RANGELEY — Rangeley Family Medicine participated in Health Awareness Day at Rangeley Lakes Regional School on May 26, 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 grade 7 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 energy drinks, 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 bowling game.

The 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.