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March is National
Nutrition Month and a great month to start making changes in
your own diet! Although when you think “nutrition,” the
first thought that comes to mind is food, drinks can play a
major role in the daily diet. Drinks can offer refreshment
and nutrients and they can also add on extra calories.
American’s get many of their calories from empty calories.
What are empty calories? Empty calories are calories from
foods high in solid fats and/or added sugars, but have few
to no nutrients to offer. One large source of these empty
calories in American diets is sugary drinks such as sodas,
energy drinks and fruit drinks.
On average, one can of soda drink accounts for about 140
calories. If you have a habit of consuming a soft drink
everyday that can add up to about 14 pounds of weight gain
per year. If you drink up to three and a half soft drinks
per day, you could gain one pound per week. Remember, one
serving size is eight ounces but many drinks are served in
larger than eight-ounce containers! If you want to splurge
on a drink with added sugar, make sure you choose the
smaller can, cups or glass instead of the extra-large
option!
There are many things you
can do to reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages in
you and your family’s diet:
·
Read labels to learn how much sugar is in an item. A
32-ounce of soda contains about 104 grams of sugar. That is
equal to 26 teaspoons of sugar!
·
Stop buying sugar-sweetened beverages. They will be less
temping if they are not in the house
·
Replace with low-fat or fat-free milk, water, or sparkling
water and add fresh fruit slices to water for flavor
·
If you find yourself craving a sugar sweetened beverage try
some sort of physical activity to get your mind off the
craving
·
For children who like fruit juice; mix two ounces of 100
percent fruit juice with two ounces of water, so they still
get the flavor without an excess amount of sugar
There are numerous health benefits to eliminating
sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet. In children
consuming less sugary items promotes good oral health and
keeps their gums and teeth healthy. When women consume less
sugar-sweetened beverages they tend to have smaller
waistlines and a lower risk of heart disease.
Not only do those ideas
help reduce the amount of sugar and extra calories in the
diet, they can also add extra nutrients to the daily diet.
Milk offers calcium as well as Vitamin D and potassium.
Remember, Vitamin D is added to all milk including low-fat
and fat-free milk. All milk has the same key nutrients but
the number of calories are different between the different
types of milk.
How much water is enough to drink during the day? Water is
an important nutrient for the body but people have different
needs. Most people get enough water from foods we eat
(mostly fruits and vegetables) and beverages we drink. Teach
your children, and yourself the following motto: water first
for thirst. If you do not like drinking plain water, use the
suggestions above like adding slices of lemon, orange or
cucumber to make infused water. Not only is water good for
you, it’s also good for the wallet. Drinking water at home
instead of pop or ordering it when you eat out will save
money! Try one or two (or all!) of the tips above and see if
you can eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from your diet.
Would you and your family
like to join others to learn more about healthy eating and
celebrations this month? Ohio State University Extension,
Lucas County is offering a three-week program for families
called “Celebrating Fun and Fit Families.” It will be on
Saturdays March 22, March 29 and April 5, 2014 from 1:00
p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Reynolds Corners Library, 4833 Dorr
Street, Toledo, Ohio. Celebrating Fun and Fit Families is
free but registration is required. The easiest way is to
register online at
http://go.osu.edu/celebrate or you can call Patrice at
419-213-2022 or email
powers-barker.1@osu.edu . Celebrating Fun and Fit
Families will support families in designing their own
celebrations in easy, fun, healthy ways!
Resources
www.Eatright.org
www.choosemyplate.gov
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