Rethink your drink

By Emer Delaney, British Dietetic Association spokesperson 

We all know that giving children fizzy drinks is never a great idea because they are high in sugar and have very little nutrients. Some contain the equivalent of eight heaped teaspoons of sugar, which can not only contribute to weight gain as they don't make your child feel full, but can also damage their teeth. And now health experts have calculated there's even more sugar in some smoothies and health drinks. While there are no recommendations on the number of sugary drinks that are allowed, parents should limit them as best they can.

Research has shown that children aged four to ten years get 16% of their sugar intake from soft and fizzy drinks and soft drinks were the largest contributor to sugar intake for children aged four to eighteen years.  These are frightening figures because when kids drink too much juice, juice or sport drinks their intake of milk declines and they get too little calcium for their growing teeth and bones.

Whether its fruit juice or fizzy drinks, the source of the sugar doesn't matter as any sugar the body doesn't need will be converted to fat. Also, when children have these drinks on an empty stomach, the body takes in sugar so quickly, insulin spikes and then drops suddenly, leaving them feeling hungry.   50% of UK children are now overweight so limiting these drinks is more important than ever.

So what can parents do? Limit the drinks for special occasions only like parties or holidays; dilute fruit juices with water; try flavoured water or de-caffeinated tea for a change. But the easiest and clearest message for all - milk or water should be a child's only choice.

We need to empower our children to make their own decisions and to teach them that too many fizzy drinks, fruit juice or sweet drinks are bad for their bodies. Change doesn't happen overnight, but we can start making small steps today and make it happen today.

Give kids 5-a-day… in a chocolate drink?

By Andrew Wilson

You want your child to get all the nutrition they need, but they simply refuse to eat any fruit or veg. Encouraging children to eat a wide variety of foods can be a battleground and one faced by many parents at mealtimes.

So could the launch of new chocolate-flavoured drink Kidz 5 A Day help tackle the issue? The drink promises to give children all the vitamins and minerals they need for healthy growth – and kids love it!

While there is limited nutritional information about this product available on the Kidz 5 A Day website, the ingredients are essentially fruit and veg, which provide vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. However, there is added cocoa (presumably to give it it’s chocolate flavour) and sea salt. 

Achocolate drink with extras might seem like a great option, but don't be tempted to rely on it as a replacement for fruit and vegetablesas such sweet-flavoured tactics may lead to bigger problems later. 

Regularly giving children drinks that taste of chocolate, for example, will encourage them to eat and drink more chocolate, which is not conducive to good eating habits. And trying to break these habits later in life can be very difficult.

However, forcing a child to eat fruit and vegetables may cause them to eat less of these healthy snacks, strengthening their preference for the unhealthy options you are trying to limit.

But don’t be disheartened – when a child is hungry, they will eat. If a new food is rejected the first time, offer it again later. The more often a child is offered something new to eat rather than told to eat it, the more likely they are to accept it. This could take several attempts – eight to 10 times – so patience is definitely required, but it will teach your child to choose healthy options. And remember, children will be more likely to try and enjoy new foods if they see their parents eating them.

Chocolate flavours aside, it is important for children to drink plenty throughout the day to prevent dehydration and tiredness. Water and milk are the most suitable options; pure unsweetened fruit juice, well diluted (one part juice to eight parts water), can be offered at mealtimes, but are not recommended between meals. Meanwhile, ordinary and ‘diet’ varieties of squashes, juices and fizzy drinks are best avoided, but if they are consumed, keep them to main meals only as they can erode the surface of the teeth.

Andrew Wilson is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.