Fruit Drinks are as Bad as Soda. Don’t Buy Them for Kids

• 1 out of 3 kids are considered overweight or obese.
• Type 2 diabetes— a diagnosis generally reserved for the over 40 set— has been dubbed the “new epidemic” for its alarming rates in children worldwide.
• Over 4 million preschoolers suffer from tooth decay– an increase of 600,000+ kids in the last ten years.

Confession: I let my kids drink a (one, uno) soda on birthdays, holidays and special occasions (for instance, dinner at a restaurant with out-of-town friends).

This often earns me the skunkeye as other moms reach for the Capri Suns provided in abundance “for the kids.”

Today’s infographic illustrates what I’ve often suspected: that the occasional soda isn’t such a big deal in comparison to letting your kids drink fruit drinks all. the. time.

And it freaking makes me mad, because these drinks are really passed off as the healthier, “good mom” choice. I’m especially irritated by Nantucket Nectars, which is packaged (and priced) like it’s really good for you.

Do you let your kids opt for the Minute Maid juice when you’re out? Pack in their school lunches? Maybe it’s time to start reading those labels more carefully.

Created by: Health Science