Healthy Alternatives To Both Sweetened Drinks

"These drinks contribute high amounts of energy to kids' diets', yet they don't make them feel full."

Dr Sanigorski said the study had also shown that children ate high amounts of snack food. "Although the study did not demonstrate any link to weight gain with these foods, these snacks often contain high amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and their consumption may displace other more nutritious food in the diet," she said.

"These snacks are conveniently designed to fit into lunch boxes and easily carried to school and consumed by children.

Healthier alternative
"Parents need to consider more healthy alternatives to both sweetened drinks and snack foods, and children's environments, such as preschools and schools, need to be supportive also.

"One such alternative could be as simple as a piece of fruit. Not only is it nutrient rich, but it provides fibre and can keep children fuller for longer."

Dr Sanigorski said the study had underlined the importance of the evening meal in relation to children's intake of vegetables.

"One in five children ate no vegetables at all on the day in question. Previous studies have shown that vegetable consumption occurs outside of school, mainly at home. "We need to try to get vegetables into children's diets throughout the day. Current recommendations for changes to school canteens are great because they try to increase vegetables eaten at school through wraps and the like. Otherwise there is a heavy reliance on the evening meal to provide the recommended number of vegetables in the children's diet.