U.S. kids and tweens are getting most of the water in their diet from sweetened drinks instead of plain old H2O.

A study in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that, depending on age, only 15 to 60 percent of boys and 10 to 54 percent of girls get the minimum amount of water recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Water is critical for good health because it helps with digestion and carries nutrients to cells in the body. It also helps regulate body temperature and lubricates joints. Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, and headaches.

A Closer Look

Researchers at the City University of New York and National Cancer Institute looked at the water intake of 3,978 boys and girls, ages 2 to 19, who had been in a national nutrition study from 2005 to 2006. They looked at water consumption, as well as at water in moist foods and moisture in all beverages and nutritious drinks such as milk and juice.

They found that kids of all ages were more likely to drink beverages than water at mealtime. More than two-thirds of water consumed came from beverages with main meals, and only one-third of the plain water was consumed with meals.

Children who drank the most plain water consumed fewer sweetened beverages and ate fewer high-calorie foods.

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As parents prepare to send children off to school, families are stocking up on school supplies.  But parents should be thinking about healthy food choices for their children as well .  Below are some general tips for keeping children healthy throughout the day.

School-aged children (ages 6 to 12) continue to need healthy foods and nutritious snacks. They have a consistent but slow rate of growth and usually eat four to five times a day (including snacks). Many food habits, likes, and dislikes are established during this time. Family, friends, and the media (especially TV) influence their food choices and eating habits. School-aged children are often willing to eat a wider variety of foods than their younger siblings. Eating healthy after-school snacks are important, as these snacks may contribute up to one-third of the total calorie intake for the day. School-aged children have developed more advanced feeding skills, are better at feeding skills, and are able to help with meal preparation.

The following are some helpful mealtime hints for school-aged children:

• Always serve breakfast, even if it has to be “on the run.” Some ideas for a quick, healthy breakfast include the following:
  • fruit
  • milk
  • bagel
  • cheese toast
  • cereal
  • peanut butter sandwich
• Take advantage of big appetites after school by serving healthy snacks such as the following:
  • fruit
  • vegetables and dip
  • yogurt
  • turkey or chicken sandwich
  • cheese and crackers
  • milk and cereal
• Set good examples for eating habits.
• Allow children to help with meal planning and preparation.
• Serve meals at the table, instead of in front of the television, to avoid distractions.

Click here for more information about healthy food choices, as well as nutrition advice and tips.

Mini was getting dressed for bed Friday evening. She came out from the bedroom and her shirt didn’t quite meet her pants…In fact, her shirt came nowhere near her pants. Her belly was too big. By a lot, really. It’s an issue that I’ve noticed and tried to make slight, not-so-feelings-hurting comments on, but I don’t think Mini really caught on…until this weekend.

We had decided to buy her some new clothes for when she’s over. Nothing crazy, just a few pairs of jeans, couple of shirts and some pajamas. AM helped and I can’t stress enough how lucky I am to have her in my life. Apparently in the dressing room, Mini got a little frustrated when clothes she thought would fit didn’t…And that’s when I think the light bulb came on her for her.

After she had made her choices and we were in line to check out, I asked if Mini wanted a soda. She said “No. I have root beer at home and I think two sodas is enough for a weekend. Don’t you?” She had fruit and chicken tenders instead of cheeseburger and fries at lunch, only ate half her ice cream at bedtime and only rarely snacked on half-cups of snack mix during the day Saturday and Sunday. She also drank lots of water and only one can of the root beer. She played Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resorts quite a bit and ran around the park a lot more than she had the last few times we went.

I hope that she’s made the connection between her diet (which is usually a lot of fast food) and her lack of activity. And I hope she’s willing to not ask for so much fast food when she’s with her mother. She’ll definitely eat less fast food when she’s here.

Do your tweens had diet and exercise issues? How do you help them to make better food and activity choices? Share you suggestions, ideas and questions in the comments.

As we discuss how to improve your tween’s nutritional value, take a recipe from OHealthy for a terrific vegetarian pizzia.

All Red and Ready-to-Go Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 whole-wheat flat bread (pita without the pocket, about 8 inches in diameter)
• 2 tablespoons roasted red pepper (packed in water)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons flavored tomato paste (pesto, roasted garlic, or Italian seasoning)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomato
• Sprinkle of crushed dried red pepper, basil, garlic, or other seasoning, to taste

Directions

Spread the flat bread with the toppings and place the bread on a toaster oven tray. Use the “top brown” setting. The pizza is ready when the cheese bubbles, in three to five minutes.

Serves one

The serving contains about 367 calories, 16 g protein, 13 g fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, and 905 mg sodium.

Click here for more OHealthy recipes.

January is “Nutrition Month” here at MomTalk, so we’re all looking at different ways to manage the intake of less-than healthy food for our children. I’ve talked before about the challenges of feeding Mini and the impact of processed and fast foods on my weight. I’ve got a big challenge this coming week.

Mini is coming over for 4 days and nights (she comes over tonight and leaves Sunday afternoon). There’s going to be a significant amount of pressure to “do the easy thing” for meals, which is run to McDonald’s, Bojangles or Chuck E. Cheese. And the pressure isn’t completely incorrect. Fast food is…fast. It’s quick and easy and you can drive through and eat on the way to where ever you’re going.

So, we’ll have to work extra,extra hard to eat at home this weekend. And that may mean dealing with some whining from Mini about it. It’s going to take some pre-planning of meals (especially breakfast and lunch) and some packed snacks in case we go anywhere (I’m hoping for good weather so we can hit the parks).

The hardest part of feeding Mini healthily is that she doesn’t always eat the best when she’s at home. She tells me stories of having two dinners (one on the way home from school and another during the early evening), plus a snack at bedtime. That’s a horrible habit to break and, like all children, she gets cranky when not fed on her schedule.

It’s a challenge to try to do the right thing, instead of the easy thing, when it comes to feeding Mini. Switching up water or juice for soda, three cookies instead of five or seven or ten, and one dinner instead of two. But she’s learning the food habits that will impact the rest of her life now. Teaching her a more healthy way to eat will extend her life. Getting her to see that is pretty hard, though.

What challenges do you face in keeping a healthy diet for your tweenager? Share you ideas, suggestions and questions in the comments.