Are fruit juices beneficial for kids?

Contrary to what you may have heard recently about fruit juice consumption, numerous research studies over the years have found no connection between appropriate consumption of fruit juice and being overweight. The right fresh fruit and vegetable juices can be very beneficial for your kids. Children need a healthy diet and all the vitamins and minerals for their healthy development. Instilling good and healthy eating habits at an early age would develop lifelong healthful eating habits too. Whole fruit consumption is indeed beneficial for kids because of the high fiber content but it is recommended that children should consume fresh fruit and vegetable juices to obtain recommended amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate, potassium and other nutrients. Phytonutrients found in fruit and vegetable juices also need to be considered when making healthy beverage choices. Fruit juices with added sugars and drinks including vitamin C juice with added colors and flavors, sodas, fruit flavored drinks are not recommended for children.

Healthy beverage or juice Choice for kids…

Water, milk and fresh homemade fruit juices are the ideal beverages for your kids. It is better to have freshly prepared fruit juices at home however while buying beverages from the store, buy only those with 100 percent fruit juice and no added sugars, colors or flavors.

Juicing on a budget:

Juicing for a large family can quickly mount up the budget considering the amount of ingredients you need. Here are some tips on how to reduce the cost of juices without accepting poorer nutritional value for your juices.

Juices to avoid for kids:

If you do purchase the juice then avoid drinks that have less than 100% fruit juice. They may be called fruit drink, juice beverage or fruit cocktail, juice “ade” like lemonade or orangeade, avoid any juice with added sugars and added preservatives. Some of these juice drinks have less than 5-10% real fruit. After drinking juices with added sugar, children must brush their teeth. Avoid store bought fruit juices containing sorbitol often found in pear or apple juice. Sorbitol is a non-absorbable sugar that has been found to cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating in children. Grape juice is a good alternative.

It's easy to tell the difference between fruit juice and fruit-flavored beverages, simply by reading the label on a juice bottle or carton. All beverages that contain juice or imply they contain juice must declare the percentage of juice on the information label on the package.

Getting your kids to drink healthy beverages or juices

Encourage your kids to drink plenty of water. Use a water bottle or glass which appeals to them. You can also use a water bottle where they can measure and see the amount of water they’ve had for the day.
Getting your kids to drink healthy green juices and vegetable juices could be an upheaval of a task. Mix them with juices like apple or carrot and it wont be too difficult to get them to drink it. Gradually move from pure carrot or apple juice to apple-carrot-parsley juice. Try using sweet organic apples and carrots and serve the juice in an attractive tumbler.
Make juicing a family activity. Involve the kids in helping with preparing the ingredients, and deciding on which juices to make and searching for recipes. This family time will not only inculcate good and healthy eating habits but the kids will learn about the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables. Kids love to have what they have prepared and you will find that they readily have all the good stuff on their own. Other ways to encourage your kids to consume more fruits are to make ice lollies from fresh fruit juice, Make fruit smoothies and shakes by liquidising fruit such as strawberries, mango or bananas with fruit juice and/or milk.


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