“Zero calories (卡路里) and getting no weight.” We often talk about sugar-free drinks like this. But are they really a good choice?

Some people think sugar-free drinks are healthier because they don’t have sugar or calories. They think having these drinks can help them lose weight.

In fact, sugar-free drinks have some sugar, although very little. Usually, if there is 0.5 grams (克) of sugar or less in a 100-gram drink, it can be described as a sugar-free drink. Although they have little sugar, sugar-free drinks still taste sweet because they use artificial sweeteners (人工甜味剂). But they have very few calories.

When we eat sweet-tasting things like sugar, they hit our brain and make us want more. Our brain tells our body to prepare itself for more sugar. When we drink a sugar-free drink, the brain receives the “sweet message”, but no sugar arrives. Since the brain is fooled, it still wants more sweets.

Some people drink sugar-free drinks instead of water. This is not a good choice. Sugar-free drinks can be bad for our teeth and influence our appetite (食欲).

Chinese people are getting bigger. More and more Chinese people are overweight. About 23% Chinese boys under twenty were overweight, while for girls it was 14%. China was listed as the second most overweight country in the world, after the US. China puts on weight now.

Part of the reason is our growing economy (经济). Chinese’s families now make enough money to buy more food, especially fatty (含脂肪的) food such as meat. In 1980, the average (平均) person in China ate 12.7 kg of meat. The number increased to 60 kg in 2013. And many people also eat at fast food stores a lot. They take in a lot of fatty food but exercise little. Each year, 2.8 million adults die of illnesses such as diabetes (糖尿病) and heart illnesses.

We all need the following healthy lifestyles. To stay in shape, people should eat less sugar and fat. People need to have less-soft drinks, candy and red meat, too. Children need to do at least an hour of exercise every day, such as running and playing football on the playground. Many children now take part in special summer camps to lose weight. It’s very important for children to grow up happily.

The COVID-19 pandemic（新冠疫情）makes our life different. Everyone wants to be healthy. Here are some tips.

●Eat well and sleep well

We need a strong body to keep healthy. Eat more fruit and vegetables. Don’t eat much junk food. Drink more water. Go to bed before 10: 00 pm to get enough（足够）sleep.

●Do some sports every day

It’s important to do some sports every day, such as running and jumping. It can help us feel relaxed and keep healthy. After doing sports, people can sleep well at night.

●Keep learning and thinking

Sometimes we may hear some wrong（错误的）news about the COVID-19 pandemic and it makes us feel worried. Keep learning and thinking, so we can tell what’s right and what’s wrong.