Concerns over ‘energy in a bottle’

Digby emergency room physician Ron Matsusaki and nutritionist Leanne Boudreau-Maltais will be providing a slide show and answering questions during the presentation in Digby Regional High School.

Since 2005, schools throughout Nova Scotia have had a nutrition program in place that has resulted in the phasing out of ‘junk food’ and its replacement with more nutritious foods, but kids still bring food and drinks from home. “And the understanding of good nutrition is often complicated by the marketing of food and drinks,” says advisory council member Maxine Connell.

She points to beverages that are labeled ‘energy drinks.’

Health Canada says their excessive use, or mixing them with alcohol can have serious side effects. The drink ‘Red Bull’ actually carries a warning on its label that an individual should not consume more than two cans per day.

Caffeine is a principal ingredient in these beverages, and Connell says it is alarming, to see them consumed by young people. The amount of caffeine in such energy drinks actually exceeds the recommended daily maximum for children 12 and under.

Dietician Boudreau-Maltais says these drinks should not be used in place of more nutritious drinks. They should not even be used as a source of fluid—since they’re not formulated to ‘re-hydrate’

Boudreau-Maltais and Matsusaki will also be providing parent with information about the relationship between energy and a balanced diet.