So how many of you think you have the right answer to our Sugar Quiz from last week?
1) Simple Lemonade(13.5 ounces) or Pepsi (12 ounce can) – The answer is: Lemonade has 47 grams and Pepsi has 41grams of sugar. I am not advocating that Pepsi is a good choice, but rather illustrating that Lemonade might not be as good of a choice as people might have thought. My son one day came home from the convenient store and was so proud of himself. He said mom, I didn’t get a soda, I got a lemonade. I told him I was proud of him for putting for the effort to make a better choice, but then also explained that while is didn’t have caffeine and other stuff in it that soda has, that it is still has a lot of sugar in it.
2) Snapple Kiwi Strawberry(16 ounce glass) or Lipton Iced Tea (20 ounce bottle) The answer is: Snapple has 45 grams and Lipton is 32.5.
3) Dr. Pepper (20 ounce bottle) or Orange Crush (20 ounce bottle): The answer is: Orange Crush has 71 grams and Dr. pepper has 64 grams. Sometimes kids think that because a drink in not a “cola” product that if its clear or orange that it might be better for them. That is not always the case.
4) Arnold Palmer Tea (24 ounce can) or Simply Apple Juice (13.5 ounce bottle) The Answer is: Apple Juice, 45 grams of sugar compared to 39 grams. The interesting thing about this comparison is that the Tea is almost twice the size as the apple juice, and the juice is still higher in sugar.
5) Gatorade (20 ounce bottle) or Orange Juice? (12 ounce bottle) – The answer is: This is a trick question. They both have 34 grams of sugar. Gatorade also has HFCS and Food coloring added to them as well. But also notice the difference in the size of the bottles, if they were the same ounces, the OJ would end up having more sugar.
The lesson to learn in this exercise, is that it is importatnt to read labels and become more aware of just how much sugar are in the liquids we are drinking and giving to our kids. A child can sometimes have a days worth of calories on drinks alone for the day, but not get the nutrition they need. Many parents give their kids juice because it is like having a serving of fruit for the day. While juice does have some nutrients, it is not the same as eating the fruit itself. Many times nurtrients are stripped out during the processing of making the juice, that you don’t end up acheivin the full benefit.
The next time you find yourself wanting to grab something to drink, pour yourself a glass of water. It truly is the best drink for your body.