Make healthy choices easier for New Orleans kids

In the City of New Orleans and throughout the nation, sugary drinks, like soft drinks, are no longer an occasional treat — children on average consume more than 30 gallons every year. Higher consumption of sugary drinks is associated with increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

We can still enjoy a treat from time to time, but healthy choices should be the first choice.

We need to set nutritional standards for beverages offered in restaurant kids’ meals, making the default beverage water, nonfat or one percent milk, 100 percent fruit juice or 100 percent fruit juice with water.

– Tony King, American Heart Association advocate