Baby Your Baby- What Kids Should Drink, Limit, and Avoid

What kids drink impacts their overall health, and identifying the best beverages for their health just got a little easier.

New, evidence-based drink recommendations for kids ages 5-18, created by experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association, are now available through a collaboration led by the group, Healthy Eating Research.

“The group developed three main categories: What to drink, what to limit, and what to avoid, to help promote better nutrition and overall health for children,” said Hilma Porter, a registered dietitian at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “The recommendations can answer parents’ questions about sugar and caffeine intake, and help them make better, more informed decisions about their children’s health that can help mitigate diet-related chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression.”

Here are the recommendations:

What to drink:

• Water, unsweetened and unflavored. It’s inexpensive, low-calorie, and healthy.
• Milk, plain and pasteurized. Milk provides essential nutrients such as vitamin D, protein, calcium and potassium that children and teens often don’t get enough of.

What to limit:

• Juice can be part of a healthy diet when consumed in moderation, or 4-8 ounces per day for kids ages 5-18. Overconsumption can increase caloric intake, and lead to poor oral health and obesity.
• Plant-based milk alternatives, which don’t always have the nutritional density of cow’s milk. If your child has a milk allergy, look for pea proteins or soy milk. Or, if they’re lactose intolerant, try a lactose-free milk before trying a plant-based alternative.
• Flavored milks, which often have added sugars and are missing key nutrients., also should be limited.

What to avoid

• Caffeinated beverages, including tea, coffee and energy drinks, which may affect mental health, sleep quality, dietary patterns, and cardiovascular health. Nutrition labels are not required to disclose how much caffeine is in products, and research does not show any safe levels of caffeine for kids.
• Sports drinks, which are not necessary for children involved in sports for less than 3 hours at a time under normal weather conditions.
• Sugary drinks, which do not contribute to a healthy diet.

For more information about the recommendations, visit HealthyEatingResearch.org.

For more information about nutrition services, visit intermountainhealth.org.