One of the consequences of cancelling XM Radio has been listening to radio that is good for me, like NPR. Call it a media diet. And like all other diets or habit- kicking attempts, the first couple of days were the hardest. One of the nuggets to come out of my new listening habits from NPR was scientific support for something I already believed to be true: A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the affects of caffeine, energy and sports drinks on our children.
The frequency of kids standing at the bus line with an energy drink, or getting out of their parent’s car with a Starbucks in hand seems to be growing rapidly. These kids no doubt come from homes where parents have forgotten that kids want parents who will keep their cool; not be cool. It doesn’t end there and count me among the guilty here. Sports drinks are for people who play sports. Pretty simple right? Well somewhere along the way, doing your homework, playing on the swing set and eating a hamburger turned into a sports drinking event.
Read what the Academy’s report finds here:
Caffeine interferes with sleep; it can cause anxiety, raise heartbeats, and increase the risk of dehydration. "There's great concern about what [caffeine] does over time or in high doses to a young, growing body that's not fully mature," says Dr. Holly Benjamin. Sports drinks don't have that problem, but they do have sugar as the primary ingredient. That causes another problem. "Kids will drink a Gatorade after school," Benjamin says. "They'll drink a Gatorade at lunch. They'll drink a Gatorade with dinner."All that sugar can contribute to obesity and tooth decay”.
What are the recommended drinks? Water-- and lots of it. They should also be taking in a regular does of low-fat milk and some juice. But if your children are mildly participating in a sport then water is the best fit. Gatorade contends that parents should look at all sources of sugar in a kid’s diet and not just focus on their product. Dr. Benjamin supports that thinking and even suggests that there is a place and time for sports drinks in a “healthy child’s diet” but only if they are getting a lot of exercise.
If you’re looking for a rule of thumb, here it is according Dr. Benjamin: Kids or adults who have exercised intensely for an hour are the ones who could use a replenishing of sodium, sugar and potassium that sports drinks provide. Beyond that, water is still the best thing.
