Food and Beverages - Hydration

Other Beverages

There are many types of beverages available for kids - so many that it's often hard to choose only healthy options.

Sweetened drinks, pop and sports drinks have little nutritional value and are often offered in large sizes. They increase the risk of obesity when consumed frequently.

Energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine (like guarana), sugar and other ingredients. Health Canada cautions that children should avoid energy drinks.

Instead, offer water, milk and a limited amount of 100% fruit or vegetable juice to kids. These types of beverages are important for normal growth, development and hydration.

Did you know...
One out of two students drink sweetened beverages, and one out of four don't drink milk. This means many aren't meeting the calcium requirements for proper bone development.

Beware of Sweetened Drinks, Pop and Sports Drinks

• Fruit-flavoured or sweetened drinks like Nestea® and Fruitopia® are usually high in added sugar and low in nutrients. They contain little, or no, real juice.
• Most drinks that feature the words, "punch", "drink", "cocktail", "-ade", "beverage" or "delight" usually offer no nutritional value.
• Pictures of fruit and fruity names do not guarantee real fruit in the drink.
• Other words for added sugar include glucose, fructose, sucrose and corn syrup.
• Pop is mainly sugar and water.
• Cola and iced tea contain caffeine.
• Sports drinks are produced to replace the sugar, potassium and sodium levels in the body that are lost through sweating. While sport drinks are popular with kids, they're beneficial only for people who do strenuous exercise for an hour or more at a time.

Discourage Energy Drinks

Energy drinks (such as Red Bull®, Full Throttle®, Mountain Dew Energy®, SoBe Adrenaline Rush®, Hype® and Red Rain®):

• Claim to supply the body with a burst of mental and physical energy.
• Contain a lot of caffeine, putting a child at risk for some short-term metabolic and behavioural problems.
• May increase a child's risk of cavities due to sugar content.
• Are not to be used as sports drinks or for physical activity since they can lead to dehydration.
• Can have three times more caffeine than a can of cola.

Look for "Unsweetened" and "100% Juice" on the Label

Beverages containing 100% fruit or vegetable juice have over 20 vitamins and minerals along with natural sugars. When shopping for juice, look for words and phrases like "unsweetened" or "pure fruit juice from concentrate" on the label.

Juice: Too Much of a Good Thing

• Drinking a lot of juice can be too much of a good thing. Juice is missing the fibre contained in whole vegetables and fruits, and can interfere with a child's healthy appetite.
• Limit servings of 100% fruit juice to 125 mL - 250 mL (½ - 1 cup) a day.

Drink Milk Daily

Milk is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D. Drinking milk daily is a great way to help develop strong bones and teeth.

• Chocolate milk is just as nutritious as white milk. Chocolate milk contains the same amount of sugar as an equal serving of 100% unsweetened orange juice.
• If lactose intolerant, try fortified soy or rice beverages and lactose-free milk.
• If there is a milk allergy, try fortified soy or rice beverages.