Give your kids healthy drinks

Most parents worry about the nutritional value of what their children eat, but equally important is the content of the drinks with the little accompany their food.

The experts recommend avoiding sugary drinks serve as soft drinks or sports drinks, with food or water rather than natural. Instead, serve juices, milk or water.

Did you know, for example, that vitamin C from fruit juices to their children helps to absorb iron from the cereal, oatmeal or toast to eat for breakfast? Or that a child may become obese from drinking sugary drinks?

Molly Klumb, Best Nutrition Program of the Cooperative Extension office at the University of California, says that serve milk to children during meals instills a healthy habit alone can continue later.

"Drinking milk with meals is an easy way that your child gets enough calcium," said Klumb.

Milk, suggests the expert, it better be free or low-fat and 100% fruit juice. Milk consumption should be limited to two cups (16 ounces) per day for preschoolers and juice ¾ cup (6 ounces).

"More than three cups of milk a day is too much," maintains Klumb. "If your child is taking 24 ounces of milk or more per day, could be filling her little tummy with milk and not be hungry to eat fruits, vegetables, protein foods and whole grains."

Equally important is to create in children the habit of drinking water between meals and snacks when you feel thirsty. To do this, you can keep a jug of cold water in the refrigerator, and if you can give a touch of flavor by adding fresh lemon juice.

"Some children drink sugary drinks all day. This can add many extra calories and tooth decay, "said Klumb.

A 12-ounce sweetened soft drink contains at least 150 calories. If your child drinks a can a day, a week will have consumed 1,050 calories. Similarly, a preschooler to eat normally and drink a 12 ounce can of sweetened drinks a day, but it is not physically active, go up an extra pound of weight per month or 12 a year, Klumb accurate.

Here are several recipes for healthy snacks and drinks for their children with milk and fruit.

Frozen Fruit

1. Choose berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) that are ripe and firm. Rinse and trim the stem.
2. Spread a layer of berries on a tray
3. Put the pan in the freezer.
4. When the berries are frozen put them in bags and put them in the freezer. Use them in the quantities you want.
Frozen bananas

If your house is more bananas than your family can eat, freeze them before they spoil.

1. Take off the skins and cut into large pieces.
2. Place bananas in bags and place in freezer.

Frozen bananas improve the texture of making smoothies thicker.

The shakes are a good way to use berries and bananas. Keep bags of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and bananas in your freezer ready to prepare smoothies.
Drink watermelon and raspberries

Blend one cup of fresh raspberries frozen and two cups of watermelon (without seeds). Serve immediately. Makes three cups.

Drink watermelon and strawberries

Blend one cup of frozen fresh strawberries and two cups of watermelon (without seeds). Serve immediately. Makes three cups.
Banana and berry smoothie

• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 cup fresh or frozen berries
• 1 cup skim milk
• Place the fruit and milk in blender. Blend until smooth.

Makes three servings (6 ounces). Contains 82 calories, 0.3 grams fat, 7% of calories from fat and 2 grams of fiber per serving.
Pineapple and banana smoothie

• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup plain yogurt, low-fat
• Place the fruit and yogurt in blender. Blend until smooth.

Makes three servings (6 ounces). It contains 130 calories, 1 gram fat, 7% of calories from fat and 1.6 grams of fiber per serving.

To add variety to your shakes, replace the fruit that we suggest for mangoes, papayas, kiwis, peaches and other fruits in season during the summer.