Salty and sugar containing beverages have no health benefit. They encourage over-eating. Along with increased physical activity, choosing foods without much salt or sugar is likely to reduce the risk of excess weight gain. Reduce salt and sugar as much as you can. After a while, you get used to the flavor with less salt and sugar - so salty and overly sweet foods no longer taste so wonderful to you. Please freely share this Health Capsule with teachers/caregivers and parents. You may copy and distribute it unchanged, citing ECELS-Healthy Child Care PA as the source. Reviewed and reaffirmed 5/2019
Publications
Salt, Sugar and Obesity
Children who eat more salty foods also drink more sweetened beverages. Children who drink more than one sugar-containing beverage per day are 26% more likely to be overweight or obese. These findings are from a study that enrolled over 4,200 Australian children. The study findings are in the January 2013 issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.