Sugary drinks fizzled out during school time
In an effort to combat childhood obesity and teach children about healthy diets, a primary school has gone fizzy-free.
Water and milk are now the only drinking options allowed at Palmerston North’s Terrace End School, as children are told to leave sugary drinks at home.
‘‘There was a time where we would have kids coming to school with a big 1.5-litre bottle of Coke and a bag of chips for lunch,’’ principal Sue Allomes said.
The school sent out a survey to parents last year to ask if they were OK with going water-only.
Allomes said parents were supportive, as were the children.
‘‘We had to get our tamariki on board. They had to understand it was not good for them,’’ she said of their old habits.
Pupils went to supermarkets and read drink labels, and worked with the Midcentral District Health Board to introduce the innovative idea.
If children brought juice or a fizzy drink, they were asked to save it until after school.
The children enforced the rules themselves, too, Allomes said.
‘‘They remind kids. They don’t say ‘you’re not allowed it’, but they say ‘that is not a healthy choice’.’’
Casey Campbell, 7, said he used to like drinking Coke Zero, but was now fully converted to the noncarbonated way of hydration.
‘‘I just did not feel like fizzy drinks any more.
‘‘Without water, your body would not run, because most of your body is water,’’ he said.
The children said it had been hard to give up the sugar, but they were glad they had.
Aimee Frank, 9, said the changes at school had also changed her habits at home.
‘‘I used to drink Milo, but now I have changed to milk before bed and water at dinner.
‘‘The first time I drank it, it felt weird.’’
The children’s changes had even encouraged their parents to get on board.
Billy Mclaughlan, 10, said his family had also converted to new, sugar-free refreshments.
‘‘My dad has started drinking more milk.’’
The children all agreed the move away from fizzy drink had left them feeling better.
‘‘You get a sugar rush if you have too much and once the sugar rush is stopped, you feel tired,’’ Billy said.
They encouraged other schools to do the same.