CHILDREN GETTING ONLY 25% OF THE WATER THEY NEED

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Every parent wants the very best for their children; but the pressures of modern life sometimes mean that compromises are taken when thinking about what they drink. Recent research has proven that youngsters are drinking way too much fizzy drinks and are only getting around a quarter of the natural, healthy water they need. In fact British kids are the world’s biggest consumers of fizzy drinks with 40 percent of 11-15 year olds drinking at least one a day.

The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey undertaken by Public Health England also discovered that instead of the 1.8 litres of water healthy 11-18 year old schoolchildren should drink they are taking in just 453 ml of water. The cause of this has been attributed directly at the availability of fizzy drinks, despite the known link to diabetes and weight gain. Experts in the field, however, say that the dangers can be limited by parents replacing one can of fizzy pop for a cool refreshing glass of water, something that UKVending wholeheartedly supports.

Many parents are misled by often confusing advertising slogans and campaigns that highlight the healthy aspects of some drinks; but Public Health England suggests that Tap Water or bottled water such as those provided by UKVending should be the default drink for children. Kids should be properly hydrated, if they’re not they suffer from a variety of conditions ranging from sleepiness in class and a lack of attention to medical conditions, some of which can be severe.

The study also highlighted the dangers of fruit juice and smoothies – once seen as a healthy drink – due to their high sugar content. The Government imposed tax on sugary drinks will, eventually, make inroads into the consumption of fizzy drinks, but the take up of water has been slow amongst children. This is something that disturbs Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England: “There’s absolutely no reason why kids should have sugary, fizzy drinks. They are of no nutritional value, they are damaging to health and an entirely discretionary purchase.”