SWEETENED BEVERAGES

Long term goal: Eliminate sweetened beverages.

What is a sweetened beverage?
Any drinks that have added sugar OR drinks that have a concentrated amount of sugar with little nutritional benefit. Examples include:

• 100% fruit juice or juice drinks – Juice sounds like it should be healthy, but it contains lot of sugar. Read more
• Regular soda
• Regular kool-aid or lemonade
• Flavored milk
• Sports drinks – surprised? Read more
• Coffee drinks (latte, mocha or frappuccino)
• VitaminWater™
• Energy drinks (Red Bull®, Monster™)

Health risks of drinking too many sweetened beverages:

• Higher risk of type 2 diabetes
• Weight gain
• Higher risk of developing cavities in your teeth

Benefits of eliminating sweetened beverages:

• Reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• It will help you lose or maintain your weight
• Reduced risk of developing cavities in your teeth

What you can do:

• Avoid beverages with added sugar. How can you tell if a drink has added sugar? Read more.
• Dilute 100% fruit juice with extra water. How? Read more.
• Try beverages with less sugar or choose unsweetened beverages half the time.
• Drink:
  • Water
  • Milk – unflavored, skim or 1%. Why not flavored milk? Read more.
  • Flavored beverages with less than 3 grams of sugar per serving. For example:
    • Propel®
    • AquaFina Flavor Splash™
    • Dasani® flavored water
    • Crystal Light®
    • Sugar free Kool-aid®
    • Caffeine-free diet soda