Fruit Juice: Making Kids Fat?

I don't think there should be ANY causative conclusions drawn from this study - actually no conclusion should be drawn at all. This was a 1 day snapshot of a child's diet. Other factors were not taken into consideration.

Fruit juice is a tricky subject to me. I don't think it should be limited in children's diets because they are growing and active and can usually work off the energy. Also, juices provide other benefits like micronutrients, so if you look at the total picture I think it's worth it - but maybe not every single day. As they say, variety is best.

The study also said "soft drinks". But yes, like Tanya, I want to stress the difference between juice made in a juicer and eaten as a snack/meal and ready-made fruit juice offered with meals.

I think the point isn't micronutrients of juice - it's the calorie density. Juice sounds healthy but it's not necessarily so. And, since most children love fruit, it's healthier to have fruit around rather than fruit juice.

I have a 2 year old grandson, and we water his juice down to 2/3 water, 1/3 juice.

Not a perfect solution, but workable.

Brian

We raised our kids primarily on water, not juice. I was surprised that when they had children that the emphasis is now on juice juice juice.

I think this also contributes to a "sweet tooth" at a very early age.

Juice is best avoided unless you know exactly what you are consuming, how and under what conditions is it helpful...except orange juice etc...which should only be consumed in small amounts at a time because the body only absorbs just so much Vit C at a time.

The problem as I see it is that most people are not aware what it is they are drinking...and look at juices as a thirst quencher. Very wrong habit.

The second problem is, if these people ever juiced their own fruit, they would then see just how many pieces of fruit go into just a glass. And the good fibre is dumped.

As I recall, it takes about 5 apples for a glass as an example. Who eats 5 apples at a time...and yet that glass with all its fructose sugar is down in seconds.

IF juice, then watered down. And fruit juice for children is simply not a good idea. They should be trained first on water. And taught that juices are like a food supplement, or treatment for something - a little at a time and just now and again...such as prune juice or other juices to treat a condition.

Teach them to reach for the whole fruit.

Quito hit the nail on the head. Fruit juice is an insulin avalanche. Better to eat the fruit with its fibers.

My (non-credentialed) recommendation would be two servings of fruit per day, and zero servings of fruit juice per year!

(Not counting alcoholic beverages ;) But that's a cheat anyways.)

Freshly juiced juice is pretty much the only juice I drink now. It usually gives me a rush, and I save the fiber and force myself to eat it. I mostly do vegetables, but sometimes do fruit, and yes, it takes so much to just get one glass.

There was another study recently discussing how toddlers who are allowed to keep a bottle with them at night are more likely to be overweight.

There is no question that the juice drinks have a lot of stuff in them that is not really juice. And yes, parents on average probably do give their kids too much apple juice (better for the teeth if its watered down). But, the question is whether juice alone is the problem or if its symptomatic of bigger dietary problems.

It also comes down once again to portion size. Moderation is always the key. I drink a small amount (a few ounces) of juice a few times a week. But I've known people who drink orange juice from gigantic tumblers everyday, because they've gotten the message somehow that it's "healthy" but it's an overload, in terms of calories, fructose, and Vitamin C.

I eat way more than 2 fruit servings a day. Usually around 3, sometimes as many as 5, and that hasn't been a problem for weight loss. I hardly drink juice though, when I do it is unsweetened freshly squeezed orange juice or grape juice, which is 1/4 juice 3/4 water. I don't really worry about the amount of fruit and vegetables I consume, I just have as much as I feel like. I just portion grain carbs and proteins.

you know, i don't even drink fruit juice anymore. i drink Tang. no, seriously.

maybe someone already mentioned this, but did they factor in the children's activity levels? one would think that if they did drink fruit juice that they'd be able to burn off the calories if they were active enough. i would suggest drinking juice with a meal (or even a snack such as crackers or something) to prevent a sugar spike. and i agree - just eat the actual fruit; it's so much better for you.

The only juice I ever liked was grape juice, and that gave me tummy problems so I never drank it much...

Growing up, we only got juice on special occasions and it was always either orange juice or prune juice or something like that. Never a "juice drink" or anything like that. Most of the time we drank water or milk. I can't believe how many kids I see carrying around big bottles of Juicy Juice (because, hey, it's 100% juice). I just don't think it's the healthiest thing out there. Whole fruit is so much better...you get the fiber to dilute the fructose more and it actually fills you up, unlike juice does.

Ripe fruit beats fruit juice hands down. The only time drinking fruit juice makes any sense at all is when the person drinking it is feeling sick and is unable to hold down the fruit. Even then the fruit must be juiced with a juicer and not bought from a store. When you buy it from a store it is very similar to soda - void of all nutrition and full of sugar (even if it is fruit sugar). The same sugar is broken down slowly when it is in the fruit as the fiber is part of the sugar and our digestive system is very slow at digesting fiber compared to the juice without the fiber. Water is the best drink, no calories, no sugar, no fat. If you eat the fruit dorectly then you will have no need to drink anything as the fruit is full of liquid.

Okay, you all have brill point but im a 15 year old girl and i HATE it everyone in are school has been told that it can give you cancer and other problems later in life; alot of kids are now going to that innocent smoothy thing but who wants kewi with orange and bit of bannana i mean com` on.. i drink SO MUCH water that i pee so much.. that is all

It really angers me the way that these companies can get away with misleading packaging. I just don't understand why sugar has to be added to juices, aren't they sweet enough? Any juice that I give to my children is watered down by about 80%. A full glass of juice is high in calories, and hard for the body to digest. Not to mention it will spike blood sugar levels if not consumed with other foods.