Do you know what your children drink after school?
I was on a walk this week and noticed a Starbucks right across the street from an elementary school. And, yes, this coffee shop was being mobbed by the grade-schoolers after classes were out.
And, you know it, I couldn't resist sidling up to some of these kids to find out what they were imbibing. Lo and behold, their drink of choice appeared to be large, blended, iced coffees. Yum! — plenty refreshing on a hot day, right?
But think: A large ("Venti," or 24-ounce) Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino® Blended Coffee contains a whopping bolus of 500 calories, 16 grams of fat (10 of which are saturated), 68 grams of sugar (!), and — just to keep their little hearts a-pumping — 155 milligrams of caffeine.
If your child were to drink five of these "Ventis" a week, she'd be adding almost one pound to her weight each week, or about 50 pounds a year — not to mention spending a big bundle of cash, what with "Ventis" going for about $4.50 a pop!
And the caffeine content of this drink is equal to that found in three cans (12 ounces each) of Mountain Dew® or in 2 Red Bulls® (12 ounces each) — two notorious, high-caffeine, "soft drinks."
While research doesn't support the myth that caffeine stunts children's growth, studies do find that it can cause other problems for them. First, it's a stimulant that can cause the same increased heart rate and breathing, the same nervousness and anxiety, that adults may feel when they overdose on coffee. Caffeine can be addictive, too, and it's a hard habit to break. Large amounts of this drug can also cause stomach ache and headache and, if drunk in the afternoon, it certainly won't help a kid fall asleep that night!
Keep an eye on what your kids are drinking and educate them on what caffeine can do to their nervous systems. Encourage them to drink more ice water, low- or non-fat milk, and 100-percent fruit juice (you can dilute the juice to save some calories while still getting some of the flavor). Your kids don't need caffeine to do their homework.