Fizzy
drinks, squashes and juice drinks can contain lots of added sugar and very few
nutrients, so keep them to a minimum – children should avoid them
completely.
Flavoured
water drinks can also contain a surprisingly large amount of sugar, so before you buy. Also beware of
"juice drinks" as these may not have enough fruit in them to
count towards your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
A high
sugar content means a drink is also high in calories, which can contribute
towards you becoming overweight.
Cutting down on these drinks is a good way of
reducing the number of calories you consume while not missing out on any
nutrients.
Likewise,
getting children to drink fewer sugary drinks is a good way of limiting the
amount of sugar they consume. Children who drink a lot of sugary drinks are
more likely to become overweight.
The
added sugar in these drinks also means they can damage teeth. If you do have
sugary or fizzy drinks, drinking them with meals can help reduce the damage to
teeth.
The
best drinks to give children are water and milk.
If you
or your children like fizzy drinks, try diluting fruit juice with sparkling
water instead. Remember to dilute squashes well to reduce the sugar content in
the drink.
Caffeinated drinks
Caffeine
is a stimulant. Drinks containing caffeine can temporarily make us feel more
alert or less drowsy.
Caffeine affects some people more than others, and the
effect can depend on how much caffeine you normally consume.
Pregnant
women should limit their intake of caffeinated drinks because
of their caffeine content.
Caffeinated drinks are also unsuitable for
toddlers and young children. Drinks that contain high amounts of caffeine
include coffee, tea, colas and energy drinks.
Tea and coffee
It's
fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet. Bear in mind,
though, that caffeinated drinks can make the body produce urine more
quickly.
Some people are more susceptible to this than others, but it also
depends on how much caffeine you have and how often you have it.
If you
have problems with , cutting down
on caffeine by changing to low-caffeine tea and coffee, fruit or herbal teas,
or other types of drinks can sometimes help.
If you
drink tea or coffee with sugar or you have flavoured syrups in your coffee shop
drinks, you could be unwittingly damaging your teeth and adding unhelpful
calories to your diet.
A wide
variety of tablet or granular artificial sweeteners are available and are safe
to consume in your hot drinks. Find out more about .
However,
many people who choose to cut out sugar from their hot drinks soon become
accustomed to the taste.
Energy
drinks and caffeine
Energy
drinks often contain high levels of caffeine and are often high in sugar
(calories). They may also contain other stimulants and sometimes vitamins and
minerals or herbal substances.
The
caffeine levels in these drinks vary, but there is often around 80mg of
caffeine in a small 250ml can. This is the same as two cans of cola or a small
mug of coffee.
Caffeine
during pregnancy
Pregnant
women should have no more than 200mg of caffeine a day. One mug of instant
coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine.
High
levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, which can
increase the risk of health problems in later life.
High
caffeine levels might also cause .
Check the labels of energy drinks as they often say the drink is not suitable
for children or pregnant women.
For
more detail on how much caffeine is safe during pregnancy, see
Sports
drinks
Sports
drinks can be useful when you're doing high-level endurance sports and need an
energy boost.
But they
are no different from any other sugary soft drinks, which means they are
high in calories and contribute to tooth decay.
Unless
you're taking part in high-level endurance sports, water is the healthier
choice and the best way to replace fluids lost through exercise.
source:http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood
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