Water...and Those Other Drinks

People ask me what I tend to drink on a daily basis if I don't drink soda, tea, fruit drinks, etc.. The truth is coffee is my #1 choice in the morning, but the only real liquid our bodies need is Water. Its that simple. Most of the human body is made up of water which is why it is so essential. It is shown to provide our bodies tissues with proper nutrients and removing waste from our cells. Think of water as cleansing your system of debris. I'm not going to go all scientific on you, but I will tell you why we need to remove soda, processed fruit juices, and sports drinks from our diets. Just get rid of them, gone!

Soda is pure chemicals. There is nothing simple, natural, and nutritious about them. Frankly they don't even taste good if you really pay attention. When you're "craving" that soda, what you're really craving is the caffeine jolt, that sugar high, or in some cases you think you're curbing your appetite. You have never been more wrong. Those chemicals in soda are harmful. They have a negative reaction to your cells which make them work harder trying to remove those toxins instead of working towards bringing in nutrients from your better food choices. By replacing soda with water - even pure sparkling water - you will feel better, sleep better, and loose those sugar cravings. Add lemon to your water for a bit of flavor or Poland Spring 100% Sparkling Water is my family's go-to, just try it. It is worth the couple days of grumpiness to rid your diet of soda. In the long run, you'll thank me!

Juice. Huh? I feel like there is no "real" juice out there anymore. Nor is it necessary. My main frustration with juice is that we feed it to our kids thinking its good for them. They NEED it. No they don't. Juice is sugar. We need to accept that. Although, its not harmful to our children it can lead to further sugar cravings and crashes. I came to this realization when my oldest child started school. Each day I would pack her a juice box. Thats what kids drink, right? What did I know? I even bought organic juice thinking I was being such a great mom. What I came to know was that its only added sugar she didn't need. Instead, I bought her a CamelBak water bottle which I fill at the beginning of each day. During the day her choices are water or milk. There is still a juice box here and there, but rarely does she ask me for it. If I do buy juice its Apple & Eve. Your body knows what it wants and needs. Kids bodies will learn to realize that too as soon as we start feeding them REAL food.

Oh Sports Drinks. I've never liked Sports Drinks so its never been a big discussion in our household. But it is something I feel super passionate about to share. I feel like Sports Drinks have become an American Pastime with Sports. I am a huge proponent of choices - hence the name of my blog. But kids don't have many choices since they're not doing the shopping. Therefore its up to the parents. I believe most parents think they're doing everything right with purchasing sports drinks to fuel their child during sports. I'm here to argue that and tell you its too much sugar and sodium for their little bodies. According to the American Heart Association, kids under age 8 shouldn't exceed 1,000mg of sodium and 13g of sugar a day. One easy math equation for you is that an 8oz bottle of a VERY popular sports drink has 440mg of sodium and 56g of sugar - in ONE bottle. I understand sports drinks are marketed that they provide us replenishment of electrolytes after playing intense sports, but for kids this can be very dangerous with the amount of sugar and sodium they're ingesting.  Water is just fine for them. If you're concerned about the needed electrolytes go for Coconut Water - its an easy and fresh way to replenish your body after exercise. Although coconut water can be tough on its own to drink (it has a distinct flavor), it can be mixed with regular water for those added electrolytes you're looking for. If kids are thirsty, they won't care :)