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Local businesses can now show off commitment to healthy kid's drink options

Sugary drinks are a major contributor to chronic disease for children and adults alike
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NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
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Longmont families will soon have an easy way of knowing whether a restaurant offers healthy drinks with their kids’ meals. Boulder County Public Health is distributing “Super Kids – Healthy Kids’ Drinks Served Here” window clings to restaurants that offer children water, milk, or non-dairy milk alternative to advertise their commitment to the health.

“We want to recognize and support restaurants that are taking the lead on supporting families in prioritizing the health of their children,” said Lexi Nolen, Interim Executive Director of Boulder County Public Health. “Offering healthy beverages helps reduce the amount of sugary drinks children drink by providing parents with healthy options as the first choice. Those choices make us stronger as families and as a community.”  

Restaurants that serve healthy drinks for children are taking an important step in combatting children experiencing overweight and obesity, a growing problem in Boulder County. Over a quarter (26.6%) of Boulder County children 5-14 years old are experiencing overweight or obesity. Latinx/Hispanic youth are disproportionately impacted as a result of targeted marketing by the beverage industry. 28% of Latinx/Hispanic high school students experiencing overweight or obesity compared with 9.7% of white high school students.

Sugary drinks are a major contributor to chronic disease for children and adults alike. They are the number one source of added sugars in the American diet. Children who drink at least one sugary beverage a day are a third more likely to die from a heart attack, 26% more are likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and 55% are more likely to experience overweight or obesity.  

Americans eat meals outside of their home more than ever and what restaurants offer children is increasingly important.; Half of food expenditures in an American household are now spent at restaurants, and the average family eats out four or more times per week. A child who eats out four times per week and has a sugary beverage each time can gain eight pounds per year.  

Sean Gafner, award-winning Longmont restauranteur, has received three window clings for each of his restaurants: The Roost, Smokin’ Bowls, and Jefe’s.

“We’ve been talking to our own kids about serving healthy drinks for kids,” said Gafner. “Sugary drinks aren’t big for our family, but when we saw the numbers linking soda to health problems, it was an easy step to take. We simply only list water and milk with our kid’s meals.”  

Restaurants that offer healthy drinks to kids are responding to a growing demand for healthier options for children. Even kids are on board. A recent national study found that over 80 percent of children surveyed would be happy to receive a restaurant meal served with milk, water, or flavored water instead of soda.

For Gafner, it is also about doing the right thing for the Longmont community.

“Our core values state that we want to be leaders in Longmont, we want to be a part of a city that thrives economically, emotionally and physically. I don’t want to push an agenda or to judge other businesses that are doing things differently, but I want other restaurants to see that we’re doing these good things for our community and we’re doing it while remaining a successful business.”

The window clings are available in Spanish and English. If you own a restaurant that offers healthy drinks with kids’ meals and have not received a window cling, please contact Christina Edstrom at [email protected].  

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