling water.
Sparkling water comes in many different flavors. You can also buy plain sparkling water and add a splash of 100% juice or a squeeze of lemon or lime.
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Keep a pitcher of water in the front of the refrigerator.
Keeping water in the front of the refrigerator makes it easy for your family to see.
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Choose a juice that says 100% juice on the label.
Watch out for labels on juices that say juice drink, juice beverage, or fruit-flavored drink. These are not 100% juice. Juice beverages and juice drinks have added sugar and very small amounts of juice.
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Avoid added sweeteners by reading the ingredient list on the food label.
If any of the following ingredients are listed on the food label, the drink has added sugars: sugar, honey, corn syrup, and brown rice syrup. Also look for ingredients that end with “-ose,” such as fructose.
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Watch the serving size!
Many bottled drinks and juices contain 2 or more servings.
Remember to aim for 0 sweetened beverages every day!
Additional Resources:
May I Have Some Juice Please?
https://5210.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/b2_9mayihavesomejuice7-11-17.pdf