'Rethink Your Drink,' Napa Valley!

News from Community Resources for Children in Napa:

Napa County will celebrate the 4th annual “Rethink Your Drink” campaign that aims to educate Napa residents on the sugar content of popular beverages and encourage everyone to Rethink Your Drink by replacing sugary drinks with healthier alternatives.

The month of July will be declared “Rethink Your Drink” month in Napa County by the Board of Supervisors on July 14th, 2015.

The 4th annual “Rethink Your Drink” kick-off celebration will take place on July 21st at the Napa Farmer’s Market, across the street from the Oxbow Public Market. This celebration will include games, giveaways, story time for children, contests and tips on how to drink and enjoy water.

Evidence demonstrates limiting the consumption of added or free sugars reduces the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay.

Recommendations suggest for the most health benefits, to limit added sugars to no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men.

A single can of soda can contain up to 10 teaspoons of added sugars and exceeds recommendations for the day. In California, 41% of children and adolescents and 24% of adults drink one or more sodas per day.

For each additional sugary drink a child consumes a day, the risk of obesity jumps by 60% and for adults who drink one or more sugary drinks a day they are 27% more likely to be overweight than adults who do not drink sugary drinks . Obesity and weight gain from frequent consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is linked to a whole range of other health problems including Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and dental cavities.

The goal of the Rethink Your Drink campaign is to help people discover how easy it is to replace sugary drinks with healthy, refreshing and flavorful water.

The Napa Farmers Market celebration will include a spa water contest where attendees may vote on their favorite creation, a prize wheel to spin and take home giveaways, a hydration station, and other fun children’s activities. Look for more information about how to increase water consumption throughout Napa this summer.

The Children and Weight Coalition (CWC) is comprised of several agencies working for and with families in Napa County:

Community Resources for Children;

First 5 Napa County; Women, Infants and Children (WIC);

Napa County Public Health Department;

Queen of the Valley Community Outreach; Cope Family Center;

Dairy Council of California;

Nutrition Education Obesity Prevention (NEOP);

Napa County Office of Education; and other local agencies.

For more information about local Rethink Your Drink resources visit the CWC website: www.crcnapa.org/programs_resources/children_weight_coalition/rethink_your_drink.html