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sugar sweetened drinks FAQ’s

You may have heard that the hospital no longer sells or distributes sugar-sweetened drinks. What does this mean for your visit? Please read the frequently asked questions below to find out!

Q. when/where did the hospital stop selling sugared drinks?

A. As of May 1, 2014, we stopped selling sugar-sweetened drinks in the cafeteria and vending machines found on the main campus and in other Dayton Children’s locations..

Q. who was affected by this policy?

A. The healthy drink changes affect all patients, families, visitors and staff.

Q. why did the hospital make these changes?

A. As the only hospital in our area dedicated to the health of children, it is our job to lead by example and to promote the health and well-being of our patients, families and staff. To stay true our mission, we do not sell or offer sugar-sweetened drinks that have no nutritional value and are clearly linked to childhood overweight and obesity.

It’s easy to get too much sugar. For instance, a 20 ounce sports drink gives almost 9 teaspoons of sugar, a 12 ounce can of soda gives 10 teaspoons and a juice drink gives 8!

Q: what drinks does Dayton Children’s Hospital offer?

A: Dayton Children’s still sells these:

  • Water
  • Unflavored milk (whole, 2%, 1% and skim and soy milk)
  • Flavored fat-free and 1% milk
  • Zero or low-calorie drinks (less than 10 calories per 8 ounce serving)
  • 100% fruit juice with no added sweeteners
  • Unsweetened tea and coffee (sugar packets will still be on hand)
  • Sugar-free lemonade

Q. was Dayton Children’s the first hospital to make these changes?

A. We were the first hospital in the area to remove sugar-sweetened soda. Other children’s hospitals including Riley Children’s in Indiana, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in California and Nationwide Children’s in Columbus removed sugar-sweetened drinks as early as 2011.

Q. can we bring soda or other sugar-sweetened drinks from home?

A. While striving to have healthier staff, patients, families, volunteers, visitors and staff, any person is welcome to bring in their own drinks. However, we hope you will join with us to model healthy eating!

Q. what about the gourmet coffee and the sugary offerings there?

A. At this time we focused on sugary soda and other drinks marketed to kids. However, we did add more no-sugar/low-sugar syrup choices.

Q. why are we selling “diet” drinks? Aren’t artificial sweeteners bad for you?

A. The U.S. FDA has tracked the safety of artificial sweeteners for decades. They have not found proof that low-calorie sweeteners have harmful health effects in humans.

Q. what if a patient needs sugar-sweetened drinks for health reasons?

A. We will have some flavors of sugar-sweetened drinks for patients when medically necessary. Dayton Children’s nurses and doctors will be able to help with getting these items.

contact us

Have a question about Dayton Children’s? Call our main line at 937-641-3000 or visit our contact us page for more information.