12/29/2011
I know I am thinking ahead to the New Year's Resolutions about a healthy diet. Here is something I came across (from the Child Nutrition Newsletter) about some healthy guidelines for the children we care for:
Juice: Is It Bad for Your Child?
When feeding children, parents and caregivers want only the best. Driven by children’s requests and preferences, juice often is purchased and consumed. Many parents are told to look for 100% juice, shop for organic products, or make rules about how and when their children can have juice, possibly because of an incomplete understanding as to why juice consumption is considered controversial.
Once believed to provide hydration in the form of water, as well as vitamins and minerals, juice was not looked at critically as having a role in nutrition related
issues among children. Detailed research in the past 10 years has shown that the sugars in juice are rapidly absorbed and consumption of juice does not provide the same benefits as eating whole fruit. Overconsumption of juice is linked with diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports the following:
Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefit for infants younger than 6 months.
Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruit for infants older than 6 months and children.
When consumed as part of a well-balanced diet, 100% fruit juice or reconstituted juice is considered a healthy part of the diet. Fruit drinks, however,
are not nutritionally equivalent to fruit juice.
Juice is not appropriate for the treatment of dehydration or management of diarrhea.
Excessive juice consumption is sometimes associated with malnutrition (over-nutrition and under-nutrition).
Excessive juice consumption sometimes is associated with diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal distention, and tooth decay.
Unpasteurized juice may contain pathogens that can cause serious illnesses.
A variety of fruit juices, provided in appropriate amounts for a child’s age, are not likely to cause any significant clinical symptoms.
Calcium-fortified juices provide a bioavailable source of calcium, but lack other nutrients present in breast milk, infant formula, or cow’s milk.
Recommendations from AAP include the following:
Do not introduce juice into the diet of infants before age 6 months. (Not creditable on CACFP until 8 months—only at snack).
Do not give infants juice from bottles or easily transportable covered cups that allow them to consume juice easily throughout the day.
Do not offer juice to infants at bedtime.
Limit intake of fruit juice to:
4-6 fluid ounces (fl oz)/day for children ages 1-6
8-12 fl oz/ day (or two servings/day) for children ages 7-18
Encourage children to eat whole fruits to meet their recommended daily fruit intake.
Do not give infants, children, and adolescents unpasteurized juice.
The US Food and Drug Administration has the following requirements:
If a juice is labeled “fruit juice,” it is 100% fruit juice.
If juice is reconstituted, it must read “from concentrate.”
Any product that is not 100% fruit juice is labeled “fruit drink,” “fruit beverage,” or “fruit cocktail,” and is required to have the percentage of fruit juice on
the label.
All added ingredients are listed on the food label.
The bottom line is that juice is not “bad.” However, it is important to consume juice in moderation and treat it as something to enjoy occasionally. Children should have small servings and learn to primarily drink water for hydration.
Reference: American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Nutrition.
