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What Kids Drink Is Important, Too

If your children fill up on high-calorie fruit drinks and soft drinks, they may skip food containing essential nutrients -- and pack on extra pounds. That's what researchers have concluded about kids who drink a lot of juice and turn out shorter or heavier than average.

"Overall, children seem to be drinking a lot more, except for milk," says Sharon Mickle at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kids these days drink lots of carbonated soft drinks and non-citrus fruit drinks, Ms. Mickle says.

Just what should kids be drinking? Water is best, experts say. But you can add pizzazz: Buy flavored water or make your own with lemon or lime.

You can also steer your kids toward skim milk and pure juice and away from soft drinks and juice-flavored beverages.

When kids drink more juice and soda (soda consumption has more than doubled since 1970), they have less room for milk. Preschoolers need three cups of milk each day just for the calcium -- and on average, they're drinking about half of that.

Nutrition isn't the only issue. Dentists say too many sugary sodas and fruit drinks can cause cavities.

How much your child should drink depends on climate and season. When it's hot and humid, kids need more fluids because they lose more perspiring and breathing; they may need a drink even if they're not thirsty. Children should get the daily equivalent of six to eight 8-ounce cups of fluids, especially water -- more if they're out in the heat.

We don't get much use from the water in some beverages. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, which means coffee, tea and cola make you lose water.

Here's how you and the kids can whip up a fun drink.

Strawberry-Orange Smoothie
Looking for food and drink that are fun to make with your kids? You can make sure your child is getting a healthy beverage by making a cool smoothie that has all the benefits of a serving of fruit, too.
1 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
4 ice cubes

Put all into blender and mix until the ice is crushed and the drink is smooth. Makes two generous one-cup servings. Each contains about 78 calories, 1.5 grams of protein, 0.5 gram of fat and 18 grams of carbohydrates.

If you or your child needs more fruit, add a banana to the blender. Then each serving would contain about 130 calories, 2 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and 31 grams of carbohydrates.

Want to be more creative? Try using pineapple juice with strawberries, or fresh pineapple juice with orange juice. Need a little fizz? Top your drink with some sparkling seltzer. The idea is to make your fancy drinks pack vitamins, lots of eye appeal and good mouth feel.