Refreshing Summer Drinks

On average Americans swallow down over a 5-pound bag worth of sugar per month! That breaks down to about 23 teaspoons of sugar per day. A majority of sugar intake comes from what we drink. Here is a watch out: a 16-ounce sweetened iced tea has about 16 teaspoons of sugar!

Shake up what you're sipping on this summer with these refreshing options:

1. Unsweetened Tea: Sip on green tea, passion tea, or ginger peach tea instead of sugar heavy weights. When grocery shopping look for unsweetened bottled teas and for at home made a pitcher of your favorite type to keep on hand.


2. Mineral Water: A personal favorite type of mineral water is Gerolsteiner. Look for mineral water varieties that have fresh flavors added like lemon, lime, or other citrus fruits. Mineral water offers light carbonation without any added calories. Look for these on restaurant menus and in the grocery store too!

3. Add Fresh Flavor: What do cucumber, lemon, lime, raspberries, and strawberries have in common? They all can add refreshing fresh flavors to a glass of water without adding virtually any calories. Keep an assortment on hand and it is a perfect solution for effortless entertaining.

4. 120 or less: Help your waist line with light drink options like: red wine, white wine, champagne, light beer, or vodka & club soda... all weighing in at 120 calories or less.




Check out a segment that I did this week on the 10! Show in Philadelphia:

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/?__source=embedCode.

Simple Toddler Snacks

Planning balanced snacks is a key strategy to your toddlers taste development! After age one your toddler can eat most foods as long as they are not allergic to them and that their chewing and swallowing are well developed. Here are some toddler approved snack ideas that are a little out of the ordinary, which are toddler approved by our little guys.

• PB Sliders: 1/4 slice whole wheat bread with light spread of peanut butter, topped with slice of banana
  


• Mediterranean Platter: 3 - 4 cucumber slices with a tablespoon of hummus for dipping



• Toddler Trail Mix: 1/4 cup of whole grain cereal (like Cheerios), raisins, and craisins
  


• Fruit Slices: 1/2 of a pear sliced (or other fruit, the favorite in our house: mango)
  


• Yogurt Cup: 1/4 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup berries
  


• Nutty Snack: 1/4 cup pistachios (mom or dad remove the shells)

Reminder: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, portion sizes for toddlers should be 1/4 that of an adults so be careful not to over do it with portions at snack otherwise it could interfere with food intake at meals.