What your child drinks during school really matters

September 1st is the day when schoolchildren and high school students return to their classrooms, backpacks fill up with notebooks, schedules with new responsibilities, and water bottles with drinks to get them through a long school day.

Juice, iced tea, fizzy drinks… children often drink them without giving it much thought, but along with them can come a considerable amount of sugar. Why add sugar to their drinks when you can offer them something tasty without it?

Frutilu sugar-free instant drink is a great alternative to traditional sugary drinks.

Sweet taste doesn’t need sugar

Kids love tasty drinks. Pretty much every parent knows that. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that both children and adults limit their intake of simple sugars to less than 10% of their total daily energy intake, while reducing it below 5% may provide additional benefits. Frequent consumption of simple sugars is associated, among other things, with an increased risk of tooth decay and excessive energy intake.

With Frutilu sugar-free instant drinks, it’s simple: just mix them with water and you have a tasty drink without sugar. Your child gets the flavour they enjoy, while their water bottle doesn’t become yet another daily source of simple sugars.

What about sugar and concentration at school?

Research in school-age children suggests that a more stable glycaemic response throughout the morning may be associated with better maintenance of attention and memory. In one study involving children aged 6 to 11, those who ate a lower-glycaemic-index meal maintained certain aspects of attention and secondary memory better throughout the morning than after a higher-glycaemic-index meal.

So it is worth asking one simple question: does a child really need extra sugar from their drink during lessons? If they can enjoy a refreshing, sweet taste without it, the choice becomes much easier.

Frutilu: tasty hydration without sugar

Water remains the most important foundation. With a Frutilu sugar-free instant drink, you can add fruity flavour to plain water without adding sugar. This gives children a tastier alternative to traditional sugary drinks while keeping preparation incredibly simple – just mix Frutilu with water.

Children can take Frutilu with them to school, training, sports days, school trips or afternoon activities. And with so many flavours to choose from, every school day can taste a little different!

Why choose stevia instead of sugar?

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established an acceptable daily intake of 4 mg per kilogram of body weight for steviol glycosides (stevia). Their advantage is simple: they provide a sweet taste without the need to add sugar to the drink.

Children can still enjoy a tasty drink, while parents can reduce the amount of sugar they would otherwise consume through traditional sugary beverages.

Make the school water bottle more exciting

Good hydration is important throughout the school day. Research in children suggests that drinking enough water may support certain aspects of attention, memory and cognitive performance.

And tasty hydration doesn’t need sugar. All you need is water and your favourite Frutilu flavour! 🍹