Will County Residents Encouraged to “Rethink Your Drink”

Campaign designed to reduce sugar-sweetened drinks consumption

     The Will County Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) Collaborative is proud to announce the launch of “Rethink Your Drink”, an educational campaign to encourage residents to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks. The campaign is sponsored by the MAPP Chronic Care Action team and the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity. Sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugar in the American diet. One can of soda contains more than the recommended daily sugar intake for an adult.

     “By eliminating sugary drinks from our diets, we can easily lose weight as well as lessen our risk for other chronic illness,” said Patsy Harris, Diabetic Education Coordinator at Silver Cross Hospital and co-chair of the MAPP Chronic Care Action team. “It is something so simple that everyone can do to improve their health starting today.”

     According to the Center for Disease Control, one-third of children and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. Sugar-sweetened beverages aid in increasing the obesity rates which are linked to many life-threatening diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. 

     The campaign encourages residents to take a 30-day challenge and reduce or eliminate sugary drinks from their diets. Through local media messages and a comprehensive website, the campaign will also encourage local Will County organizations to host Rethink Your Drink events at their sites and remind their clients, students, or workforce to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake.  Organizations can visit the website: www.willrethinkyourdrink.org to obtain a free toolkit and free printed materials.

     “We want to promote healthy living in Will County,” Harris said. “By reminding our residents to “Rethink Your Drink”, we think this is a good start to adopting new behaviors.”