More and more school-aged kids are reaching for energy drinks, coffee drinks, sugary sodas and sports drinks. Unfortunately, these options are full of extra sugar, artificial sweeteners and caffeine – and can be bad for their health.

According to recent recommendations from Healthy Eating Research, what children and teens drink has a big impact on their health – both now and in the future. It’s not only important that we teach our kids to eat healthy foods, but we also need to help them make smart and healthy drink choices.

The Best Options

Plain water and plain pasteurized milk are the healthiest choices for kids ages 5-18, with plain water being the best option.

A child’s hydration needs can be met by simply drinking water. Unsweetened, unflavored and fluoridated water is best.

Plain pasteurized milk is a good source of nutrients that kids often lack, such as protein, calcium, potassium and vitamin D. If your child does not drink milk, they can also get these nutrients by eating dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese.

Drinks to Limit

Sugar and calories in beverages can add up quickly. You might think that plant-based milk alternatives, flavored milk and 100% juice are healthy choices for kids, but Healthy Eating Research said that these drinks should be limited. Here’s why:

• Plant-based milk alternatives are only recommended if a child is allergic to dairy or does not eat dairy products. Plant-based milk alternatives often contain added sugars or non-sugar sweeteners, and they do not provide the same nutrition as milk.

• One cup of flavored milk with added sugars, such as chocolate milk and strawberry milk, can meet or even exceed daily sugar recommendations for children.

• Drinking a little bit of juice is OK. But children and adolescents should eat whole fruit, which contains fiber, rather than drink fruit juice. Kids who drink more than the daily recommended amount of juice can easily consume too many calories.

Drinks to Avoid

Healthy Eating Research recommends that kids ages 5-18 never drink caffeinated beverages or beverages containing sugar or artificial sweeteners. Here are the reasons:

• While most adults can safely consume caffeine in limited quantities, children and adolescents have smaller bodies and rapidly developing brains. Consuming too much caffeine can lead to poor sleep quality, increased blood pressure, mental health issues and higher sugar consumption.

• Children and adolescents should not consume sports drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks and other sugar-sweetened drinks. Drinks with added sugars offer little to no nutritional benefits. And consuming too many is linked to weight gain and obesity, dental cavities and the development of unhealthy eating habits.

• Research indicates that diet sodas, low-calorie sports drinks, juice drinks and other beverages that contain non-sugar sweeteners do not help with weight management. Recent research shows potential harmful effects of long-term use in adults, including increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Since there isn’t enough research on the long-term impacts of non-sugar sweeteners on children and adolescents, they should avoid them.

See the Healthy Eating Research website for more complete recommendations regarding healthy drinks for children and adolescents, including how much hydration they need.

Healthy Eating Research is a collaboration of experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association.

Source: Healthy Eating Research