RANGELEY — On May 26th, Rangeley Family Medicine participated in Health Awareness Day at Rangeley Lakes Regional School with a station on sugary beverages.

AmeriCorps VISTA member Eva Greenthal was joined by Molly Clark, Let’s Go! Franklin Program Coordinator, to deliver the 5-2-1-0 message: 5 fruits and vegetables a day, 2 hours of screen time or less, at least 1 hour of physical activity, and 0 sugary drinks each day. Focusing on the “0,” Greenthal and Clark talked to students in Kindergarten through 7th grade about the need to limit sugar intake, as well as the negative effects of consuming too much sugar.

Using a display demonstrating the amount of sugar in popular drinks such as soda, juice, iced tea, and Vitamin Water, Greenthal and Clark conveyed to students that one bottle of Mountain Dew contains 77 grams of sugar, and other sugar-sweetened beverages are not much better. The American Heart Association recommends that children ages 4 to 8 consume no more than 13 grams of sugar per day, and children 8 to 17 consume no more than 20 to 30 grams per day. Students were encouraged to think before they drink and to consider healthier alternatives such as water, seltzer, and unflavored milk. Students then tested their knowledge of healthy drink options by playing a fun bowling game.

This educational program was made possible through the HealthReach Youth Initiative, a program that promotes nutrition and physical activity to children and families in HealthReach communities. The Youth Initiative offers other programs for schools, including classroom lessons on healthy snacks, a StoryWalk, and more.

About Let’s Go!

Let’s Go! is a nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program implemented throughout Maine and in a few communities in neighboring states. Let’s Go! partners with schools, childcare and out of school programs, healthcare practices and community organizations to change environments where children and families live, learn, work and play.

About Rangeley Family Medicine

Rangeley Family Medicine is part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a group of eleven Federally Qualified Health Centers in Central and Western Maine. Dedicated providers deliver high quality medical and behavioral health care to citizens in over 80 rural communities. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare and major insurances.

In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to uninsured and underinsured residents as well as assistance with applications for programs that help with the cost of health care and medications including the Health Insurance Marketplace. A private, non-profit celebrating a 40-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants and individual donations.