Science tells us that too much added sugar can lead to unhealthy weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and other unhealthy outcomes, even in young children. Eating and drinking added sugar contributes to obesity and comes at a significant price: Alaska spends about $459 million a year on obesity-related medical expenses, and the cost to our children’s health impacts their quality of life.

What can we do to help our children build a healthy foundation?

Well, our kids learn their habits from us. They do what we do. The best way to get them to play outside is to go outside with them. The best way to get them to eat right is to eat healthy meals beside them. And since Americans consume nearly half their added sugar from sugary drinks, the easiest and most effective way to cut down on added sugar is to stop drinking them.

“If you or your child drinks just one can of soda a day, you or he will drink more than 3,500 teaspoons of added sugar by the end of the year,” noted Diane Peck, a public health nutritionist with the Obesity Prevention and Control Program in the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “That’s more than 30 pounds of sugar.”

In the health department’s public service announcement called It Starts With Me, a mother reflects on how her habits influence her daughter’s: “At first I didn’t think how my soda habit could affect her health, but when I noticed the extra pounds I put on due to my daily habit, and that I’m putting myself at risk for diabetes and heart disease, I began to wonder… what are sugary drinks doing to her?”

Beverages like soda, sports and energy drinks, vitamin-enhanced drinks, fruit-flavored or powdered drinks, and sweetened teas, coffees and milks add sugars and calories with little or no nutrients. Just one sugary drink – such as one bottle of soda with 16 teaspoons of added sugar – has more sugar than people should have in one day based on the new sugar limits in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Want your kids to stay healthy? Start by reducing or eliminating the sugary drinks you buy, serve and consume. After all, good health habits start with you.

Story submitted by the State of Alaska Play Every Day campaign. Big thanks to our partners at DHSS