Soda habits up kids’ calorie intake

Soda contributing to obesity epidemic

New figures suggest that from toddler to teens, children now take in up to 15% of their total daily calories from sugary drinks packed with ‘empty calories’.

Researchers analyzed data from two national surveys, including over 20,000 participants, and found that the largest increases were happening among children aged 6-11 years and particularly among boys. Most consumption – up to 70% – took place at home, suggesting that efforts by schools to restrict sales of sugary drinks are having limited impact on consumption.

Parents often are unaware how many extra calories their child might be consuming in drinks, and research from the University of Minnesota suggests that even when they recognize their child is obese many don’t support for healthful eating habits – for example, by buying fruit and vegetables and encouraging their child to eat them.

The UoM study compared parents of overweight children who recognized their children were overweight with parents of overweight children who didn’t recognize their children were overweight to see if greater awareness of the problem led to better behavior. Researchers asked parents about several behaviors, such as providing more fruits and vegetables and fewer soft drinks, salty snacks and candy; having more meals as a family; watching less TV during dinner and encouraging children to make healthy food choices and be active. They also asked the parents if they encouraged their children to diet.

The results suggested that instead of reinforcing healthy eating habits, those parents who recognized their child was overweight were more inclined to encourage their child to diet – and the children weighed more five years later.

You can help your child by providing positive guidance, healthier food options and encouragement to get more physical activity. Cutting back on sugary sodas and drinks is a good start – limit soda and fruit drinks to 4-6 ounces a day for kids aged 1-6, and 8-12 ounces for those aged 7-18. Keep in mind too that if your child is drinking these he’ll need even more exercise to burn off those empty calories.

 

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