Sissy's Pastime

Soft drinks are really tempting most of the time especially when it’s very cold and you just got home and your children after the hot weather outside or picking them up at school.

Study shows that children and teens consuming sugary soft drinks are putting themselves at risk of obesity. For each soft drink consumed, there is a 50 percent risk of the child becoming obese. Dr. DeWitt Williams said that young people who replace soft drink for water, milk or fruits juice are depriving their bodies of much needed nutrient and are setting themselves up for future health problems. He further stated that risk of obesity is unrelated to food intake of children, their frequency of exercise, or length of time they spend watching TV. Soft drinks contain caffeine and phosphorus which can interfere bones’ ability to absorb calcium which represents a greater risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis in later life especially among teenage girls.

So, why not encourage them to drink lots of water instead of soft drinks or buy them snacks in school ( tetra pack juices) ahead of time and just give them a small amount, encase of emergency like you can pick them up at school or something. In that way, you can monitor your children’s food intake and they will know how to spend their money as well.