Kids and Sports Drinks

Everywhere you go nowadays you see ads for energy and sports drinks and I often see kids of various ages walking to and from school with one of these types of drinks in their hands. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children should not consume drinks that have stimulants in them to provide energy. Many of these drinks have as much caffeine as 2-3 cups of coffee. These drinks are choc full of sugar and the "sport" drinks are also full of carbs and electrolytes and both contribute cavities, weight gain and obesity. 

Most kids do not need sports drinks unless they are playing high intensity sports and even then the drinks should be diluted with water.

Water is still the king of drinks and should be the drink of choice for our kids.

Source: Pediatrics 127 (2011): 1182–89.

Cheers,

Bouncelife

USDA revamps Food Pyramid and Calls it MyPlate

The USDA has replaced the old Food Pyramid with a new system Called MyPlate. The Food Pyramid is similar to Canada's Food Guide and is very hard to follow. The new concept of the divided plate makes meal portion and planning much easier to follow. It is all about portion control and dividing your plate into sections for each 4 food goups and dairy. Hopefully Canada will follow suit soon.

Cheers,

Bouncelife