Georgia SNAP program urges families to drink more water, avoid sugary drinks

SNAP to launch in-fused water tastings across Georgia

ATLANTA – Georgia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamp) and its  four partner agencies are launching Hydrate My State, a campaign tailored for SNAP-eligible Georgians to encourage more water consumption, instead of sugary beverages.

The campaign, led by the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Office of Family Independence (OFI) SNAP Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed), will consist of in-person infused water tastings, recipes on how to incorporate more water into daily life, nutrition fact labels on why water is so important, and formal shareable promotions.

“This comes as a direct effort towards improving the water consumption practices of families that rely on us. We consider it our responsibility to provide nutritional support and to alleviate the guesswork for families whose primary focus is putting food on the table,” said Jon Anderson, OFI Chief Deputy Division Director.

On average, six in 10 youth (roughly 60%) and five in 10 adults (roughly 49%) drink a sugar-sweetened beverage on a given day. These sugary drinks like your favorite sodas, juices, sports drinks, and more, increase the risk for cavities, heart attacks, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cancer (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2021).

SNAP-Ed supports grand scale healthy lifestyle changes which includes small shifts towards drinking more water and less sugary beverages. Hydrate My State represents most recent efforts to bring awareness and education to a much-needed state-wide issue.

Anderson said, “The data that we have seen played a huge part in our SNAP-Ed team’s decision to implement the Hydrate My State project. It is our sincere hope to help develop lifelong practices that will ensure healthy beverage consumption for our families.”

The SNAP-Ed partner agencies will  be conducting in-person water tasting demonstrations throughout the month of September. The main event, Hydrate My State Day, will take place on September 15, 2021, at locations across the state. These demonstrations will showcase easy to use recipes that incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables to enhance the taste of water. It will also include recipe cards, fact sheets, nutrition panel information, and how to sign up for nutrition education classes.

Sample water infused recipes, like the ones below, to try at home are: