FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 10, 2017
Perth County – March is Nutrition Month and this year dietitians at the Perth District Health Unit are encouraging you to drink water. The Perth District Health Unit has taken the pledge to sip less sugary drinks and drink more water. The Water Does Wonders pledge shows our commitment to promoting water and not selling, providing or promoting sugary drinks.
Sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks contain a lot of added sugar and no health benefit. Fruit juice, even labelled as ‘no sugar added’ still contains a high amount of sugar. Too much sugar increases our risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dental caries and some types of cancer.
“Sugar in sweetened beverages can add up quickly” says Shannon Edmonstone, Public Health Nutritionist. One can of soda can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. If someone drank one can everyday they would consume 33 pounds of sugar in a year- that’s 7.5 bags of sugar.
The World Health Organization recommends less than 10% of our calorie intake should come from added sugar. For adults that means no more than 12 teaspoons of added sugar per day and 10 teaspoons or less for children 7-13 years old. One of the easiest ways to decrease added sugar intake is to replace sugary drinks with water.
Perth District Health Unit is encouraging families and organizations in Perth County to take the Water Does Wonders pledge to drink less sugary drinks by drinking more water. Water is a delicious, free way to quench your thirst.
Visit Water Does Wonders http://waterdoeswonders.ca/ to take the pledge today.
For more information:
- Call Health Line at 519-271-7600 ext 267 or toll-free at 1-877-271-7348 ext 267
- Visit www.pdhu.on.ca
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
