New Zealanders' daily drinking habits mean many are exceeding their recommended sugar intake, says a public health expert.

Bay of Plenty residents are being asked to think twice about that soft drink, juice, energy drink or flavoured milk they pack in their children's lunchbox or drink themselves.

A bottle of soft drink contains 16 teaspoons of sugar, fruit juice has 10 teaspoons of sugar, a sports drink has 15 teaspoons of sugar, while an energy drink has nine teaspoons.

Toi Te Ora-Public Health Service Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Neil de Wet, says many sugary drinks have no nutritional value.

'My advice is to avoid sugary drinks except perhaps as an occasional treat,” says Neil. 'When choosing a drink, water is generally the ideal option for hydration.

'There are lots of no-sugar or low-sugar options for drinks, and for children, water or milk are the best options.”

The World Health Organisation's guidelines suggest that we have no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day and it's suggested that aiming for less than six teaspoons will have more health benefits.

'The amount of sugar in drinks varies but can be surprisingly high. For example, a single can of soft drink may contain around eight teaspoons of sugar,” adds Neil.

'Every day we make choices for ourselves and our families about what to drink. One easy and important step to improve our diets and health, and those of our children, is to cut down on sugar and sugary drinks.”

In New Zealand, two-thirds of adults and three in 10 children are considered overweight or obese.

Regular consumption of sugary drinks is associated with health conditions such as obesity and tooth decay.