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"Mom, I'm Thirsty!"

© Donna Smith

The summer months are upon us. Boy, is it upon us! Record high temperatures are being recorded all over the place. But no matter how hot it gets, you're going to hear, "Mom, can we go outside?" Distracting them with other activities, pretending your not feeling well, telling them you can't go outside because the weatherman "said so", and bribing them with money will only work for part of the summer. Eventually you will have to leave the air-conditioned comfort of your house.

Once you get outside, you are guaranteed to hear another phrase within three minutes-"Mom, I'm thirsty!" This is not a phrase to be taken lightly. You need to get out of that comfortable lawn chair and either get them a drink, or squirt the water hose in their direction, because keeping your kids hydrated is very important.

What your kids drink is another important decision. Kids should drink at least 8 cups of liquids each day. Many children do not meet this requirement or are filling up on sweetened fruit juices or soda. The USDA's health and nutrition report entitled, "What We Eat In America" found that teenagers drink three times the amount of carbonated sodas as they did twenty years ago. Teenagers consume an average of 65 gallons of carbonated sodas every year. That's a lot of soda! The age group of 6 to 11 is drinking double what they used to, and sweetened fruit juice is the problem in children under the age of 6. This age group is drinking 300% more sugar-sweetened fruit juice than before. I didn't give it a thought when I poured them a glass of that red, blue or even green pre-sweetened drink mix. Hey, its got Vitamin C, and my kids love it. This one says it contains fruit juice, so it's good for them, right?

Not necessarily. When choosing a fruit juice for your child, make sure you read the label. Juices labeled as "ade", "fruit beverage", "fruit drink", or "cocktail" are not 100% fruit juice. Some contain as little as 5% real fruit juice. They may contain Vitamin C, but the rest is mainly sugar, which can lead to obesity and tooth decay. Juices containing 100% fruit juice can also be counted as a fruit exchange in their daily requirement of 5 servings of fruit per day. Read the labels!

Real 100% fruit juice is good, but plain old water should be included in the 8 glasses of liquid per day total. Try to make at least 3 of the 8 water. Keep water available to you child at all times, especially during the hot summer months. Offer drinks of water when they are outside in the heat before they are thirsty to insure dehydration doesn't occur. By the time they feel thirsty, the child may have already lost more than two cups of their total body water.

The copyright of the article "Mom, I'm Thirsty!" in Cooking with Children is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish "Mom, I'm Thirsty!" in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.