RETHINK YOUR DRINK

Did you know? The average American drinks 50 gallons of soda and other sweetened beverages each year. There are almost 17 teaspoons of sugar in a regular 20-ounce cola;sweetened beverages are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet.

American teens drink almost twice as much soda and sweetened beverages as milk. A child's risk for obesity increases an average of 60 percent with every additional daily serving of soda(a serving is 12 ounces).

Frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages causes weight gain, which can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

The average soda sold in the United States has more than doubled in size since the 1950s, from 6.5 ounces to 16.2 ounces.

Marketers spend close to $500 million each year to target children and adolescents with messages about sugar-sweetened drinks, more than they spend on any other category.

What can you do? Make smart drink choices. Try the following tips:

1. When thirsty, drink water first.

2. When eating out, order water instead of high-calorie drinks.

3. Drink more low-fat or fat-free milk.

4. Drink 100 percent juice in limited amounts or mix juice with seltzer water.

5. Drink fewer sugar-sweetened drinks.

6. Make flavor-infused water by adding lemons, limes, berries, cucumbers, mint leaves or other natural flavors for a refreshing treat.

7. Choose unsweetened coffee or tea and lightly flavor it yourself.

8. Cut portion sizes of sugar-sweetened drinks by choosing a "small" instead of a "large."

source: http://www.redding.com/