Good News: No More Coke
In School. The Bad News?
Snapple Is Replacing It

Some schools are finally making moves to get soft drinks out of schools -- but often the replacement drinks they choose are just as bad or worse.

Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called on its members to push schools to remove soft drinks from school vending machines as a big step toward improving childhood nutrition and curbing the obesity epidemic.

And many schools have begun cutting back on soft-drink sales, while countless others are now debating the move. But one troubling trend has emerged as schools struggle with the soft-drink issue.

Fearful of losing millions in annual revenue from vending contracts with soft-drink companies, schools aren't just eliminating soda from vending machines. They're replacing it with sports drinks and flavored beverages that may sound healthier, but often have at least as much sugar and calories as their fizzy counterparts.

Just last week, for instance, beverage companies in Canada announced plans to remove soft drinks from middle- and elementary-school vending machines, replacing them with sports drinks and juices. In New York, carbonated drinks have been replaced by 100% juice versions of Snapple, which actually have more calories and grams of sugar than regular soda.

Most experts agree that while sports and juice-flavored drinks may sound healthier, they are simply noncarbonated versions of sodas -- often with water and high-fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. Even 100% juice drinks often are made with concentrates of pear, apple and grape and in the end are really just water and sugar.

"Consuming all these calorically sweetened drinks -- soft drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks -- they all contribute to weight and obesity in the U.S.," says Barry Popkin, nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It's all just sugar water."

Much of the problem stems from the idea -- instilled months after birth -- that the liquid we consume should be flavored and sweet.

SWEET AND SWEETER How some alternative drinks sold in school vending machines compare with regular soft drinks, for a 12-ounce serving Beverage Calories/sugar (grams) Pepsi 150/40.5 Minute Maid 100% Apple Juice 165/39 Swerve chocolate milk drink* 164/29 Snapple Raspberry 150/37.5 Snapple 100% Juice drinks* 167/42 Gatorade 75/21 V-8 vegetable juice 70/11 Non-fat milk 150/18 Dasani water 0/0 * Available only in school vending

"One of the first questions a new parent will ask a pediatrician is 'when can I start juice?'" says Robert Murray, professor of pediatrics at the Columbus Children's Hospital and principal author of the American Academy of Pediatrics statement. "We've really created the habit of dealing with thirst with sweetened drinks."

And calories from sweetened beverages are more insidious than other calories -- numerous studies show that most beverage calories simply don't make you feel full so you end up consuming far more calories than you would otherwise.

According to the CDC, vending machines and snack bars are in 98% of high schools, 74% of junior and middle schools and even 43% of elementary schools. And the average teen drinks about two sodas a day -- that's 300 extra calories. At that rate, a child could gain as much as 2.5 pounds a month.

To be sure, many of the colas and sugared drinks consumed by teens are purchased by parents who allow kids to drink them at home. But that's why a school ban on soft drinks and sugared beverages is so important. Educators have a powerful influence over kids, and kids are exposed to the school environment 180 days a year. "We've got to recognize that two-thirds of the American public is overweight at this point" and many parents aren't setting the best example at home, says Dr. Murray.

Drink makers say criticism of soft drinks is unfair, because good nutrition is about balance and no food should be excluded entirely. A spokeswoman for New York City Department of Education says 100% juice Snapple, for instance, has natural sugars and more nutrients than regular soda. But health officials say schools play a crucial role in influencing a child's nutrition decisions. Instead of urging water and low-fat milk, schools are exposing kids to an unrelenting barrage of marketing from Pepsi, Coke and Snapple. Dr. Murray notes that one Ohio school has so many soft-drink machines that the school band director conducts in front of a Pepsi machine.

But schools can stock vending machines with healthier fare without losing income. When Iowa City schools added milk to vending machines, overall sales increased 42%, while soda sales dropped 58%. Vista Unified School District in San Diego limited sodas to 20% of vending slots instead of the previous 66%. The machines now offer bagels, yogurt, nuts, cheese and crackers and fresh fruit as well as water, milk and 100% juice. During the first year, Vista High School generated $200,000 more in sales than the previous year.

What can parents do? Parents should visit schools and survey vending machines themselves. Find out what schools are selling and what rules govern vending-machine purchases. The nonprofit group Action for Healthy Kids (www.actionforhealthykids.org) has launched teams for each state to work with parents, educators and health groups to improve nutrition in schools.

Parents whose children are active in student government should urge their kids to become involved in the issue. When the Sequoia Middle School in Fresno, Calif., eliminated junk food and sodas, students helped select the replacement foods, and drinks and sales increased.

Most important, talk to your kids about making healthy choices. Set the example at home and don't buy sugared soft drinks or sugar-sweetened beverages. While nutrition lessons taught at school are important, the health messages sent by parents matter most.

© 2003 Wayne Hollopeter, M.D. All Rights Reserved
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