Rethink Your Drink

Looking at it a different way: If you drink 1 bottle/day of one of these drinks for a week, you will drink that much sugar! That's a lot of sugar!!! According to the American Heart Association (AHA), American adults are consuming 22 teaspoons of sugar daily. For teens, the number shoots up to 34 teaspoons daily. Much of this sugar comes from soft drinks and candy. The AHA suggests adults should be ingesting no more than 6-9 teaspoons of added sugar daily.

Make smart drink choices…try the following tips:

• When thirsty, think water first.

• Drink water when eating out - it’s free!

• Drink 100% juice in limited amounts or mix juice with seltzer water.

• Make flavor infused water by adding lemons, limes, berries, cucumbers, mint leaves or other natural flavors for a refreshing treat.

• Choose unsweetened coffee or tea and lightly flavor it yourself.

• Cut portion sizes of sugar-sweetened drinks by choosing a “small” instead of a “large”.

More info:

• California Department of Public Health - Rethink Your Drink

• American Heart Association - Tips for Reducing Sugary Drinks in Your Diet

• RethinkYourDrink.com

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Rethink Your Drink

• California Department of Public Health - Fact Sheet: Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages