Consumer Alert: You are what you drink! New guidelines recommend no caffeine until age 19

Consumer Alert: Report recommends no caffeine until age 19

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You are what you drink. So says a leading a national health program that just released nutrition guidelines for kids focused on what they drink. And your teenager may not be happy to hear this.
Among the recommendations, no caffeine before the age of 19.

If you have a teenager, you’re likely familiar with Prime.  It’s the high caffeine energy drink hocked by social media influencer, Logan Paul.  It’s loaded with a whopping 200 milligrams of caffeine, six times the amount of caffeine in a 12-ounce can of Coca Cola.

It and all caffeinated drinks are in the cross hairs of Healthy Eating Research, a national program through the Robert E. Wood Johnson Foundation.

“A lot of new research has come out it’s really evolved,” said Megan Lott, Deputy Director of Healthy Eating Research. “And we are seeing that even small amounts of caffeine in children and adolescents are leading to sleep disturbances, depression and other mood disorders and increased risk of other negative behaviors like increased risk of alcohol and tobacco.”

She points out caffeine can also cause high blood pressure and even heart palpitations, leading the expert panel to conclude that kids and teens should avoid caffeine as much as possible.  But that’s not all.  The group also advise parents to limit even 100 percent juice.

“We find that when kids drink too much juice, they don’t actually eat the fruits and vegetables,” said Lott.  She says research shows the healthiest choices for kids for adequate hydration are water and pasteurized cow’s milk.

Here are the recommendations for each age group: For kids ages 5 to 8, the group recommends 2 to 5 cups a day of water and 2.5 cups of milk daily. Kids 9 to 13 should get 2.75 to 7.6 cups of water every day, and 3 cups of milk. And teens 14 to 18 should get 3.6 to 11 cups of water every day, and 3 cups of milk.

Thy say parents should not substitute plant-based milk because it lacks the nutrients of cow’s milk. In 2019, the group published recommendations for kids one to 5 years old which also advise primarily milk and water every day. For kids younger than one, the group recommends breast milk or formula.