Remember when the standard beverage at mealtime was milk? That Father Knows Best image is as dated as black-and-white TV, according to a study of changing beverage consumption. Using data from four national surveys, the study found a steady decline in milk drinking, with only a partial shift towards reducedfat milk. Children ages 2 to 18 are averaging 91 fewer calories daily from milk than in 1977- 78. What are Ameri cans drinking instead? Sugarsweetened beverages, going from 87 to 154 calories a day for kids and more than doubling for adults, from 64 to 142 daily calories. Juice consumption is also up for children, adding 21 calories a day. And adults are downing more alcohol, going from 45 to 155 boozy calories daily. Also of potential concern is an overall decrease in beverage intake after age 60, when the bodys natural ability to signal thirst and possible dehydration is weaker.TO LEARN MORE: Physiology and Behavior, online ahead of print; abstract at dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh. 2009.
