Why Are Soft Drinks Harmful To Children?
As parents, we make the mistake of granting some gastronomic wishes to the little ones without knowing what harm they can cause to our children’s health. So find out now why soft drinks are harmful to children.
Soda is a drink prepared with high levels of sugar, sodium, calories and aspartame. These ingredients are harmful to the health of all people, but even more harmful to the health of children.
Even when we parents know the meaning of blood sugar, high sodium content, and what causes aspartame in the body, we don’t take the step of keeping this type of drink out of the children’s diet.
You may ask yourself: what harm can these three ingredients do to my children’s health? Much more than we imagined, but it is always necessary to know in more detail.
all about soft drinks
Sodas can be delicious drinks, but they are made up of at least 29% sugar.
This means that if our children drink a glass of soda daily, this sugar can gradually turn into diabetes. Currently, we know many cases of children between 6 and 15 in us suffering from this terrible disease.
The sodium that this artificial drink contains, as well as the sugar, can cause cardiovascular, kidney and gastric problems in the future. Each glass of soda can contain at least 27% sodium.
How many times have we read the soft drink nutrition table? At the bottom of the nutrition information we read “contains aspartame”. But have we tried to know the meaning of this word? Aspartame is a very dangerous neurotoxin to the nervous system. It can cause serious problems in the body, such as loss of memory and vision.
How to stop consuming soda?
Now that we know why soft drinks are bad, all that remains is for us to become aware at the family level and get down to business to progressively eliminate the excessive consumption of this drink. At the same time, we can start a process of consuming healthy and non-artificial beverages.
It will certainly not be an easy task. Especially when children are already used to the flavor. Here are some recommendations to get you started implementing the habit change:
- Start making fruit-based juices, rich in vitamins and minerals. Some examples are strawberry, grape, pineapple, among others. A perfect idea for our children to start tasting a nutritious juice.
- Preparation of infusions. Another alternative can be the preparation of natural teas with low sodium content or infusions of any fruit. These alternatives offer a range of healthy and delicious beverage options, which can be consumed cold or hot.
- The ultimate hydration option: water. The most important and natural drink is water. Teaching children from an early age to respect the body’s need to be well hydrated, based on water and not soft drinks, is essential for them to acquire a healthy lifestyle.
Food is also part of education
As parents, we take full responsibility for teaching our children the importance of liking our bodies and, consequently, not drinking drinks that could cause illness in the future. That way, our family group will understand that soft drinks are harmful for everyone.
We must know that the most effective form of education is by example. We must not preach what we do not practice. Children are great observers. So, we shouldn’t confuse the little ones with our actions.
The change of habit must start with the elders. When dietary changes are made at home, with new drinks for example, children immediately change their way of thinking about the “juice vs. soda” issue. Of course, they will choose what Mom or Dad is taking.
Only in this way will we be able to eliminate refrigerants without going through such a dramatic and traumatic process. With time and the education we provide, soda will continue to be a popular drink, but not in our home. We have to care, first, for health. And what better way to teach our children than showing how harmful soda can be to the body?
