Should My Kids Be Drinking Juice?

By : Jodie Shield | 0 Comments | On : May 13, 2014 | Category : Adults, Babies, Kids, Seniors

The Great Juice Debate!

Guest Post by: Kate Byers, MS, RDN

I have talked myself in circles regarding juice consumption for some time now. Here’s how the (slightly schizophrenic) conversation goes:

• Me: “Hailey shouldn’t drink juice. I don’t drink my calories, why should she?”
• Me (with melodramatic influence): “But if I put juice off limits, she might become a juice junkie someday and never drink milk again and have rotten teeth. Okay, juice every now and then is fine.”
• Me: “But, they offer 100% fruit juice at daycare at snack time and only water as seconds. Won’t she feel left out if the other kids get juice and she doesn’t? Okay, a little juice at school and only every now and then otherwise.”
• Me: “UGHHHHH!!!”

I went in search of what the experts have to say and this is what I found:

• American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Juice should not be introduced before 6 months of age
  • Fruit juice should be limited to 4 to 6 oz per day for children 1 to 6 years old
  • For children 7 to 18 years old, juice intake should be limited to 8 to 12 oz per day
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • After 6 months of age 4 to 6 oz of pasteurized 100% fruit juice (not fruit drink) is o.k. when given in a cup (not a bottle)
  • Fruit juices offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruits which also provide fiber
• American Dental Association
  • To prevent tooth decay, don’t let you child constantly sip liquids containing sugar throughout the day (this includes milk and juice)
  • If your child is thirsty between meals, offer water; offer milk or juice only at mealtimes

I’ve calmed the voices in my head and netted out here – juice is not off limits, but it isn’t the default. We offer only milk or water with meals and water when thirsty throughout the day. We rarely buy juice and when we do, we follow these rules:

• Buy only 100% fruit juice; avoid anything labeled as “juice drink.”
• Look for organic when the juice is from a fruit in the dirty dozen like apple, grape, peach and strawberry.
• Choose juice boxes versus a jug. Whether you serve straight from the box or pour it into a cup you can offer a small amount at a time without having an entire enticing jug to look at every time the fridge opens.
• Try watering it down – in most cases they’ll never know. You can even do this when you use a portion of a juice box. (But try not to let your smarty-pants see you do it or the jig is up!)
• Try adding just a few drops of a strongly-flavored juice (like 100% cranberry juice or 100% lemon juice) to water. The flavor goes a long way.
• Be wary of unpasteurized juice. Little tummies are more susceptible to food bacteria that could be lurking in unpasteurized juices.

The following post was written by Kate Byers, MS, RDN and originally appeared on Smart Eating for Kids. It is shared here with permission.