Rethink your drink

By Emer Delaney, British Dietetic Association spokesperson 

We all know that giving children fizzy drinks is never a great idea because they are high in sugar and have very little nutrients. Some contain the equivalent of eight heaped teaspoons of sugar, which can not only contribute to weight gain as they don't make your child feel full, but can also damage their teeth. And now health experts have calculated there's even more sugar in some smoothies and health drinks. While there are no recommendations on the number of sugary drinks that are allowed, parents should limit them as best they can.

Research has shown that children aged four to ten years get 16% of their sugar intake from soft and fizzy drinks and soft drinks were the largest contributor to sugar intake for children aged four to eighteen years.  These are frightening figures because when kids drink too much juice, juice or sport drinks their intake of milk declines and they get too little calcium for their growing teeth and bones.

Whether its fruit juice or fizzy drinks, the source of the sugar doesn't matter as any sugar the body doesn't need will be converted to fat. Also, when children have these drinks on an empty stomach, the body takes in sugar so quickly, insulin spikes and then drops suddenly, leaving them feeling hungry.   50% of UK children are now overweight so limiting these drinks is more important than ever.

So what can parents do? Limit the drinks for special occasions only like parties or holidays; dilute fruit juices with water; try flavoured water or de-caffeinated tea for a change. But the easiest and clearest message for all - milk or water should be a child's only choice.

We need to empower our children to make their own decisions and to teach them that too many fizzy drinks, fruit juice or sweet drinks are bad for their bodies. Change doesn't happen overnight, but we can start making small steps today and make it happen today.

Confessions of a gadget queen

By Liz Atkins

I'm sure I could squeeze another machine in there...

‘Ha! We were just debating what new gadget Liz would be showing off,’ smirked my teenage niece the minute she set foot in my kitchen. She was eyeing the Virgin Pure T7 WaterBar with slight disapproval. OK, I am partial to a shiny innovation and I do like to browse those you-need-one-of-these! brochures that come free with the Radio Times.

But I have a feeling my worktop water dispenser, with its rather pleasing retro design, is more than a passing whim. It’s the kind of non-essential acquisition that soon becomes hard to imagine doing without. Basically, it dispenses perfectly chilled purified water at the touch of a button. But also – novelty! – it dispenses hot purified water at the touch of a second button. Sticklers for tea made with boiling water will want to press button number three. It’s connected to the mains, so no need to refill – ever. My poor exhausted kettle (itself a shiny new gadget not so long ago) is now in the back of a cupboard.

So why pay for something you get for free from the tap (or kettle)? For one thing, the water tastes lovely, and it’s hard to go back to eau de tap afterwards. For another, if you don’t have one of those fancy fridges with a water dispenser, it’s just divine on a warm day to sip chilled water without grappling with the ice-cube tray. And it does nudge you towards your recommended 1.2 litres a day. Inexplicably, everyone loves using it – while we chatted, my niece kept offering to replenish people’s glasses, I noticed. And I don’t think we can discount the benefits of not having to boil a kettle from scratch every time you fancy a hot drink.

Not everyone will want to shell out for their water, however pure. But if you often buy yours bottled, or share a house where the kettle is permanently on, you might just find it a cost-effective option. Gadget lovers, be warned – try it and it may become a permanent fixture in your kitchen.

The Virgin Pure T7 WaterBar comes in five colours, and costs £19.96 a month (including installation and service charges), or less if you make a one-off payment for the WaterBar. Find out more at www.virgin-pure.com