The Sugary Trap: Sugar Drinks and Their Alternatives for Hydration

Understanding the Effects of Sugary Beverages on Kids

It is tough to keep your child from overconsumption of these trendy beverages and find alternatives to them simultaneously. It is essential to know that although they seem very lucrative to your child, they have adverse health implications. 

Moreover, long-term health disorders can start with a thing as small as having a sugary drink and getting addicted to it for the rest of your life. 

Sugar drinks are sweet poisons that they serve in cups or bottles. Redirecting their marketing strategies has tiny to no impact on the content of their drinks. 

These sweet drinks have a list of adverse effects on children's health:

Weight Gain

Many studies have made it evident that the consumption of sugary drinks and obesity are related. So, sugary drinks are a total prohibition if your child is on a run to manage their weight.

Teeth Erosion and Decay

Sugar is known to decay teeth and lead to poor oral health, including gums. Consuming sugary beverages also creates an urgency to teach your kid to brush their teeth twice daily.

Small Appetite

Sugar has high calorific values. Although they are rich with energy to burn, it leads to a small appetite. As a result, this limits the intake of other vital nutrients. Natural sources of sugar like fruits, milk, and sugarcane are also rich in other nutrients, unlike beverages with refined sugar. Hence, diseases like anaemia can be more likely to infect your toddler.

Picky Eating

Kids who are used to consuming sugar in such drinks develop a sweet tooth. As a result, this leads to avoiding other food items. Healthy food items like spinach, bell peppers, and salads become a no-go for your kid's taste. And this, thereby, leads to increased children's health risks from sugary drinks.

If Not a Sugary Drink for Your Child, Then What?

The nutrition experts at Nirva suggest it is high time for you, as parents, to begin choosing healthier beverages for kids. Please find a few listed below:

Water

There is nothing as pure as water. Water is the fluid that lubricates your child's bloodstream and increases cognition by supporting neural development. Additionally, it aids digestion and promotes a healthy gut.

Each child should hydrate themselves with 8 ounces times their age. So, if your child is five years old, then make sure they drink 40 ounces of water, which amounts to about 1.2 litres of water per day. In other words, promoting water intake in children is the key.

Infused Water

If they have become accustomed to having sugar drinks frequently, you can start by making them drink infused water. 

You can soak their favourite seasonal fruits in water, and the fruits start infusing their flavours into water after an hour or so. 

Herbal Tea

These healthy hydration options for kids now come with tasty opportunities to explore. Some suitable flavours for children are mint, sweet orange, chamomile, and peach tea. It would also be fun to spend some tea time with your children.

Milk

Yet another healthier choice, milk comes filled with calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and the right blend of macronutrients. Early morning and evening are good times to drink milk and make it a habit.

Natural Fruit Juices

Although feasting a fruit is any day better than juice, blending it makes it lose its dietary fibre content. However, natural fruit juices are a fantastic alternative to any sports or energy drink. 

No added sugar can compensate for any fruit juice garnished with mint leaves. In other words, natural fruit juices are power-boosting tonics to recharge your little one for a sport they are up to.

Other Alternatives to Sugary Beverages for Kids

You can also try other varieties like coconut water, sugarcane juice, and smoothies to hydrate your child's body and make it a tasty treat.

Ways to Prevent Consumption of Sugar Drinks 

Meeting your child's hydration needs is crucial to their health and wellness. So, how can you prevent the consumption of sugar drinks in kids? This is how:

Cut Down on Those Sugary Drinks

You can't right away! But to start, you can reduce their intake in your kids. Gradually, you can make them switch their sodas, colas, and energy drinks with fruit juices, milk, and smoothies. You can replace their old habits with healthier ones. 

You can limit the intake of these beverages to special occasions so your child knows they have to earn it. If the scene could be better, educate your kid on the ingredients of the sodas they drink and their effects.

Tracking Water Intake of Your Child 

You can get water bottles or sippers with markings of how much water your child should drink. This will help you keep track of their daily consumption. By doing so, you can know a ballpark number for them to reach the target. 

Further, always pack your kid's meals with water to ensure they stay hydrated for the long and tiring days at school. Water has no alternative; it makes up 60% of our body. Moreover, our brain consumes the maximum amount of water. Hydration is an irreplaceable practice to watch out for - To develop a sharp mind.

Healthy Habits to Hydrate Your Child

Make Water Appealing

As mentioned above, infused water in cute little cups with colourful straws can help your child reach their hydration requirements. 

Meals and Water

Ensure your child consumes water with every meal. Teach them that drinking water during meals helps digest the food. A great way is to always keep a glass beside them while they have meals.

Set Reminders

Setting reminders to drink their glass of water could confirm their daily requirements are met.

Appreciate and Reward

Children have very flexible minds; hence, teaching them is easy when we appreciate their milestones or reward them for their well-behaved characters. 

Please give them a pat on their back, or you can also trade some play time for their hydration goals.

To Conclude

Hydration is an essential aspect of nutrition. It is as equally crucial as diet planning. So, make sure to hydrate your child also when they are away through ways discussed in the blog. Keep them away from the sugar-infested world of drinks that sell advertisements with misleading content.

Choose natural and healthy alternatives like milk, herbal teas, milkshakes, and juices. Let your child soar to the heights while staying afresh with a glass of water.