Fruit Juice - Too Much of a Good Thing?
Fruit juice is one of those good-for-you-sounding things like vegetables, fresh air, and getting enough exercise. Like most kids, my kids love any kind of juice, anything made from juice, and any type of sickly sweet juice-resembling beverage (often labeled "juice drinks"), no matter how improbable the color.
But I'm talking here about true, 100% fruit juice without added sugars. While it shouldn't have to be a bad, forbidden, avoid-at-all-costs food, fruit juice also isn't always a wise nutritional choice. The reason is that it's packed with sugar and calories. According to the U.S.D.A. National Nutrient Database, a one-cup serving of apple juice has over 27 grams of sugar. That's about the same as the sugar content of a regular-sized Snickers bar.
Consumption of sweet beverages including fruit juice has been linked with an increased risk of childhood overweight and obesity, even when other factors, like the amount of fat in a child's diet or the total number of daily calories consumed, are taken into consideration. A child who regularly consumes fruit juice with meals and snacks can be slurping up hundreds of calories per day from the juice as well as reducing his consumption of nutritious foods because he feels constantly full.
What about the vitamins? True, some fruit juices are loaded with vitamin C, but in most cases, you can get the vitamins elsewhere- for example, from real fruit. Substituting real fruit for the liquid variety also provides you with a needed serving of fiber, and there's less of a tendency to over-consume. You can also get vitamin C from peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach. Plus, many breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin C and other vitamins.
I'm not suggesting a ban on juice. Nor do most pediatricians oppose juice for children- it's just the quantity of juice and other sweet drinks consumed by many kids that concerns doctors. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting preschoolers to four to six ounces of juice per day (that's less than one cup). My own house is certainly not a juice-free zone, but I try to limit the kids' juice consumption to one glass per day. One thing I've taught my kids is that all juice needs to be mixed with water to make it "healthier", so they're getting only about half the sugar with the diluted stuff and - hopefully - acquiring a taste for less-sugary drinks.
But I'm talking here about true, 100% fruit juice without added sugars. While it shouldn't have to be a bad, forbidden, avoid-at-all-costs food, fruit juice also isn't always a wise nutritional choice. The reason is that it's packed with sugar and calories. According to the U.S.D.A. National Nutrient Database, a one-cup serving of apple juice has over 27 grams of sugar. That's about the same as the sugar content of a regular-sized Snickers bar.
Consumption of sweet beverages including fruit juice has been linked with an increased risk of childhood overweight and obesity, even when other factors, like the amount of fat in a child's diet or the total number of daily calories consumed, are taken into consideration. A child who regularly consumes fruit juice with meals and snacks can be slurping up hundreds of calories per day from the juice as well as reducing his consumption of nutritious foods because he feels constantly full.
What about the vitamins? True, some fruit juices are loaded with vitamin C, but in most cases, you can get the vitamins elsewhere- for example, from real fruit. Substituting real fruit for the liquid variety also provides you with a needed serving of fiber, and there's less of a tendency to over-consume. You can also get vitamin C from peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach. Plus, many breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin C and other vitamins.
I'm not suggesting a ban on juice. Nor do most pediatricians oppose juice for children- it's just the quantity of juice and other sweet drinks consumed by many kids that concerns doctors. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting preschoolers to four to six ounces of juice per day (that's less than one cup). My own house is certainly not a juice-free zone, but I try to limit the kids' juice consumption to one glass per day. One thing I've taught my kids is that all juice needs to be mixed with water to make it "healthier", so they're getting only about half the sugar with the diluted stuff and - hopefully - acquiring a taste for less-sugary drinks.
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