How Much Sugar Is in Your Favorite Drinks?

Lesson 3 How Much Sugar Is in Your Favorite Drinks? Objectives Students will: identify important nutrition information on beverages labels* perform calculations using nutrition information on beverages labels* identify alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages* *Learning Objective Estimated Class Time Part A Ranking Activity: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Part B Small-Group Work: 15 minutes Conclusion: 5 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Materials Needed 10 empty, cleaned beverage containers, supplied by you and/or your students. Make sure that (1) all beverages are 20 ounces (or close to 20 ounces) and (2) included among them are a bottled water container, a sports drink bottle, and a 100% fruit juice container. (Note: Using actual beverage containers will enhance student interest in this lesson.) Teacher 411: Beverages, pgs. 41-42 (for teacher s use only) Sample Beverages: Answer Sheet, pg. 46 (for teacher s use only) 1 blank transparency 2 boxes (26 ounces each) of table salt (used in place of sugar to be less messy) 5 containers, each large enough to hold approximately 1/5 of the salt in both boxes (that is, approximately 1 cup of salt) 5 measuring teaspoons 15 small, clear cups or dishes Hypothesis: Sugar Content worksheet, pg. 44 (one copy per student) Beverages Chart worksheet, pg. 45 (one copy per student) Nutrition Facts Label handout, pg. 46 (one copy per student) Lesson Preparation Review this lesson, including the documents listed in the Materials Needed section. For background information, review Teacher 411: Beverages. Make copies of the handout and worksheets in the Materials Needed section. Prior to Part A of the lesson, line up the 10 beverage containers on a table or desk in no particular order. (Students should not be able to see the nutrition labels.) Gather the other materials needed for the salt-measuring activity. (See Part B.) Equally distribute the salt from both boxes into the 5 containers (that is, approximately 1 cup in each container). 37

How Much Sugar Is in Your Favorite Drinks? Part A Ranking Activity 1. Ask a few students to name their favorite sugar-sweetened beverage. Then ask all students to raise their hand if they ve ever read the nutrition label on their favorite beverage. Tell students they re going to learn about how much sugar is in certain beverages, as well as some of the effects that too much sugar can have on their body. 2. State or paraphrase the following: There are two types of sugar in foods: natural sugars, which occur naturally in foods, and added sugars, which are added either in a factory or by the person making or eating the food. Fruits and 100% fruit juices contain only natural sugars. Natural sugars are healthier to eat because they re found in whole foods and whole foods supply more nutrients. Sugars that don t occur naturally, but instead have been added, are found in many foods. These foods include cookies, cakes, pickles, jelly, soft drinks, and energy drinks. What are types of added sugars? (Possible answers: Raw sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, maple sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup) Besides making foods taste sweet, added sugars also serve as a preservative. Added sugars contain 16 calories per teaspoon, and they don t provide any healthy nutrients. Consuming a lot of them can lead to excess weight or Type 2 Diabetes. So it s a good idea to consume added sugars in moderation. Today we re going to focus on the amount of sugar in beverages, especially added sugars. 3. Give each student a copy of the Hypothesis: Sugar Content and Beverages Chart worksheets. Instruct students to complete Question 1 of their Hypothesis worksheet by referring to the beverage containers lined up on the table. Tell them to record their rankings in their Beverages Chart worksheet by writing the names of the beverages in the first column. 4. Have students briefly discuss their rankings. Based on their feedback or a class consensus, re-order the beverages from most sugar to least sugar (from left to right). On a blank transparency, write the names of the beverages in the order in which they ve been ranked. (Save this transparency since you will use it again in Part B of the lesson.) 5. Tell students that salt is going to represent sugar. Demonstrate the size of 1 teaspoon by measuring out this amount of salt and showing it to them. Direct students attention to Question 2 of their Hypothesis worksheet and tell them to complete it. 6. Inform students that later they re going to check the accuracy of the class s ranking by calculating and measuring the amount of sugar in the beverages. Point out that first they need to know how to calculate grams of sugar in beverages. 7. Holding up one of the containers, point out to students the nutrition label and information it includes (such as serving size, sugar, calories, and fat). Explain that a serving size for a drink is usually 8 ounces not an entire 20-ounce bottle of a soft drink or all 16 ounces of a medium-sized latte. 38

