Sponsored: Sugar in fruit juice
Is it bad to give my child fruit juice? One of my friends is giving me a hard time because she says juice is full of sugar.
Short answer, No. Longer answer: 100% fruit juice has no added sugar but it does contain natural sugars. Since fruit juice comes from whole fruit is has carbohydrates as a result of the natural sugars in fruit. The biggest and most important difference is that whole fruit or pieces of fruit have fiber and the fruit juice has little or none of this. The benefit of fiber in whole fruit is that it helps with satiety (a feeling of fullness) so your child will feel full more quickly rather than drinking large amounts of juice.
There are age appropriate amounts of fruit juice that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends: “Intake of juice should be limited to, at most, 4 ounces daily for toddlers age 1-3. For children age 4-6, fruit juice should be restricted to 4 to 6 ounces daily; and for children ages 7-18, juice intake should be limited to 8 ounces or 1 cup of the recommended 2 to 2 ½ cups of fruit servings per day.”
If your child is ill, running a fever or not eating, drinking juice may be a good option to keep them hydrated and provide some calories. Diluting 100% fruit juice or making into popsicles may help them with their fluid intake.
Putting fruit juices in sippy cups, bottles, or giving children juice boxes throughout the day is not advised because it can lead to excessive consumption which can contribute to obesity, as well as baby bottle tooth decay and cavities.
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian
facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian
800-334-4936
