We let kids drink this stuff?!

Soda has become such a normal part of the American life that we forget (or maybe we never knew) each 12-ounce can contains roughly 11 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup and 50-60 milligrams of caffeine.

Since it can sometimes be hard to put numbers into perspective, let's borrow some insight from everyone's favorite British nanny, Mary Poppins. Everyone remembers Mary's wisdom for sick children: "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." One simple spoonful of sugar used to seem so wise and just a little decadent, didn't it? Compare that to 11 spoonfuls of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda! Can you imagine crunching your way through 11 teaspoons of sugar? You're mouth would go dry trying to get it all down... But Aha! With soda that problem is solved. Gulp it on down! It not only seems over the top, but also a little bit gross when you think of eating 11 teaspoons of sugar. Yet how many kids and adults do you know who drink soda daily? Sometimes many times a day.


Maybe it started with Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox...maybe it was the vastness of our country...any way you slice it, we Americans sure do like big things. The once adequate 12-ounce soda is now a mini-serving compared to the 32-ounce soda AKA, the Big Gulp or a large soda at most fast food joints, including McD's and Burger King. The next time you drink one of these big guys, you will be consuming ~29 teaspoons of sugar. To help you visualize how much this actually is, imagine filling a 12-ounce can half-full with sugar.

Back to Mary... When Mary needed a little pick-me-up after all those high energy adventures with the kids, she'd grab a cup of coffee. A 12-ounce caffeinated soda contains roughly 1/3 or 1/2 the caffeine in a soda. For seasoned adult coffee drinkers, a half cup of coffee may not be much, but for kids with smaller bodies and low tolerances, a half-cup of coffee will send them flying in a much less magical manner than the way Mary Poppins flies.

The folks at Healthbolt, with consultation from a physician, put together a really compelling description of what happens inside our bodies when we drink a soda. Check it out HERE.

There are soda machines in schools all over the country...elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Kids drink the stuff throughout the day, getting hopped-up on caffeine and sugar and then crash within a couple hours. Imagine what this does for classroom management and student achievement: Some of the kids are on sugar/caffeine highs, some of the kids are crashing and grumpy, and some of the kids are just trying to pay attention despite all of this. In addition, these types of beverages are thought to be a significant contributors to childhood and adult obesity. Within 20 minutes of drinking a Coke, Pepsi, or similar, our livers are already converting the sugar into fat. After all, soda is just filled with empty calories... 11 teaspoons = ~145 empty calories.


IMPROVING STUDENT HEALTH
In the last handful of years, districts throughout the country have developed beverage standards that eliminate the sale of sugary/caffeinated beverages on school grounds. Some school districts have argued that beverage sales generate very important revenue that helps fund sports programs among other things. A study was released in 2006 that reveals that many school districts are actually getting a Raw Deal with their beverage contracts.

Since many school districts have already made the switch to healthier beverages, there are some EXCELLENT tools and resources to help schools make the transition to fruit juices, milks, and water. One of the best resources out there is the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's School Beverage Toolkit.


Get involved with your local school district's Wellness Policy Committee or School Health Advisory Council to create beverage standards that will keep our children healthy. Consider developing a beverage policy and beverage contracts that limit beverage sales to:
• Water
• Minimum of 50% fruit juices, without additional sweeteners
• Dairy and non-dairy milks: 2% or lower milk, soy-milk, rice-milk, or similar
• Electrolyte replacement drinks with less than 42 grams of sweetener per 20-ounce serving

And finally, some quick tips for Negotiating Beverage Contracts
-Negotiate contracts that are consistent with the above beverage standards
-Retain full control over the length of the contract
-Negotiate higher commissions
-Negotiate for all schools in the district or form coalitions with other districts to strengthen purchasing power
-Require the beverage company to provide the district or school with readily understandable financial reports at regular intervals


Caffeine content Citation:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ884.html