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Sugary Drinks Aren't for Kids

9/29/2016

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by Pajai Her

Many families enjoy drinking and tasting the sweetness of sugary beverages. However, these drinks are one of the main contributors to childhood obesity. Sugary beverage companies spend billions of dollars every year creating advertisements that promote their products, like soda, energy drinks, and blended coffee drinks, through tailored and misleading advertisements to children and parents. According to Robin Marwick from About Kids Health, children have a significant influence on family purchases by nagging their parents enough to buy what they want. Marketers from the sugary beverage industry use this to their advantage to tailor advertisements that target children through TV and social media. These tailored advertisements influence kids to choose sugar-sweetened beverages over healthier options, like water. Sugary beverage companies may even create misleading advertisements to influence parents into thinking that their products are healthy for children, for example by showing images of sports players and happy families drinking sugary beverages.

Just one serving of a sugary drink is usually more than what a child should consume in a day. One can of Pepsi has 41 grams of sugar, 159 calories and 0 nutritional value. According to the American Heart Association, a child’s added sugar intake should be less than 6 teaspoons or 25 grams per day. When children regularly consume drinks with high amounts of sugar, they can develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other serious health problems that not only affect a child’s quality of life, but their future as well. Parents can help their children avoid obesity and the health complications that go along with it by paying attention to the amount of sugar listed on the nutrition facts panel on the back of the package, rather than just the advertising on the front of the package.

Being aware of the negative impacts of sugary beverages and predatory advertising may help parents make better health choices and encourage their children to do the same. But when families are up against corporations spending huge amounts of money to sell unhealthy drinks to their children, parents need help. Schools, elected officials, and community members can all help parents make the healthy choice the easy choice for their children.
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Learn more about how the sugary beverage industry creates advertisements to target children at About Kids Health and about the impact sugary beverages can have on your community at Kick the Can.


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#0to60: The Fastest Way to Living Healthy Starts Right Now

9/12/2016

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The fastest way to living healthy starts right now! The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition
and the National Foundation on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition have officially launched the #0to60
Campaign. In honor of the Council’s 60th Anniversary, the goal of this national campaign is to show all
Americans the “how” of getting active, leading a healthy lifestyle and enjoying the journey.

The Council has been dedicated to helping the nation find ways to lead a healthy lifestyle for 60 years
and this year they are revving everything up a notch. In partnership with the Foundation, the Council has
developed an innovative new #0to60 App and mobile-ready website full of tips and information on how
all Americans can integrate regular physical activity and good nutrition into their everyday lives.

#0to60 is a national effort that is much bigger than the Council. To bring the most engaging, helpful and
innovative content, the Council has partnered with the nation’s leaders in physical activity and nutrition.
The app features a variety of content, including quick tips to jump start healthy habits; resources for
families, communities, and schools; and, programs designed to support individuals on their journey to
living healthy. Additionally, all of the content available on the app will also be made available at
0to60fitness.org (a mobile-ready website).

Whether you use the app or check for updates on the website, keep an eye out for tips on physical
activity and nutrition to jump start healthy habits for a journey from zero to sixty. Other resources
provide key articles, information, programs, and challenges for families, communities, and schools. The
app is designed to support individuals on their journey to accelerate their healthiest life!

To top it off, the Council and Foundation have teamed up with First Lady Michelle Obama and Funny Or
Die to unveil a new video! Inspired by the Council’s history and many faces of fitness through the years,
Funny Or Die produced the “History of Exercise,” featuring the First Lady and Nick Offerman. The video
underscores the fact that while fitness routines may have changed over the years, the importance of
adopting a healthy lifestyle has remained the same.

If this seems exciting, stay tuned for more. This is just the launch; #0to60 will continue to work with all
Americans to inspire the country to go from zero to sixty every day!


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