August 17, 2021
What To Look For in a Low Sugar Drink for Your Kids
Why are we so passionate about ensuring that healthy drink options are available and accessible to children? Because childhood obesity is still a huge problem in the United States. According to the CDC, from 2017-2018, youths between the ages of 2-19 had a 19.3% prevalence of obesity - which means that about 14.4 million children could be categorized as obese.
The truth is, healthy adults that lead by example are more likely to have healthier children. If as adults, we make an effort to choose healthy options like colorful fruits and vegetables, and reach for low-sugar drinks like True Lemon Strawberry Lemonade, kids will have an easier time following suit. Developing your own healthy habits will take some practice, but eventually you won’t even have to think about them. Healthy will simply feel natural.
Now that you’re working to get your own health on track, what do you look for in a low-sugar kids drink? Here are some problems (and solutions) for so-called healthy drinks for kids:
Problem: Juice is only good in very small quantities.
There are 22 grams of sugar in just a small 8 ounce glass of apple juice. The daily maximum recommendation of added sugar for kids is 25 grams - which means with just one small glass of juice your child has almost reached the maximum daily amount! Now consider the other foods they eat throughout the day and you’ll quickly see how juice can be a huge problem.
Solution: Wean them off with a healthy juice alternative.
True Lemon Kids Crisp Apple drink packets can be added to water to create a delicious juice substitute for kids that contains just 2 grams of sugar. This kids drink mix tastes pleasantly sweet without the overload of sugar.
Problem: You love soda - and so do your kids.
Do you understand now why juice is a problem? Well buckle up: one can of soda contains a whopping 33 grams of sugar. Without eating any other sugar throughout the entire day, you (or your child) has already consumed 32% more grams of sugar than recommended by health professionals. (Diet soda has a whole host of problems as well.)
Solution: Swap sugary soda for better bubbles.
Buy cans or a bottle of unsweetened calorie-free soda water and add a packet of refreshing True Lemon Fruit Infusions for yourself, and True Lemon Kids Fruit Punch for your kids. When they see that you’re enjoying a bubbly low-sugar drink, they will be more apt to do the same. You’ll get used to the lower amount of sweetness more quickly than you think you will.
Problem: Energy drinks help keep you fueled through work, and your kids fueled through the school day.
There are good reasons why people love energy drinks so much. They can perk you up when you’re feeling lethargic midway through the day, or get you revved first thing in the morning. However if you and your teenage kids are regularly consuming energy drinks, you’re probably not only over-consuming calories, but sugar too. And when the crash inevitably comes after the spike in blood sugar, you and your kids will reach for yet another energy drink and consume even more added calories and sugar. It’s a vicious cycle!
Solution: True Lemon Energy with caffeine from green tea.
Powered by energy from green tea (equal in caffeine level to one cup of coffee), True Lemon Energy drink mixes will help you and your older kids fight dehydration while powering through your days. As if that wasn't enough, each packet contains 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C so that not only is your energy sustained, but your immune system is supported too. Sweetened with Stevia, True Lemon Energys are a drink choice that you and your family can feel good about.
When kids start learning about the importance of healthy choices and how to get plenty of nutrition when they’re young, it means they will have a strong foundation for living life as a healthy adult in the future. Making the decision to switch to low sugar drinks is a wonderful place to start.