Teenager alert - Soft drinks and other extra foods

Where do all those extra kilojoules come from? Some foods are particularly high in energy and unless you're burning them off with plenty of activity those extra kilojoules are stored as fat.

Soft drink and other sugar sweetened drinks (fruit juices, sports drinks)represent one of the biggest risks for teenagers of loading up on excess kilojoules. One can (375ml) of soft drink contains almost 10 teaspoons of sugar, and around 670 kilojoules.  A can of soft drink per day adds up to a massive 18Kg of sugar in a year. Check out the sugar content of drinks.

The sale of all sugar sweetened drinks was banned from schools from the start of 2007.

The 2004 NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) reported that almost 6 in 10 boys and 4 in 10 girls drink more than 1 glass of soft drink a day.

How many sugar sweetened drinks (eg. soft drink, sports drinks, cordial, juice) are you having in a day? Soft drink is full of empty kilojoules. That means it has heaps of kilojoules without supplying any nutrient needs.

Be aware of how many artificially sweetened drinks and energy drinks you have too.

Some healthier drink ideas are;

• bottled water

• tap water - keep a jug chilled in the fridge

• reduced fat milks (flavoured are OK)

• skim milkshakes

• have a jug of chilled water on the table at meal times - try adding a slice of lemon or lime.

Other 'Extras'

Soft drink isn't the only food that loads up the kilojoules for no nutrient benefit.

Foods that you don't need to meet your nutrient needs are called 'extra foods'.

How many extras is OK?

As a guide it is recommended that teenagers limit their servings of extras to 0-3 per day.

You don't need extra foods, however they can increase your enjoyment of eating. Most people can eat small amounts of extra foods as part of a healthy diet. Teenagers who are growing fast or getting lots of activity can afford to eat some extra foods. People who aren't getting much activity or who are trying to control their weight need to limit extra foods more.  Beware - 'Extras' also include butter, margarine, and unsaturated fats. So you really need to watch it with the other extras. For a list of sample serves of 'Extra' foods click here.