Trend of Americans giving up sugary drinks seems to have gone flat

The promising trend of Americans giving up sugary drinks seems to have stalled, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of calories per day that children and adults have been getting from soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages has been dropping for steadily for nearly 20 years, but new data show that since 2009 that number has plateaued.

In 2003, children used to drink about 220 calories per day of these kinds of drinks. By 2009, that number had decreased to 155; it is now only slightly below that — 143 calories per day — for 2011-2014. Same goes for adults: After a sharp decline between 2003 and 2009 — from 188 to 151 calories per day — the amount of calories coming from sugary drinks has since only declined to 145.

And based on the USDA’s latest dietary guidelines, that’s likely still too high. Guidelines recommend that no more than 10 percent of a person’s daily calories should come from added sugars. But US adults are getting about 6.5 percent of their total daily calories just from sugar-sweetened beverages (including sodas, fruit juices with added sugars, sports drinks, and energy drinks) — not leaving much room for any other sweet foods.

READ the entire article here.