According to a report from the Nutrition Information Center at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, soft drink consumption for kids aged 6-11 has doubled since 1978, and it’s tripled for teenage boys. At the same time, the number of obese children and teens has also grown, according to Dr. Barbara Levine, R.D., Ph.D., the director of the Nutrition Information Center and the author of the report.

“We believe it is time to help children and adolescents break the high calorie fruit drink and soft drink habit,” Levine declared in her report. “Success in encouraging children and adolescents to drink more healthy beverages hinges on palatability, availability, and acceptability.”

Levine offers four tips for parents to help their children drink more healthy beverages:

1. Create tasty healthy alternatives. Diluting fruit juice with seltzer or plain water cuts calories and adds more water to the diet.

2. Make it easier to drink healthier. Stock the refrigerator with chilled water in a pitcher and keep watery fruits such as watermelon, grapes, and cantaloupe cut up and ready to eat.

3. Phase in healthier drinks. By introducing water and 100 percent fruit juice gradually, it’s easier for a child to cut back on the fruit drinks and sodas without a fuss, rather than going cold turkey.

4. Make healthy drinks appealing. If your child thinks it’s neat to have his own can of soda, buy single-serve bottles of bottled water instead of pouring it straight from a plastic jug.

In addition to gaining weight, kids who consume sugary fruit and soft drinks face other health problems. When colas are substituted for milk, children do not get enough bone-building calcium, and may be at risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis later in life. Tooth decay from sugar exposure and dehydration from a lack of regular water are other consequences.

Diabetes is an ailment that is rising in numbers at nearly epidemic levels in this nation. Almost all body organs are affected by this condition. To prevent the long list of problems connected to diabetes, it is necessary to maintain appropriate control of the blood sugars and also receive routine medical care and screening to decrease the chance of problems with diabetes. For good health, there are some tests and exams that a person with diabetes needs on a regular basis. There are five examinations necessary to take care of diabetes and these shouldn’t be disregarded.

Eye exam — Many people who are diabetic have some level of retinopathy when diabetes is first identified. Having routine eye exams are necessary to keep track for the development of this common version of eye disease which might cause someone to lose their sight eventually. Following the first eye examination, the eyes should be dilated and looked at by an ophthalmologist every year. This is one test you should not skip. Your vision might depend on that test.

Hemoglobin A1C Level — This test uses blood to see how the blood sugar levels have been managed during the past three or four months. When the levels of hemoglobin A1C are too much, the chance of having diabetes problems is higher also. Your blood should be tested every four months to be certain that you are keeping control of blood sugar levels properly.

Lipid assessment — It is vital for everybody to get their lipids taken, but it is more vital for diabetics to know what their lipids are because they have a greater risk for heart disease. Prevention is essential because more than 60% of diabetic deaths are connected to heart disease. Watching your cholesterol and triglyceride levels closely and maintaining them in the average range can tremendously decrease the chance of heart disease and having a heart attack. If there are abnormal results, the test should be administered more than once a year, otherwise it needs to be administered once a year.

Urinalysis — In order to see if the urine contains protein, twice a year, a urinalysis needs to be done. Diabetes typically hurts the kidneys with an ailment identified as diabetic nephropathy. This can be identified in the initial stages by protein or albumin discovered in urine. You might have diabetic nephropathy and don’t have any signs, and this is the reason a urinalysis is a very necessary screening test.

Exam of the Foot — Diabetic neuropathy is a condition where nerve damage in the feet can be experienced by diabetics. They have a greater chance of getting peripheral vascular disease, an ailment that results in less blood circulation to the legs and feet. There is a greater risk of infection and small scratches and cuts are slow to heal when the flow of blood is lowered. When there is an infection, it can be hard for it to get better because there isn’t enough blood flowing, making it gangrene, which can make it necessary to remove the foot. Diabetic neuropathy, which is defined as inflamed nerves, numbs the feelings in the feet, while foot infections might not be recognized until too much time has gone by. Diabetics usually have more foot fungus infections including a variety of foot troubles. That is why you should have a thorough foot exam every year.

There is a decrease in risk of serious complications if these exams are done on a regular basis. You need these crucial health checks, so do not neglect them.