Lunchbox drinks

Some drinks that you consider healthy options for the lunchbox, may in fact be loaded with sugar. The following information is taken from http://parentsforhealth.org/review-lunchbox-drinks

It has become all too common to see “healthy” drinks for lunchboxes filling up supermarket shelves. But did you know that many of these colourful kiddies bottles contain more sugar than fizzy drinks?

After a little bit of digging, we found that three of the most popular lunchbox drinks contain high amounts of sugar:

• Capri-Sun Blackcurrant (100ml): 12.8g sugar
• Robinson’s Fruit Shoot Orange (100ml): 12.0g sugar
• Strawberry Ribena (100ml): 10.9g sugar

When you bear in mind that Coca Cola has 10.6 grams of sugar per 100 ml you quickly see the level of sugar in these so-called fruit drinks.

Using low-sugar or no-added sugar alternatives also pose their own problems. Many of these drinks contain sweeteners which encourage sugar-cravings.

The best alternative you can give your child is water. It’s readily available and you only have to spend money on the bottle or flask that you buy for it.  You save on waste, money and bad habits. If your kids don’t like plain water, you can make it more interesting by adding a squeeze of lemon, lime or even orange.

Milk is another great alternative, although it can be difficult to keep cool during the school day.

Juice cartons are ok, but be sure that they don’t contain added sugar and don’t give them too much as the natural sugars can damage teeth. The same goes for smoothies.

So next time you’re out in your local supermarket, consider buying a refillable bottle or flask instead of a week’s worth of sugary drinks. It will save you money and benefit your child’s health in the long run.

For more information, you can consult the graphic in this article http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/those-healthy-juice-drinks-have-as-much-sugar-as-fizzy-ones-29803418.html