From:http://chalkcenter.org
Drink water instead of soda or juice.
Why water?
Our bodies are made mostly of water. At birth, 75%-85% of body weight is from water. This decreases with age, and in adulthood water contributes from 45%-70% of body mass.1
Water:
• Keeps your body temperature normal.
• Lubricates and cushions your joints.
• Protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues.
• Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.2
How much water do adults need?
• The official recommendation is 8 glasses (8 oz. = 1 glass) of liquid a day for anyone over the age of 9 years old.
• Children 1-3 years need a total of 4 cups of liquid a day.
• Children 4-8 years need a total of 5 cups of liquid a day.3
Hydrate for Exercise
Before: Half a liter of water 2-3 hours before beginning exercise.
During: About a cup of water (6 to 12 oz) every 15 to 20 minutes, but remember to consider temperature and how much you sweat.
After: Drink more than half a liter or about one and a half regular sized bottles of water (.5 L) for every pound of body weight lost.
For strenuous exercise, you may need to restore the electrolytes, minerals dissolved in your bodies’ water like sodium and potassium, since they are lost when you sweat. However, most sports drinks contain much more sugar then the body needs during or after a work-out. Diluting sports drinks makes them a better hydration alternative. 1 Remember though, most of activity we do during the day does not require the use of sports drinks to restore electrolytes.
For an alternative to sports drinks try this:
1 quart clean water
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
8 teaspoons sugar
and lemon juice
Why more water and less soda and juice?
Many people in our community think juice is good to drink because it has vitamins. Even though 100% pure juice has vitamins that are good for you, it also has a lot of sugar. Just a single glass of 100% juice has about 7 teaspoons of sugar.
Because it has so much sugar, a glass of 100% fruit juice has about 150 calories. That is a very big part of the calories your body needs – especially if you are a child - and that’s only one glass of juice! If you drink too many calories, you or your child may gain excess weight.
Watch out for fruit drinks pretending to be fruit juices. Fruit drinks are often just sugar, water, and artificial flavoring. They lack the vitamins and minerals contained in the fruit used to make fruit juice. For this reason while fruit juice counts as a serving of fruit for the day, fruit drinks do not. When you are buying juices, make sure you look for 100% fruit juice and the word juice on the packaging.8
Regular soda has just as much sugar as juice.
Click here to learn how The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Asks New Yorkers if They’re “Pouring On the Pounds”.
Since juice and soda have so many calories, drinking them makes it more likely you will gain weight and also makes it hard to get the right vitamins and minerals without having too many calories. That’s why it’s important to drink water when you are thirsty.
Soda as a statement
Besides its sweet taste that many people like, sometimes serving soda in a household is not simply a matter of taste, but a statement. Soda has often been viewed as a status symbol to many communities, or a signature of wealth. In this case, water is seen as a reminder of poverty (when that is all that is available). It’s time to put soda back into its place as a “sometimes” treat at best, and water, as the king of all beverages.
Sugar by Any Other Name: How To Tell Whether Your Drink Is Sweetened
Sweeteners that add calories to a beverage go by many different names and are not always obvious to anyone looking at the ingredients list. Some common caloric sweeteners are listed below. If these appear in the ingredients listed on your favorite beverage, you are drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage.
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrates
• Honey
• Sugar
• Syrup
• Corn syrup
• Sucrose
• Dextrose
Easy Drink Choices
• Water is best!
• Choose water, diet, or low-calorie beverages instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
• For a quick, easy, and inexpensive thirst-quencher, carry a water bottle and refill it throughout the day.
• Keep a jug or bottles of cold water in the fridge instead of sweetened beverages.
• Serve water with meals.
• Make water more exciting by serving it cold, adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or watermelon, serve chilled or drink sparkling water.
• Aguas frescas are a great way to drink diluted juices—the flavors you love with fewer calories. See the Recipe below.
• If you do serve juice, be sure it is 100% fruit juice and not a fruit drink.
• When you do opt for a sugar-sweetened beverage, go for the small size. Some companies are now selling 8-oz. cans and bottles of soda, which contain about 100 calories.
• Be a role model for your friends and family by choosing healthy, low-calorie beverages.
Aguas Frescas: Recipe
Six cups of water
1 pound of Fruit (Cucumber, watermelon, melon, strawberry)
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup of your favorite herb EX mint, rosemary, basil (If you want to a little extra flavor)
(For the healthiest recipe, do not add sugar. For a “sometimes,” sweeter drink, add 2-6 tablespoons of sugar)
Blend 3 cups of water and all the fruit in a blender.
Let the mixture sit and settle for a little while so the flavors can mix.
Pour the blended mixture through a strainer, leaving just the liquid.
Add the remaining water (3 cups), lime juice and (if you are adding it) sugar.
Remember to use as little sugar as possible. Try to maximize the flavor and minimize the calories.
Especially for Kids
Infants and Hydration
Until infants are 7-9 months of age it is best for infants to get most of their liquid from breast milk or formula because this helps ensure they receive adequate nutrition. However, they can drink small amounts of water, especially on very hot days. After they age of 7 months they can start to drink water from a bottle or cup.2
Children and hydration
Water is especially important for the bodies of children. Since children have more water in their bodies than adults, they need to drink more water for their body weight than adults.10 Children ages 1-3 years need 4 cups of water a day, and children 6-11 years need around 7 cups of water a day, just slightly less then adults.11 Most children will let you know when they are thirsty. However, thirst happens when the body’s water is already low, so try to encourage your children to drink regularly throughout the day, especially when playing outside. When in hot and dry climates or when out in the sun at the beach, it is especially important to encourage children to drink water.
Children who participate in organized sports over the summer are especially at risk for overheating. Make sure your children get enough water to be fully hydrated a few hours before activities. Provide fluids and encourage them to drink small amounts often during the activities, and make sure they drink plenty of fluids after they finish any exercise.
Children over the age of 2 should also drink up to 3 glasses of skim or 1% milk during the day; children 1-2 years old should drink whole milk.
Fun Activities: Demonstrate Dehydration with Plants
Show children the importance of water in their bodies by demonstrating what happens when you water a wilting plant. Certain plants like rosemary and peace lilies wilt easily when they dry out and return to their original shape quickly after watering. This gives children a clear image of the effect lack of water can have on a living thing and on their bodies 11.
Fruits and Fruits Juices
Fruits contain important vitamins and minerals for health. Many people value juice as a form of medicine. Fruit juice has its benefits, but fruit juice lacks the fiber contained in whole fruits and is less effective for relieving hunger. Children drinking lots of fruit juice may get too many calories and store the excess energy as extra pounds. In general, it is better to give a child whole fruit than to give fruit juice, and to provide water or low-fat milk if the child is thirsty.
The recommended amount of juice for children each day is:
• Ages 6 months to 1 year: infants do not need any juice at all.
• Ages 1 to 5 years: Although whole fruit is preferable, children can be given up to 1/4 to 1/2 cup 100% juice a day.12
On the “sometimes” occasions when you buy juice, remember to check the label carefully and buy 100% juice that is not sweetened. Some more tips to minimize juice drinking:
• Always give juice in a cup, never in a bottle.
• Do not let a child carry a cup of juice around the house or when playing.
• Never give juice at bedtime.
Summertime Hydration
Your body also needs more water when you are—
• In hot temperatures.
• In dry and/or hot climates.
• At high altitude
The community-based "Vive tu Vida/Live your Life" campaign is sponsored by CHALK (Choosing Healthy & Active Lifestyles for Kids), a NYS Department of Health funded program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Ambulatory Care Network/Columbia University Medical Center Community Pediatrics.
