Cruise through the supermarket aisles and you’ll see loads of drinks marketed for kids. Many of them may look good but how can you tell which ones are good for your toddler’s growing body? Instead of spending precious time reading nutrition labels in the grocery aisle (while your tot has a meltdown), check out our handy drink-reference guide. We’ve made it easy to decide which drinks to pick and which drinks to skip.Milk Believe the slogan — milk really does a body good, as long as your little one is at least 1 year old. In particular, milk’s calcium and vitamin D is especially important in building your toddler’s bones and teeth. If your child isn’t wild about the taste of milk, flavor it with chocolate or strawberry powder (Nesquik offers added calcium). But leave the premixed flavored milks on the shelf because they contain more sugar, fat and calories than the milk you’ll mix yourself. You might also try enriched soy milk, which is a little sweeter than cow’s milk and has the same amount of calcium.
When serving milk, do keep in mind that your toddler can get too much of a good thing. If she drinks too much milk, this could blunt her appetite for the other nutritious foods she needs. Shoot for a range of 16 to 22 ounces of milk a day. Water Water is sugar-free, fat-free, calorie-free, and additive-free. Plus, if it’s coming straight from the tap, it probably contains fluoride, which prevents cavities. (If your water isn’t fluoridated, ask your pediatrician or dentist about whether or not your toddler needs a fluoride supplement.) What if plain water is too boring for your tot? Add citrus slices or a splash of 100 percent fruit juice to make this healthy drink yummier.100 percent juice Juice often gets a bad rap for packing on the pounds. But the thing to keep in mind as you’re looking for a little variety in the healthy-drinks department is that not all juices are created equal. For instance, 100 percent juice is in a “glass” by itself. Research shows that when you limit your toddler’s intake of 100 percent juice to between four and six ounces a day, it doesn’t cause weight gain and actually provides some nutrients that a busy, picky toddler might otherwise miss.
In fact, depending on the variety of juice you choose (apple, orange, cranberry, pomegranate, etc.), kids who drink 100 percent juice can get more iron, folate, potassium, magnesium and vitamins C and B6 (and less fat and added sugar) than tots who don’t. Just remember that your tot shouldn’t be toting a sippy cup filled with juice all day long. Stick to no more than six ounces a day so as not to spoil your toddler’s appetite for other nutritious foods. One trick to making a little juice go a long way: Dilute it with water (half juice with half water). Or mix in some seltzer for a fizzy treat. Smoothies While these blended drinks shouldn’t be used to quench your toddler’s thirst around the clock (they do pack calories), smoothies can be a great snack to fuel your child with nutrients. A few tasty options: Mix milk with crushed ice, raspberries, and oranges; blend yogurt (regular or frozen) with bananas and strawberries; blend crushed ice alone with your toddler’s favorite fruits or vegetables.
Fruit drinks and soda Of course no mom would spoon out teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar, plop it into a sippy cup of water, give it a stir, and then hand it to her toddler with a hearty, “Bottoms up!” Yet that’s essentially what your toddler is drinking when she has fruit “drinks” (which contain added sugar and less than 100 percent juice), regular soda, sports and energy drinks, and vitamin waters. As a result, these beverages are among the biggest sources of refined sugar in children’s diets and a major cause of childhood obesity and tooth decay. So even though these drinks are often designed to attract your toddler’s attention, leave them on the shelf. Caffeinated drinks You also wouldn’t give your toddler a double-shot of espresso and then expect her to go night-night without a fight. But you may not realize that beverages such as iced tea, sports/energy drinks, vitamin waters, and of course, many sodas (even orange and clear ones), contain caffeine or other stimulants (as if the extra sugar and calories in these drinks isn’t bad enough).
Young children are a lot more susceptible to caffeine’s effects than adults, which, in addition to disrupting sleep and nap times, can cause jitteriness, headaches, tummy troubles, and difficulty concentrating.See more toddler eating and nutrition tips.WHEN we find ourselves tired and run down, grabbing a sugar hit or our favourite snack for a quick energy hit is a common habit. And while our favourite treats and sweet delights may seem to give us the energy we are looking for, in more cases than not we are likely to feel even worse after eating them. Here are some of the most common ‘energy’ foods, and why they may not be so energising after all. Whether it is your favourite cafe order or extra shot of espresso on a bad day, coffee is a favourite of many when it comes to seeking out foods for an energy hit. In general it is the caffeine hit we are looking for with the average cafe coffee containing 100mg of caffeine per shot of coffee. Caffeine itself is a known performance enhancer, the benefits of which known to last for 30-60 minutes post consumption.
The issue with using large amounts of coffee and caffeine to help boost our energy levels is that the effect is short term. This will be particularly evident if you enjoy your coffee with plenty of extra sugars via syrups, added sugar or honey which too will contribute to a subsequent drop in energy 60-90 minutes later.A popular choice that masquerades as a healthier option compared to regular soft drinks, the biggest issue with consuming diet soft when you are tired is that pretty quickly the body realises that you have not given it the sugar it is actually looking for, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic once again an hour after drinking it.Fried fast foods — burgers, fries, pizza, chicken and meal deals are packed with fats, sugars and plenty of salt. The combination leaves you vulnerable to fluid retention, a shift of blood flow to the digestive system thanks to the heavy calorie load of the meal and high intake of saturated fat which results in reduced blood flow round the body.
This means that there is nothing energising other than an initial sugar hit in any fast food.The mix of white flour, hydrogenated fats and sugars that are easily consumed daily with a few cups of tea or coffee but which offer little nutritionally. The refined flour and sugar sends blood glucose levels soaring which is in turn coupled with a sharp decline within the hour. Such an ingredient combination also plays havoc with our insulin levels over time. Insulin is the hormone involved in fat storage in the body and high levels over time leave us vulnerable to fatigue and low energy levels. ENERGY DRINKS AND VITAMIN WATERWhile the names of these popular drinks conjures up images of all things positive the truth is that unless you are an elite athlete these drinks have very little to offer. With 30-45g or 6-9 teaspoons of sugar per bottle along with various vitamins and stimulants not only are these drinks packed full of empty calories but any energy hit is likely to only be of benefit for 30-60 minutes.
A popular cafe breakfast option a simple bagel looks pretty innocent but nutritionally there are not many positives. Packed full of refined carbs giving it a high GI, a standard bagel can contain as many carbs as four slices of bread. And that is before you consider any high sugar or high fat toppings. Great if you are about to run a marathon, not so good if you are sitting at your desk all morning.Popular as a quick meal on the run or salty snack, not only do two minute noodles contain as much processed carbohydrate as 4-6 slices of bread but the cheeky sachet of flavouring is not only likely to contain MSG (621) but also your entire daily upper limit of sodium (salt). The effect of this is significant fluid retention leading to bloating, discomfort and fatigue an hour or two after consumption.With a single jelly snake containing almost two teaspoons of sugar, imagine the huge amount of sugar in an entire packet of any type of lolly. When the body is exposed to a large amount of sugar in a single setting, our insulin levels sky rocket followed by a subsequent drop.