How Much Sugar Is in Your Favorite Drinks? 8. Give each student a Nutrition Facts Label handout. Explain that the amount of sugars indicated in a Nutrition Facts label includes both natural and added sugars. Point out, for example, that the orange-flavored drink isn t a 100% fruit juice containing only natural sugars instead, it s mostly colored water with a lot of added sugars. As needed, go over the handout with students to make sure they understand the steps for calculating the grams of sugar in the beverage. 9. Tell students that in the next CATCH lesson they re going to test the accuracy of the class s ranking of beverages, as well as their hypotheses on the worksheet. Part B Small-Group Work 1. Divide students into five groups, and give each group two beverage containers. Try to distribute the containers so that each group gets one beverage that contains relatively few or 0 grams of sugar. 2. Instruct students to complete Questions 3 and 4 of their Hypothesis worksheet. Tell them that even though they should do the calculations as a group, each student should fill in his or her own Beverages Chart. Point out that since it s important for them to see just how much sugar beverages can contain, they re going to measure out salt and imagine that it s sugar. 3. Check each group s completed work. The Sample Beverages Answer Sheet or a calculator can serve as an aid. Then give the group a container of salt, a measuring teaspoon, and two small, clear cups or dishes. Instruct students to measure, for each container, the appropriate amount of sugar into the cup or dish. (For beverages containing large amounts of sugar, more than one cup or dish may be needed.) 4. Ask representatives to report their group s calculations of teaspoons of sugar per container. Record these calculations next to the names of the beverages on the transparency you created in Part A. Then ask all the representatives to work together to line up the drink containers in the correct order, along with the cups or dishes of sugar that go with them. 5. Instruct students to (1) complete Questions 5 and 6 of their Hypothesis worksheet, (2) fill in the fourth column of their Beverages Chart using the values on the transparency, and (3) fill in the last column of their Beverages Chart with the correct ranking of the drinks, which can be seen from the current order of the containers. Conclusion 1. Ask a few students to briefly share their answers to Questions 5 and 6 on their Hypothesis worksheet. 2. State or paraphrase the following: Of all the beverages you can drink, water is the healthiest. The majority of your drink diet should consist of water, followed by fat-free or 1% milk, followed by small amounts of 100% fruit juices. 39

How Much Sugar Is in Your Favorite Drinks? Sports drinks are appropriate to drink only after you ve done vigorous exercise for more than an hour, especially when you ve sweated a lot. Large amounts of sugar can lead to excess weight and Type 2 diabetes. As you ve seen, many beverages contain a lot of sugar. This is why it s important to drink sugar-sweetened beverages only in moderation and that includes sports drinks, energy drinks, soft drinks, fruitflavored drinks, juice drinks, and coffee drinks. Extension Activity Ask students to compare the amount of sugars in beverages not used in the classroom activity. Encourage them to read the ingredients list to find out whether the sugars are natural or added. Ask students to investigate the total number of calories in beverages they and their classmates drink frequently. A classroom activity in which beverages are ranked according to number of calories can be done by following a similar procedure as the one used to rank beverages according to amount of sugar. Sources Adapted from HEADS UP 2008 Nutrition/Physical Activity Second Edition module How Much Sugar is in Your Favorite Drinks? activity Additional resources can be found in the appendix. 40

Favorite Drinks? - Teacher 411 Beverages are a significant part of some people s diets. However, the variety of available beverages and the many options of container sizes can make choosing a healthy beverage seem complicated. Here is important information about some of the most common beverages. Water Why is it important to drink adequate amounts of water? About 60% of the body is water. All parts of the body depend on water. Water carries nutrients to cells. Water flushes out toxins from the body. Water keeps body tissue moist. Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration. Why is water the best beverage to drink? It s calorie-free. It s inexpensive. It s readily available. How much water should people drink? Daily recommendation: Men: 8 13 cups of water Women: 8 9 cups of water Children: 6 8 cups of water Drink enough water so that you rarely feel thirsty. If you re drinking enough water, your urine should be colorless to slightly yellow. What can increase your water needs? Exercise Hot or humid weather Certain health problems Teacher 411: Beverages Milk The amount of milk that children and adults drink has decreased. This is alarming since milk is one of the primary sources of some essential nutrients. Why is it important to drink milk? Milk supplies protein, calcium, and vitamin D, all of which are needed for the growth of strong bones and teeth. How much milk should people drink? Young children 8 years old and younger should drink 2 cups per day. Older children and adults should drink 3 cups per day. 41

