Photo: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

The latest health campaign in New York isn't aimed at stopping smoking or increasing HIV awareness, it's all about sugary drinks.

The signature images of the ads show an iced tea, soda or sports drink being poured into a glass from a bottle and by the time the drink hits the ice cubes, it's turned into lard. In subway cars across the five boroughs, New Yorkers will spend the next three months with these pictures in the hopes that at least some people will ditch sweetened drinks for healthier refreshment.

"Sugary drinks shouldn't be a part of our everyday diet," New York City Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley said in a press release. "Drinking beverages loaded with sugars increases the risk of obesity and associated problems, particularly diabetes but also heart disease, stroke, arthritis and cancer."

The scourge of soda is nothing new, but the public campaign to ditch other sweetened beverages is gaining traction. The American Heart Association recently called for Americans to cut back to no more than 100 calories of added sugar a day in our diet.

About a quarter of teens in New York City slurp down a soda every day according to health surveys -- that's equal to about 360 calories -- more than three times what the AHA recommends. The posters are meant to be shocking, but they also help put things in perspective. The campaign points out that sodas used to be in 12-ounce cans, but now 20-ounce bottles are often the standard. And soda isn't the only culprit. The posters point out that "sports" and "energy" drinks are often high-sugar, low-nutrient beverages that should be avoided most of the time as well.

The Gatorade monarchy is over, a plethora of sports drinks rule the aisles these days But with all those colorful labels, wild flavors and new brands seeking your attention, buying the right sports drink can be confusing.

Over at this Runners World video, sports dietician Leslie Bonci says proper hydration requires a beverage with the right balance of three important ingredients -- carbohydrates, sodium and potassium. Eight ounces of sports drink should contain:

• 14-15 grams of carbohydrates -- more is not better -- extra carbs won't transfer to your muscles, they'll slosh around in your stomach.
• At least 110 mg sodium
• 35-50 mg potassium
  
  

Don't let Crazy Wild Berry or Flashy Grape guide your sports drink purchase. Check the label instead.

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Last fall, my son played soccer. Week after week I was disappointed in the snacks that parents brought for the kids. Now it's baseball season and I'm seeing the same trend. My son has been given sugary juices, "sports" drinks that are loaded with sugar, cookies, chips, and snack cakes. I'm not completely opposed to kids having treats from time to time. But I think that, after being active, kids need some decent nutrition.

While adult and competitive athletes may need nutritional programs designed specifically to boost performance, kids don't need anything that rigid. All kids need is good nutrition to get the most out of their activities. Here are a few tips:

• Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beneficial fats, and lean protein will give your young athletes all the fuel they need. A daily multi-vitamin is also a good idea. Sports bars, protein gels, and other specialized foods aren't necessary.
• It's important to keep your young athlete hydrated. Young children, in particular, are prone to dehydration because their bodies produce more heat yet sweat less. But water is sufficient for youth sports. Unless the activity is constant and extends beyond one hour, drinks with added electrolytes just aren't necessary. Besides, many sports drinks offer nothing more than artificial coloring, artificial flavors, sodium, and high fructose corn syrup.
• While it's not an issue with boys my son's age, I know high-school and college-age athletes may be tempted by the powders and drinks guaranteed to pump them up. The problem is that dietary supplements (which is what those sports aids are considered) aren't screened by the FDA so their efficacy and safety aren't monitored. While many may be harmless and some might even be effective, there's risk involved.
  

Good nutrition and consistent exercise are all any young athlete needs to stay at the top of their game.

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So many of us are trying to lose pounds, whether it's a few or a few hundred. But no matter what your goal, it's important to know which items are healthiest and which will de-rail your diet intentions. Courtesy of AOL Body, here are some of the top diet busters that you might be consuming on a regular basis:

• Fancy coffees: Those lattes, frappuccinos and macchiatos can be deadly to a diet. Stick to black coffee, or if you can't handle it, coffee with light cream and sweetener.
  
• Bagels: Bagels are the equivalent of up to 5 pieces of bread -- yikes!
• Granola bars: They're basically candy bars with a healthy-sounding name
• Applesauce: Unsweetened is fine, but sweetened apple sauce is full of sugar.
• Baked chips: They might be healthier than regular chips, but only slightly. They're still chalk full of calories
• Sports drinks: There's no point in trading in soda for a sports drink -- the latter has just as much sugar!

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Probably not, but depending on what your goals are you might. And although they're intimidating for most people (no, taking them won't balloon you up like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of old) they really aren't that complicated. Buying muscle-building supplements is just like anything else health related: it's all about assessing your lifestyle and reading labels.

The most common supplements used for building muscle mass include creatinine, sports drinks, and whey protein. Creatinine is found in the body naturally and is used to fuel short bursts of intense activity, sports drinks provide a good balance of energy and protein, and whey protein is great for post-workout muscle repair. Read this article for more tips on how and where to start if you're considering supplements for your workout, and there's also a list of the best supplements to consider.

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Walk into the locker room of a professional sports team, and you may find the athletes acting like babies -- or drinking like babies anyway. Pedialyte -- a liquid often recommended for babies and children to replace fluid and electrolytes after a bout with the stomach flu -- has become popular with professional athletes for its ability to rehydrate quickly. With nearly twice the sodium of Gatorade and half the sugar, Pedialyte has apparently been popular with extreme athletes for some time and is now catching on with professional and amateur athletes alike.

Gatorade refuses to believe Pedialyte is a better product for sports enthusiasts and says it doesn't contain near enough of the right amount of sugars to fuel muscle. They have responded, however, by putting out Gatorade Endurance, which has more sodium and fewer calories. Health experts say that either drink should be safe for athletes to use, as long as they're healthy with good functioning kidneys, but if it were me, I'd check with my doctor first.

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A new research reports what should be common knowledge to the consuming public. Before you believe all the marketing claims and "wow" benefits for certain types of beverages, you may want to consider who paid for the research that allows hose claims to be made. For example, if a "dairy association" comes out to say that the calcium in milk is the best source -- would it make you more skeptical? I sure would be.

The influence big industries can have on the products they tout to consumers is not to be underestimated. But, nor is it a bad thing in many cases. The phrase "question everything" comes to mind -- why would you believe anything that marketers tell you these days about "nutritious" foods and drinks?

Well, you can believe them -- if openness and objectivity is granted in the advertising message. Problem is, it generally is not.

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Do you really know what is in that sports drink you have after a workout or training session? Check out the ingredients, then be prepared to most likely toss your sports drink out the window. I'm talking Gatorade-style kick-flip into the trash can if you ask me. So many sports drinks these days are filled with so much processed sugar (disguised in so many clever ways) that they might just pack more stored fat instead of truly hydrating the body.

Make no mistake -- the colorful, flashy packaging and advertisements are everywhere. But, in a rabid habit I have had for years, I thoroughly check the ingredients and "Nutrition Info" panel of everything I buy, save fresh fruits and vegetables. After looking for a very healthy sports drink alternative recently, I was turned onto Zico pure coconut water. Once I started researching this product, and finding reviews by trusted sources, I had to try it for myself. What a product! That's Fit's own Karen Walrond posted on Zico a few months ago, and after reading Karen's great description from her home in Trinidad (talk about getting fresh coconuts anytime!), I decided to try her advice combined with others who I trust that had reviewed the new Zico product on various web review sites.

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