Beverages take up multiple aisles in the supermarket, making them a substantial part of most people’s diets. And the type of beverages you choose for your kids makes a difference in their overall health.
But the guidance on the most nutritious drinks to give kids, especially school-aged children and teens, isn't always clear. Is it OK for kids to have a little caffeine in the morning? What about a soda at parties? Is juice OK? How can you tell if there's no added sugar?
To help parents determine what beverages to keep on hand, the Healthy Eating Research (HER) — a national program through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that seeks to prevent childhood obesity through healthy eating — recently published new recommendations on the different types of beverages kids ages 5 and up should drink, limit and avoid altogether.
The recommendations are based on existing research and were created by a panel of experts from four leading kids' nutrition groups: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association.
"With these recommendations, HER and the involved health organizations aim to help consumers make healthier choices, give health care providers the tools they need to support families and provide evidence-based guidance that can inform policies, such as the upcoming 2025 Dietary Guidelines and FDA’s proposed front-of-pack label," says Malina Malkani, registered dietitian, child feeding expert and author of Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention.
Beverages like still and sparkling water play a role in hydration, while other drinks can provide kids with beneficial nutrients — such as vitamins, minerals and fluoride — and help them meet daily nutrient requirements. However, beverages with added sugar, non-sugar sweeteners and caffeine may contribute unnecessary calories to the diet and pose health risks.
Over the course of five months, the expert panel sorted through scientific research on beverages and children’s health to propose their final recommendations, including which beverages are a healthy part of the diet and ones to limit.
What do the new guidelines recommend?
The consensus statement offers healthy drinking habits for children 5 to 18 years old. Malkani notes that these are the first comprehensive healthy drink recommendations for this age group. The report breaks down beverages into three broad categories:
Recommended: plain drinking water and plain pasteurized milk
Kids between 5-8 should drink 2-5 cups of water and 2.5 cups of milk a day. Kids 9-13 should have 2.75-7.6 cups of water and 3 cups of milk a day. Kids 14-18 should have 3.6-11 cups of water and 3 cups of milk a day.
Plain drinking water is defined as "potable water that is unsweetened, unflavored, and fluoridated. Not all plain water sources are naturally fluoridated, but fluoridated water should be used when available. Examples include tap water, well water, or plain, unsweetened bottled or carbonated water."
Plain pasteurized milk is defined as "cow’s milk and other animal-based milk that has been heated to a specified temperature and for a specified length of time to kill pathogens that may be found in raw milk, and to which caloric sweeteners, non-sugar sweeteners, or flavorings have not been added. Common varieties include whole milk (also known as Vitamin D milk), reduced fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and skim (fat-free)."
Limit: 100% juice, plant-based milk alternatives and sweetened flavored milks
According to the report, 100% fruit juice is lower in dietary fiber and more calorically dense than whole fruit and should be limited to three quarters of a cup or 1 cup a day, depending on age.
Plant-based milks are "only recommended when medically indicated (e.g., milk protein allergy) or to meet specific dietary patterns (e.g., vegan). Choose alternatives that are nutritionally similar to milk, such as unsweetened, fortified soy milk. Avoid plant-based milk alternatives containing added sugar or non-sugar sweeteners," the guidelines advise.
100% juice is defined as "beverage made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid found in fruits or vegetables; 100% juice means that everything in the container comes from a fruit or vegetable with no added sugars or artificial ingredients. Beverages made from 100% juice diluted with water (no other added ingredients) are also included in this category."
Plant-based milk alternatives are defined as "non-dairy beverages that are derived from plant-based ingredients, such as grains (e.g., rice, oats), nuts/seeds, legumes, or blends of these ingredients, and are often fortified with nutrients found in dairy milk. Many come in both sweetened and unsweetened varieties; sweetened varieties generally contain added sugars and/or non-sugar sweeteners.
Sweetened flavored milks are defined as "pasteurized cow’s milk to which sweeteners and/or flavorings have been added for the main purpose of increasing palatability. Examples include chocolate or strawberry milk."
Avoid: sugar-sweetened beverages, beverages with non-sugar sweeteners and beverages with caffeine and other stimulants
Sugar-sweetened beverages contain excess sugar and calories and are not recommended as part of a healthy child or adolescent diet, per the new guidelines.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are defined as "liquids to which any forms of sugar are added. Examples include sports drinks, soft drinks/sodas, energy drinks, fruit drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, fruitades, aguas frescas, sweetened waters, horchata, and sweetened coffee and tea drinks."
Beverages with non-sugar sweeteners are those that contain any of the six approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as food additives — saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose, neotame and advantame — or three additional plant- or fruit-based high-intensity sweeteners — steviol glycosides, monk fruit and thaumatin.
"Non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) may also be called diet sweeteners, non-nutritive sweeteners, no- or low-calorie sweeteners, or artificial sweeteners," the guidelines note.
Beverages with caffeine and other stimulants are defined as "drinks that contain caffeine, a legal stimulant that is mildly addictive, or other stimulants, such as taurine, often found in energy drinks. Examples include coffee, tea, energy drinks, and energy shots."
Why kids 18 and under shouldn’t have caffeine
Caffeine from coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda and other beverages is not essential for children and adolescents.
According to HER, the increasing popularity of energy drinks has caused a rise in caffeine consumption among pre-teens and teens over the last decade.
“Research has shown that among teens, beverages with caffeine can lead to poor sleep quality, increased blood pressure, depressive moods, anxiety, elevated heart rate, heart palpitations, digestive issues and dehydration in both kids and teens," says Malkani.
Additionally, beverages containing caffeine often have excess calories and added sugar, which contributes to negative health outcomes.
The AAP suggests that children under 12 years old avoid caffeine and those over 12 limit caffeine to 100 milligrams day. However, manufacturers are not required to list caffeine on the label, making it impossible to know how much is in each beverage. So HER stresses that caffeine can add up quickly and recommends avoiding caffeine entirely before 18 years old.
Tip for parents
These HER beverage recommendations are the gold standard for feeding children, but any step a family takes towards that goal is a step in the right direction, experts say. Here are some small ways to start:
- Swap out one sugary or caffeinated drink a day with a healthier alternative. For example, swap flavored seltzer for soda.
- Teach children the importance of healthy eating habits from a young.
- Teach kids about the risks of consuming too much caffeine and encourage them to scale back as much as possible.
- Malkani recommends adding sliced fresh fruit, frozen berries or fresh herbs to water for a flavor boost.
- "Offering colorful, reusable water bottles with fun, decorative water bottle stickers can make drinking water more appealing," Malkani suggests.
- Parents can model healthy behavior by making healthy beverage choices for themselves, says Malkani.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
