Hi, I am ______. I have a sugary drink addiction.

by Brooke on March 6, 2012

Post image for Hi, I am ______.  I have a sugary drink addiction.

Sugary drinks can be pop (yes, I call it pop), sports drinks, juices (even 100% juice), and trendy coffee drinks.   It is amazing how much sugar and calories you can consume from just one of these beverages. I personally would rather eat my calories then drink them.  When consuming these types of sugary beverages it is very easy drink more calories than your body needs, because liquids don’t send a signal to your brain quickly to let it know that your stomach is getting full. 

The other day, I overheard a conversation in a store that was surprising to hear.  A little girl asked her mother if she, “could have a water?”  The mother responded, “You already have a pop.”  I wondered if this kind of conversation was happening all over the US?  I understand that both of these are beverage options, but the problem is that sugary drinks are contributing to the child obesity epidemic.  Current, statistics from the CDC already show that almost one out every three children is at risk of being overweight. 

How did so many parents get out of the habit of offering water as the main beverage to their children?   Each 12 oz can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it.  One study conducted on children and adolescents between the ages of 2 to 19 showed that replacing just one sugary drink with water reduced daily calorie intake in all ages. 

The best way to kick this addiction is to start drinking more water and stop buying those sugary drinks!

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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Lyn @LovelyPantry March 6, 2012 at 3:34 pm

Sugar is the cause and/or catalyst of so many health issues. For weight management, I also gave up pop and started diluting juices. I don’t offer my kids pop, and thankfully they haven’t had the opportunity to acquire the taste for it. I dilute their juices also.

I think for some parents though, if they aren’t drinking water, they won’t necessarily push for their kids to drink it. But I agree with you totally. Water is definitely the way to go!

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Brooke April 5, 2012 at 2:17 am

That is a great point Lyn! Parents need to lead by example; otherwise, their children won’t learn healthy habits.

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Heather K. Jones March 6, 2012 at 4:04 pm

I LOVE this post! I totally agree! I’ve recently teamed up with HINT Water, the zero calorie, and zero sugar, unsweetened essence water. We’ve just launched a campaign called the 21-day Healthy Hydration Challenge to motivate and encourage people to drink smarter and avoid sugary beverages. Check it out here… http://www.facebook.com/drinkhint

Thank you!

Heather K. Jones, RD – The Diet P.I.

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C March 13, 2012 at 5:41 pm

I love this post too!

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Brooke April 5, 2012 at 2:14 am

Thanks Cara :)

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M March 14, 2012 at 5:34 pm

This video called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” is pretty enlightening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

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Brooke April 5, 2012 at 2:14 am

Thanks for the link! I am reviewing some of that reseach now.

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