Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/25/2021 --Intermountain Healthcare, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Heart Association is sending a message to parents to limit the sugary drinks their kids are consuming.

Children and teens consume gallons of sugary drinks every year, including sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks and sodas. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and teens consume fewer than 10 percent of calories from added sugars. But data shows that children and teens now consume 17 percent of their calories from added sugars—nearly half of which comes from drinks alone.

Intermountain Healthcare offers these tips for parents:

- Read nutrition facts labels carefully

- Choose water or milk: Hydration is just as important in winter months as when it is warm. If older children are exercising outside more than two hours, make sure to replace electrolytes and salts. If choosing to offer sports drinks to help replenish these, look for low-calorie versions

- Limit fruit juice: It has more sugar per serving than whole fruit. The AAP recommends no more than four ounces of 100 percent fruit juice a day for children ages on through three years; four to six ounces for children ages four through six; and eight ounces for children ages seven through 14. Do not give fruit juice to infants under one year old

- Go fresh and limit processed, pre-packed food and drinks: Sugar is often added to them while they are being made or at the table. For example, there are hidden sources of added sugar in processed foods like ketchup, dried cranberries, salad dressing, and baked beans

- Satisfy your child's sweet tooth with whole fruit or something sugar free

- Be aware of the marketing machine and consequences of sugary drinks: Kids are natural targets. They are also are more likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels, including higher "bad" LDL cholesterol, higher triglycerides, and lower heart-protective HDL cholesterol. They are also at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainhealthcare.org.Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainhealthcare.org.