Given the importance of beverage consumption throughout the lifespan and the need for comprehensive and consistent evidence-based recommendations, Healthy Eating Research (HER) convened an expert panel representing four key national health and nutrition organizations to develop recommendations for beverage consumption consistent with a healthy diet for children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 years. The four organizations represented on the expert panel are the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Heart Association (AHA). The resulting recommendations are presented in three categories: beverages to drink, beverages to limit, and beverages to avoid. These recommendations provide a “gold standard” based on the latest research and can be a goal that families work toward together.

Press Release

Consensus Statement  [(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Tagalog)]

The consensus statement presents the recommendations for beverages to drink, limit, and avoid along with a brief rationale for each recommendation and an overview of the methodology used to develop the recommendations.

Technical Report

This report presents evidence-based recommendations for what children and adolescents ages 5-18 should drink for optimum health. The technical report contains the full review of evidence and methodology used to develop the recommendations.

Summary

This 2-page summary presents a brief overview of the expert panel purpose and a summary of the beverages recommended to drink, limit, and avoid.

Tips for Families

Check out our suite of materials for parents and caregivers including fact sheets, graphics, and an interactive tool to visualize how kids can meet their daily hydration needs with different beverages.

Provider Toolkit

Healthcare providers are trusted, go-to sources of information for parents and caregivers. This toolkit includes resources to help providers support families, including fact sheets about different beverage types, messages to share with families, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Translated Materials

The Consensus Statement and several of our parent fact sheets are also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Find them here:

Consensus Statement  [(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Tagalog)]

Recommendations Graphic  [(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Tagalog)]

Added Sugars  [(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Tagalog)]

Caffeine Facts  [(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Tagalog)]