Favorite Drinks? - Teacher 411 How can people who can t drink milk get enough calcium? Soy milk or rice milk with added calcium are good choices. Yogurt and cheese also supply calcium. What about other milk-based drinks? Flavored milks, milkshakes, floats, coffee with whole milk, and ice cream drinks should be limited. These drinks are usually high in calories and contain added fats and/or sugars. 100% Fruit Juice How much 100% fruit juice should people drink? Because of the high natural sugar content, 100% fruit juice should be limited to 4 to 6 ounces per day for children between 1 and 6 years old. For children between 7 and 18 years old, 100% fruit juice should be limited to 8 to 12 ounces per day. For adults, 100% fruit juice should be limited to less than half of the daily recommended amount of fruit. Soft Drinks and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages There has been an increase in the number of sugar-sweetened beverages that children and adults drink. Sugar-sweetened beverages include soft drinks (sodas), sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, juice drinks, and sweetened tea drinks. Most of these beverages contain a large amount of sugar and provide few or no beneficial nutrients. Why should you limit the number of sugar-sweetened beverages? Beverages that contain a lot of sugar can lead to excess calorie consumption and weight gain. These beverages are not necessary components of a diet and should be considered as part of a discretionary calorie allowance. Discretionary calories are the balance of calories remaining in a person s energy allowance after meeting nutrient needs for a day. Most people have an allowance of only 100 300 extra calories each day. (For more information, visit www.mypyramid.gov.) When is it appropriate to drink a sports drink? Sports drinks are appropriate to drink after you ve done exercise for more than an hour, especially when you ve sweated a lot. Should children drink diet soft drinks? Diet soft drinks don t contain fat or sugar. However, they provide no beneficial nutrients. They also contain artificial sweeteners, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends limiting in a child s diet. For these reasons, diet soft drinks are not recommended for children. Adults can include them in their daily consumption as long as these drinks do not displace their water needs. Caffeinated Beverages Beverages that contain caffeine are not recommended for children. Coffee and tea, as well as soft drinks and energy drinks (some of which contain caffeine), should be limited in children s diets. Adults can enjoy low-calorie coffee and tea, made with moderate amounts of low-fat milk and/or a sweetener. The addition of sugar and high-fat milk products can increase the caloric content of these beverages. 42

Favorite Drinks? - Worksheet 1 Name: Date: Pd: Hypothesis: Sugar Content 1. On your Beverages Chart worksheet, rank the 10 beverages according to the amount of sugar you think is in each one, from most sugar to least sugar. 2. Record your hypothesis for the number of teaspoons of sugar in the beverages you think have the most sugar and the least sugar. I hypothesize that contains the most sugar ( teaspoons of sugar). I hypothesize that contains the least sugar ( teaspoons of sugar). 3. Test your hypothesis by observing the information from the Nutrition Facts labels on the beverage containers. On your Beverages Chart, record the number of servings per container and the grams of sugar per serving. 4. Using the example in the Nutrition Facts Label handout as a guide, calculate the grams of sugar and teaspoons of sugar per beverage container. Record your results on your Beverages Chart. 5. Interpret and report your results. Was your hypothesis correct? My hypothesis was correct / incorrect (circle one). Using my observations and calculations, I can conclude that. 6. Based on your calculations, which beverage(s) is/are the better choice(s) for a healthy diet when it comes to sugar content? 43

Favorite Drinks? - Worksheet 2 Name: Date: Pd: Beverages Chart Servings Grams of Grams of Tsp. of Name of per sugar per sugar per sugar per Correct beverage container serving container container ranking Most Sugar 1. 2. 1. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. Least Sugar 9. 10. 9. 10. 44

Favorite Drinks? - Handout Name: Date: Pd: Nutrition Facts Label Orange-Flavored Fruit Drink (20 oz.) CALCULATE TEASPOONS OF SUGAR PER CONTAINER 1. Locate the number of servings per container. (Ex: 2.5) 2. Locate the number of grams of sugar per serving. (Ex: 27g) 3. Calculate the number of grams of sugar in the container by multiplying servings by grams. (Ex: 2.5 x 27 = 67.5g) 4. Calculate the number of teaspoons of sugar in the container by dividing the number of grams by 4. (There are 4 grams per teaspoon.) (Ex: 67.5 4 = 16.875) 5. There are approximately 17 teaspoons of sugar in this beverage container! 45

Favorite Drinks? - Answer Sheet Sample Beverages: Answer Sheet grams of sugar tsp of sugar grams of number of per container per container sugar per servings per column 1 column 3 Beverage serving container X column 2 by 4 20-oz. purified water 0 2.5 0.00 0.00 20-oz. diet cherry-vanilla-flavored soft drink 0 2.5 0.00 0.00 20-oz. diet cola soft drink 0 2.5 0.00 0.00 20-oz. caramel-flavored slushy coffee drink 23.2 2.5 58.00 14.5 20-oz. sports drink 14 2.5 35.00 8.75 20-oz. lemon ice tea drink 22 2.5 55.00 13.75 20-oz. lemonade drink 24 2.5 60.00 15.00 19.2-oz. energy drink 29 2.4 69.60 17.4 20-oz. mixed fruit-flavored drink 29 2.5 72.50 18.13 20-oz. lemon-lime-flavared soft drink 31 2.5 77.50 19.38 20-oz. root beer 31 2.5 77.50 19.38 20-oz. grape-flavored soft drink 33 2.5 82.50 20.63 20-oz. cola soft drink 39 2.5 97.50 24.38 20-oz. orange-flavored soft drink 52 2.5 130.0 32.50 46