Success StoryDrink Your Water



Drink Your Water

Author: Mary Elaine Burton

Planning Unit: Johnson County CES

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

Johnson Central High School has over 125 students in its freshmen class. Of those 75% said that they drink very little water, if any at all. From that total 35% of the students participate in an after school sports program and choose sport drinks and soda over water.

The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Assistant did a series of lessons with the freshman class using the Teen Cuisine Curriculum and Rethink Your Drink lesson. The students discussed the importance of eating breakfast and healthy snacks. Along with other topics, the students realized that their bodies need water to function properly. They talked about how water helps regulate the body’s temperature by cooling it down after activities and it’s a major component of blood which carries nutrients and oxygen to and from the cells. The students read the ingredients in sports drinks, sodas and flavored juice drinks. They discovered that there could be at least three types of sugars if not more in these popular drink choices. After learning this, they added up the calories consumed for a week and multiplied it by four weeks. Their totals showed that they would consume about 63,504 calories in a month and could gain 25 pounds in six months.

After six lessons and making fruit-infused water in the classroom the students that participated in school sports said that they were now choosing water during and after practice. One student said that he had lost 3 pounds in three weeks. Of the students who said they rarely drank water, 50% of them are now drinking water throughout the school day. 






Stories by Mary Elaine Burton


Drink Your Water

about 6 years ago by Mary Elaine Burton

Johnson Central High School has over 125 students in its freshmen class. Of those 75% said that they... Read More


SNAP-Ed and Budgeting

about 6 years ago by Mary Elaine Burton

SNAP-Ed and BudgetingThe most recent 2018 reporting in Data USA shows that Johnson County Kentucky h... Read More


Stories by Johnson County CES


Extension Guides New Farmer Into Successful Start in Syrup Production

about 6 years ago by Brian Jeffiers

In the years following the tobacco quota buyout and the end of the tobacco program, farms in Eastern... Read More


Farmers Learn Techniques for Combatting Black Vultures

about 6 years ago by Brian Jeffiers

One of the greatest threats to newborn calves is black vultures. These predatory birds are becoming ... Read More


Stories by Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)


Gardening Options for Everyone

Gardening Options for Everyone

about 6 years ago by Vicki Wynn

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moderate-intensity level activity... Read More


Have I done enough?

Have I done enough?

about 6 years ago by Anita Jones

Many Kentuckians experience food insecurity.Adult Obesity is 46% compared to state average of 33%.Th... Read More