Fruit Juice and Children: Are Fruit Juices Safe Drinks for Your Kids?

Drinking juice is one of the weapons parents have in their arsenal to keep their children healthy from illness. How could parents not let their children have juice? Aside from its great and refreshing taste, fruit juices have vitamin C that is critical for growth and immunity. Nowadays, however, it is becoming noticeable that children are grabbing this good stuff and drinking too much of it. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has set limits on how much juice children should consume. The reason for this is the growing levels of obesity traced to increased caloric intake, and juice may be one of the culprits.

Their rules affect the youngest infants. Pediatricians from the AAP have said that infants under the age of six months should refrain from drinking juice. Children who are one to six years of age should have as much as 180 mL of juice only per day. Those aged seven to 18, on the other hand, should consume no more than 240-350 mL.

The problem that is linked to drinking too much juice is chronic diarrhea, as very young children do not have well-developed intestines capable of digesting sugar. Drinking does not fill a person up the way solid food does; this facilitates the consumption of extra calories - leading to the problem of weight gain later.

Pediatricians also advise parents to refrain from serving juice in "sippy" cups or cups with a bite-size spout. Apparently, these cups continually bathe teeth in sugar from juice, which could lead to dental caries or tooth decay.

Nevertheless, parents are not advised to serve the soda just yet. Sodas have worse nutritional value than juice, and lack many nutrients like calcium that serve to develop young bones. Worse, sodas have more calories than juice and caffeine that might induce the kids to be more hyperactive and sleep less at night. However, sodas could still be served, as long as it is an occasional treat, not an everyday thing.

The key is, pediatricians maintain, is inculcating right dietary habits to children. Children should be trained to appreciate vegetables and fruits, and should have fiber in their diet. Eight glasses of liquid must be taken in everyday and juice should be served as a supplement only to a well-balanced diet.

Sources:
"Kids are Getting too much Fruit Juice", Guide To Health
Vincent Iannelli, M.D., "When to Give a Baby Juice", About.com