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LEHI — Research shows that what kids drink can have a major impact on their health.
Now, new guidelines from health experts address questions and concerns to promote healthier beverage choices for children and teens.
"What children drink plays a big part of their overall healthy diet," said Hilma Porter, a registered dietician with Primary Children's Hospital.
These evidence-based recommendations for kids ages 5-18, which were developed by experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association, come amid a nationwide obesity and mental health crisis.
"We want to mitigate a lot of diet-related chronic disease such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even anxiety and depression," Porter said.
These recommendations are broken down into three categories: what to drink, what to limit, and what to avoid.
What to drink: Those ages 5-18 should drink unsweetened water and plain, pasteurized milk.
What to limit: Limit fruit juice, plant-based milks and flavored milks.
What to avoid: Avoid caffeinated drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages. "They are filled with added sugars that don't really add a lot of nutritional value to the diet," Porter said.
These guidelines are not meant to be completely restrictive. Rather, Porter said, think of the 80/20 rule.
"80 percent of the time think of having the water, the good stuff, and the 20 percent of the time, I won't be mad if you enjoy a soda," she said. "We want balance; we want moderation."
To encourage more water intake, Porter suggested keeping a pitcher in the fridge, and maybe even buy your kids fun water bottles.
"We want a healthy population, so these are just recommendations to help parents make better, more informed decisions."
