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Liquid Calories – Time to Rethink Your Drink?

January 14, 2026 General /Family

Drinks-icon When Drinks Add Up

Nilea loved starting her day with a big cup of coffee and flavored creamer. In the afternoon, she reached for a 20-ounce soda to stay awake. At home, she poured a large glass of juice to relax. When she felt stressed, she treated herself to a smoothie. She thought these choices were harmless – and even healthier than a milkshake.

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But Nilea was frustrated. She was trying to lose 10 pounds of baby weight, and nothing was changing.

When she met with her nutritionist, she learned something surprising: her drinks were adding a lot of calories and sugar, which may be why she was struggling to
lose weight.

IN ONE DAY, HER DRINKS ADDED UP TO:
510 Calories
80 Grams of Added Sugar
(that’s 20 teaspoons – almost ½ cup of sugar!)
36 Grams of Natural Sugar
257 Milligrams of Caffeine

She couldn’t believe she was drinking so many calories. And she worried about her children, who were starting to copy her habits. They sipped her soda, drank lots of juice, and one child would only drink chocolate milk. She knew it was time to make a change for herself and her family.

Healthy” Drinks Helping Are These “Healthy” Drinks Helping… or Hurting?

Many drinks seem healthy, but it’s easy to get more sugar and calories than we realize.

Juice Milk Smoothie Chocolate milk
JUICE MILK SMOOTHIES CHOCOLATE MILK
Juice has vitamin C, but: Milk is full of good nutrients like protein and calcium, but: Smoothies seem like a healthier choice, but: Chocolate milk offers calcium and protein, but:
It is easy to drink too much. Too much can push out foods rich in iron. A regular mango smoothie can have 430 calories and 23 teaspoons of sugar. Bottled chocolate milk has 2½ teaspoons of added sugar in one cup.
The calories and natural sugars add up fast. Low iron can lead to iron deficiency. Even a “light” version may still have 220 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar. Mixing 2 teaspoons of chocolate powder into plain milk adds only ½ teaspoon of sugar.

Fast Facts for Families

  • Kids ages 2–5 get almost 13 teaspoons of added sugar each day – mostly from sweets and sugary drinks.
  • Caffeine can lead to poor sleep and shorter sleep time in children.
  • Sugary drinks increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in kids and adults.
  • Soda, lemonade, sports drinks, and energy drinks can hurt tooth enamel.
  • Babies who drink sugary drinks are more likely to keep drinking them as they grow.
  • Adults who drink 1–2 sugary drinks a day have a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Guidelines ot Healthy Habits Simple Guidelines to Support Healthy Habits

You don’t need to give up every favorite drink. You can make small, steady choices that feel good for your family, like:

  • No added sugar for babies under 2 years.
  • No more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for kids over the age of 2 years.
  • ✓ Choosing water as the best everyday drink for everyone. If you’re not a fan of plain water, try adding a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange juice for flavor.

WIC recommends:

  • ✓ No more than 2 cups of milk per day for children.
  • ✓ No more than 4 ounces (½ cup) of juice per day.
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Your Choices Matter – for Your Health and the Planet

Single-serve drinks in plastic bottles create a lot of waste. Most plastic never breaks down fully. Many plastic bottles also may leak tiny plastic pieces (microplastics) to the drinks inside.

A study found:

  • People who drink only bottled water may swallow 90,000 microplastics a year, whereas tap water drinkers may take in about 4,000 microplastics a year.
  • One liter of bottled water can contain about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic, mostly nanoplastics.
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Choosing tap water and reusable bottles helps your health, your budget, and the environment.

Small Changes Big Difference You Can Make Small Changes That Make a Big Difference

If you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Many families struggle with sugary drinks. But you have the power to help your family build healthy habits, one step at a time. Start with one easy change, like:
  • ✓ Swapping one soda for water
  • ✓ Serving smaller juice portions, or diluting juice with water
  • ✓ Mixing chocolate milk powder into plain milk
  • ✓ Keeping refillable water bottles handy in the car or diaper bag
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Every small shift adds up, and WIC is here to support you along the way.
You’re doing an amazing job caring for your family and making healthy drink choices are another way to help them grow strong.

REFERENCES:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, January). Fast facts: sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/data-research/sugar-sweetened-beverages.html#:~:text=Adults,by%20state%20–%20United%20States%2C%202021

Cox KD, Covernton GA, Davies HL, Dower JF, Juanes F, Dudas SE. Human Consumption of Microplastics. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53, 12, 7068–7074.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2025). Top 10 Things You Need to Know About the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025.
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials/top-10-things-you-need-know

Healthy Eating Research. (2025, January). Healthy Beverage Consumption in School-Age Children and Adolescents.
https://healthyeatingresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Technical-Report-FINAL.pdf

Imoisili OE, Park S, Lundean EA, Yaroch AL, Blanck HM. Daily Adolescent Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Is Associated With Select Adolescent, Not Parent, Attitudes About Limiting Sugary Drink and Junk Food Intake. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2019;34(1):76–82.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890117119868382

Li Y, Tau L, Wang Q, Wang F, Li G, Song M. Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effect. Environ. Health. 2023, 1, 4, 249–257.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890117119868382

Malik VS, Hu FB. The role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the global epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022 Apr;18(4):205–218.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8778490/

Mayo Clinic. (2023, November). Type 2 diabetes in children.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes-in-children/symptoms-causes/syc-20355318#:~:text=Diet.,or%20sibling%20with%20the%20disease

Qian N, Gao X, Lang X, et al. Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(3):e2300582121.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890117119868382

Texas WIC. (2025). What and how much should I feed my child?
https://texaswic.org/health-nutrition/children/what-and-how-much-should-i-feed-my-child

Texas WIC. (2025). Tooth Care.
https://texaswic.org/health-nutrition/children/tooth-care

Tropical Smoothie Café. (2024, November 14). Health & Nutrition Guide.
https://d1yg02isjcwtyb.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Promo-1-Nutrition-PDF.pdf

Vos MB, Kaar JL, Welsh JA, et al. Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children: A
Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.
Circulation. 2017;135(19):e1017-e1034.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/cir.0000000000000439

By Bridget Swinney, MS, RDN, LD