Experts Recommend Kids Drinks Less Fruit Juice
While giving your child fruit juice may seem like a good idea鈥攁fter all, it鈥檚 fruit!鈥攖he American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting how much juice your child drinks. The AAP recently released a policy statement on the topic of kids and juice.
According to the statement, the AAP recommends:
Infants younger than 12 months of age shouldn鈥檛 have juice at all.
Children ages 1 through 3 should consume no more than 4 ounces of fruit juice per day.
Children ages 4 through 6 should consume no more than 6 ounces of fruit juice per day.
Children ages 7 through 18 should consume no more than 8 ounces of fruit juice per day.
The Truth About Juice
Fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals. It can help reduce the risk for heart disease, potentially protect against cancer, and prevent you from consuming too many calories.
Fruit juice, however, is far from perfect. It doesn鈥檛 have fiber, which is found in whole fruits. Fruit juice is also high in sugar, which can lead to weight gain and cavities. And since fruit juice tastes good, it鈥檚 easy for kids to take in too many calories from juice, which can set the stage for obesity.
The Takeaway听
If your child is at least 12 months old and enjoys drinking juice, you don鈥檛 have to eliminate it completely. Try to stick to the recommended amounts from the AAP. In addition, here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to what you put in your kids鈥 cups:
If you offer your children juice, make sure it鈥檚 100 percent fruit juice. Juice that鈥檚 labeled as 鈥渄rink,鈥 鈥渂everage,鈥 or 鈥渃ocktail鈥 isn鈥檛 made entirely of fruit.
Encourage your children to eat whole fruits.
Don鈥檛 give unpasteurized juice to infants, children, or adolescents鈥攊t may contain bacteria that can make children sick.
If your children drink juice, avoid giving it to them in a bottle or sippy cup that allows them to easily drink it throughout the day. In addition, don鈥檛 offer juice at bedtime.
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