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Summer is Still Sweet, Just Less Sugary

 

Already more than 5,100 PreventObesity.net Supporters from across the country have pledged to make a change in their community that decreases children’s intake of sugary drinks. This week, we started highlighting some of the outstanding work of Leaders across the country on the PreventObesity.net blog.

In Ohio, PreventObesity.net Leader Bruce Barcelo is spreading the message of 5-2-1-Almost None to encourage schools and community centers to serve “Almost None” of sugary beverages. Bruce blogs about how he helped Dayton Children’s Hospital reduce their sugar consumption from sugary drinks from 100 pounds of sugar per day (the same weight as three elephants annually) to zero.

In New Jersey, PreventObesity.net Leader Bill Lovett has been working hard to reduce children’s consumption of sugary drinks for more than a decade.  In this blog post, Bill shares how his innovative policy in 2012 to eliminate sugary drinks at a YMCA in New Jersey was initially criticized as “cheap.” Today Bill is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Alliance of YMCA’s and he’s gratified to see a sea change in parental attitudes, but acknowledges we still have a long road ahead.

And in Maryland, PreventObesity.net Leader Lindsey Parsons is an advocate for access to water in schools. She blogs about how 98 percent of members of the organization she co-directs, Real Food for Kids - Montgomery, have asked her to tackle water availability issues in cafeterias as the leading challenge to getting kids to reduce their consumption of sugary drinks.

Do you have a great story to share about your work helping kids reduce their intake of sugary beverages? Let us know! We will be featuring PreventObesity.net Leaders online through the end of the campaign.