The 5 best drinks for kids

While we know the importance of eating well, ensuring we have the right drinks is just as important.

Sugar sweetened drinks, like soft drink, iced tea, sports drinks, cordial, energy drinks and fruit drinks are attractive to kids but can contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar in one serve.  Dietitians refer to these drinks as having ‘empty kilojoules’ because they provide little to no nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals, but are high in kilojoules (calories).  These types of drinks can lead to weight gain and can cause tooth decay.

Here are our recommendations for the best drinks for your kids:

1. Plain water is best.  It’s cheap and quenches your thirst.
2. Water flavoured with slices of lemon, cucumber, strawberries or mint makes for a change. For kids taking a water bottle to school, add some berries or cucumber slices to a bottle of water and freeze. 
3. Milk blended with fresh or frozen fruit makes a delicious, filling smoothie. Try this berrylicious smoothie.
4. Plain milk provides calcium, which important for bones and teeth. If you need a non-dairy milk alternative, ensure it is supplemented with at least 100mg of calcium per 100ml. You can find this information on the Nutrition Information Panel on the pack.
5. Frappes made with ice and blended frozen fruit make a yummy drink packed with fibre. 

What about fruit juice? 

While fruit juice is made from fruit, the juicing process means that most of the fibre is lost.

Eating whole fruit is better as it is more satisfying and contains more nutrients and fibre. If you like juice, make your own by blending fresh or frozen fruit so you get all the goodness in your glass.

If you choose to have bottled fruit juice, have only a small serve (1/2 cup) occasionally and consider diluting with ice or water. As juice is not the best option for kids, avoid including juice poppers in the lunch box. Only have them occasionally.

What about teeth?

Sugary drinks can feed bacteria in the mouth that cause tooth decay. Drinking plenty of water and skipping sugary drinks protects teeth against tooth decay.

For drink inspiration, see our drink suggestions in recipes.

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Some images on this site have been supplied by Cancer Council Western Australia's Crunch & Sip website