JACINTA Lenehan has spent the past month swapping sugary drinks for water as part of a statewide 30-day health kick.
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Mrs Lenehan joined the H3O Challenge, a VicHealth initiative aimed at encouraging people to reduce their sugar intake and drink more water.
“I did it mainly because I’m the health promotions officer at South West Healthcare and one of the major things we do is educate children to be aware of how much they consume sugary drinks,” she said.
“I thought if I was talking the talk I should be walking the walk.”
While not a huge soft drink fan, Mrs Lenehan said the challenge made her more aware of what she was drinking and encouraged her to cut down her coffee intake.
“It’s made me really mindful of what I’m drinking and encouraged me to drink more water,” she said.
“I’m now drinking about two litres of water a day.”
She finished the challenge on Tuesday and said she was surprised at the difference 30 days could make.
“I’m feeling really good.”
VicHealth chief executive officer Jerril Rechter said sugary drinks were the biggest source of sugar in the adult Australian diet and one of the major contributors to the nation’s expanding waistlines.
“Being overweight and obese can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers,” she said.
“What’s great about the challenge is it gives people the chance to take a step back and look at their consumption of sugary drinks.
“It’s only for 30 days so it’s achievable, but hopefully it can lead to people making lifestyle changes as well.”
Ms Rechter said the response to the challenge had been “incredible”.
“It just seems like people are ready to look at their consumption of sugary drinks and make changes,” she said.
Sugar-filled drinks are a guilty pleasure for many but a 600ml bottle of soft drink can contain about 16 teaspoons of sugar. Energy drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, iced teas, flavoured water and cordial are also high on the list of sugary offenders.
“The H3O Challenge is about making sure that people understand that sugary drinks are not good for you and shouldn’t be part of your daily diet, they can be a treat but you shouldn’t be drinking them mindlessly,” Ms Rechter said.
