New guidelines focus on water, milk

By Julie Estlick

It's the moment many parents dread. 你在一家餐馆，服务员转向你那张娃娃脸的小孩，问她想喝点什么. Excited shouts of “I want JUICE!” or “Can I pleeeease get Sprite/lemonade/root beer?!” ring out before you’ve even seen a menu.

在那一刻，你想要做出一个健康的选择(至少大多数时候是这样). 孩子们对果汁和其他“儿童友好”饮料广告的持续轰炸做出了回应，这些广告颜色有趣，口味各异. 现在，除了最高档的餐馆外，自助饮水机几乎是餐馆的固定设备. 然后是以健康为卖点的植物性“牛奶”的爆炸式增长, flavorful (often sweetened), and easy to digest. With so many options, what’s a parent to do?

Keep it simple. 对于5岁以下的孩子，坚持喝水或传统的牛奶. (Babies should be limited to breast milk and formula.)这是营养与饮食学会(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)的一个专家小组制定的新指南的要点, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association.

该组织回顾了一项研究，发现近一半的2至5岁儿童每天都喝含糖饮料. 所有这些额外的糖和卡路里会增加孩子患2型糖尿病的风险, 蛀牙, and weight issues that can have serious long-term health impacts.

去年有13人.全国2至5岁的儿童中有9%被认为肥胖，在12至19岁的儿童中，这一比例随着年龄的增长而增加，超过20%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado has mirrored these national trends.

The new guidelines, rolled out as part of the Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids campaign, 解决人们对孩子喝什么合适的困惑, and when it’s OK to introduce different liquids. (See age-specific chart below.)

“我们知道，孩子在生命早期喝什么和吃什么对他们的健康成长和发育同样重要,” says Jill Kilgore, 拉里默县妇女的注册营养师和营养监督员, 婴儿, and Children (WIC) program. Women who are pregnant, 产后, or breastfeeding, and children younger than age 5, who meet certain income guidelines, can qualify for WIC. The WIC program provides healthy food, including fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, as well as nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to care beyond WIC.

巴氏杀菌奶和水对成长中的身体有巨大的健康益处. 一杯纯全脂牛奶含有超过7克的蛋白质和丰富的钙, 维生素D, and other vitamins that growing bodies need, as well as 8 grams of fat, which is key to brain development in toddlers. 低脂和脱脂牛奶含有较少的脂肪，但仍然富含蛋白质、钙和营养物质. 从很小的时候起，获得足够的水也是必不可少的. 一个体重在30磅或以下的幼儿每天需要32到40盎司的水来保持适当的水分, and some may come from milk and juice.

The recommendations stress avoiding flavored milks, toddler formulas, and beverages containing caffeine, added sugar or sugar substitutes, and plant-based “milks,同时将100%果汁的摄入量限制在每天几盎司.

The scoop on milk

While evidence is growing that whole milk (3.5%的牛奶脂肪)可能比1%或脱脂(脱脂)牛奶更好, 许多营养专家仍然建议只给1到2岁的孩子喝全脂牛奶，以提供大脑正常发育所需的脂肪.

Kilgore explains, “After 24 months, 我们与家庭合作，从全脂牛奶转向1%或脱脂牛奶，因为我们从酸奶和奶酪等其他饮食中获取脂肪, and this minimizes the risk of weight gain.”

对由杏仁等物质制成的植物性“牛奶”的担忧, 大米, 椰子奶的营养价值和牛奶不一样, with the exception of soy. 也, plant seeds contain phytic acid that weakens absorption of iron, 锌, and calcium—vitamins a child’s growing body needs. For those who are allergic to cow’s milk, 建议与专门研究儿童的注册营养师一起食用强化豆浆. (强化豆奶含有维生素D和钙，使其与牛奶最相似.)

如果你的孩子在喝完牛奶后有消化问题，但没有乳制品过敏，那么不含乳糖的牛奶是一个选择. 它的蛋白质含量与普通牛奶相同，还含有大量的钙和维生素.

Families that follow a vegan or vegetarian diet for health, 环境, 或者出于宗教原因，鼓励检查孩子的整体饮食，以确保他们获得原本通过牛奶摄入的营养. And if plant-based beverages are a part of their diet, stick to unsweetened varieties, the panel recommends.

Changing course

Even if your child is used to having strawberry milk with lunch, or getting soda pop as a treat, it’s not too late to reverse course. 基尔戈建议，逐渐减少含糖饮料的摄入量，而不是一下子戒掉. 为自己和其他家庭成员选择水或牛奶，这样小孩子就不会觉得他们错过了什么. “It’s challenging, 但父母和看护人可以通过暴露、重复和模仿这种行为来改变.”

让水不那么无聊的一种方法是用水果和蔬菜来活跃它. UCHealth’s Healthy Kids, “健康开始”计划教幼儿园的孩子们如何制作“水疗水”，作为不同类型的饮料如何影响他们身体的课程的一部分. The 5-week curriculum also covers healthy food choices, getting enough exercise and sleep, and limiting screen time in line with state education standards.

“我们谈到当你的身体摄入过多的糖时，你会感觉像坐在过山车上, or it can make you grouchy, or even a little sick,” says Katie Castillo, community health educator for UCHealth. 另一方面，水“对我们有好处，因为所有的生物都需要水. 整天喝水可以帮助我们保持身体的水分.”

As an experiment, 卡斯蒂略和他的同事们在水中加入了冷冻浆果和柠檬片——就像你在健康水疗中心得到的那样——并把它提供给学生. “The water was colored like a rainbow which was really fun, and the kids gave the flavors a thumbs-up.”

Students are taking the lessons to heart. “我们从父母那里听到，他们的孩子开始问更多的问题，比如‘这对我的身体来说是一个健康的选择吗?’ Or they will request different things to eat and drink. Children are being their own advocates which is so encouraging.”