Diabetes
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 22 // -- Imagine putting four teaspoons of sugar into your toddler's mouth. Sounds crazy, right? But, that's exactly what millions of parents do every day when they hand their child a juice box. Most parents don't realize that a standard-sized (6.75 ounce) juice box, 100% juice or otherwise, contains between four and five teaspoons of sugar. And, excessive sugar consumption is a major contributor to childhood obesity and diabetes. According to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, about 24 million youth are overweight or at risk of being overweight, and the American Diabetes Association says one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. With these alarming statistics, parents are looking for solutions.
Roberta Greenspan, founder and CEO of Maddie's Beverage Company (http://www.wateroos.com), can relate. After having her first child, she was concerned about the lack of healthy children's beverages available to her. She set out to develop a kid's beverage that would be healthy for her child and would help other parents who felt similarly. The result was Wateroos water-filled drink boxes which have no sugar, artificial ingredients or sweeteners and no calories. Available in four varieties (flavored and unflavored), Wateroos is the only children's water beverage packaged in colorful and playful drink boxes making water fun for kids to drink. Moms feel good giving their children a healthier alternative to sugar-laden juice and soda and kids enjoy a beverage that's just for them.
Not only has Greenspan found the product is resounding with parents nationwide, but during her research she was astounded to find how confusing beverage labels can be.
"I believe that reading beverage labels -- and more importantly understanding what that information means from a nutritional standpoint -- is critical," said Greenspan, founder and CEO of Maddie's Beverage Company (maker of Wateroos). "Parents need to see past the product's marketing hype and read the label so they can make an informed decision about whether that beverage is something they want their children to drink."
Here are five tips Greenspan recommends for "reading the label" that can help parents make better beverage choices for their children:
1. What's a gram anyway? Many people in the U.S. are not familiar with
the metric system, yet that's the unit of measurement used on nutrition
labels. Parents may see 25g of sugar on the label of a children's
drink but not understand that it equates to just over five teaspoons of
sugar. Parents need to realize that 4.75 grams equals one teaspoon.
2. Sugar, sugar everywhere. Sugar comes in many forms with many names so
it's important to read the ingredients list to make sure a child's
beverage doesn't contain more sugar than parents think. Look for
things such as high-fructose corn syrup (or any kind of syrup), sucrose
and other sugars labeled by their chemical name ending in "-ose" like
glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose.
3. Don't forget to multiply. It's important for parents to check the
number of "Servings per Container" on the label and then multiply that
by the number of calories, grams of sugar, grams of sodium, etc. to get
an accurate measure of the beverage's caloric and health impacts.
4. Understand the "No's." Just because a beverage package says "No Added
Sugar" or "No Calories" doesn't always mean it's healthy. A "No Added
Sugar" statement simply means no extra sugars were added when the drink
was manufactured. All kinds of foods, including fruit juices and milk,
contain sugars as natural components. It's also important to look for
things such as artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame,
preservatives like potassium benzoate and potassium sorbate, and
artificial coloring like Red #40 or Blue #1.
5. What's in a name? Parents need to look beyond the actual name of the
beverage when making a purchase decision. Even if a beverage's name
implies certain health benefits, be sure to check the ingredients label
to see what it actually contains.
Children's health experts are now recommending that parents limit children's juice consumption. The American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines recommend that no juice be given to infants under six months old; no more than four to six ounces of pasteurized juice a day for kids ages one to six; and eight to 12 ounces for ages seven and up. Parents looking for these "read the label" tips or for more resources on children's nutrition and how to help prevent childhood obesity and diabetes, can visit http://www.wateroos.com/extras/wtr_extras_resources.htm.
About Maddie's Beverage Company
Maddie's Beverage Company, maker of Wateroos water-filled drink boxes, was started in January 2005 by a mom for moms who are concerned about offering their children healthier alternatives to sugar-laden juice and soda and who want to teach their children good nutritional habits from a young age. Wateroos is the only all-natural children's water beverage packaged in familiar drink boxes that makes water fun for kids to drink. The product is resounding with parents nationwide and recently won Beverage Industry Magazine's 2006 best new product of the year award. Wateroos is packaged in six packs of 8 oz (237ml) Tetra Pak boxes. For more information, call 1-650-292-4908 or visit http://www.wateroos.com.
