Fruit Juice Exposed - Why You Should Be Careful?

Mom, should I eat or drink my fruit? - Isn't it time to know the facts around the perennial question; if having fruit juice is the same as eating the fruit. There is a huge emotional attachment that most of us have for fruit juice. The mention of the words ‘fruit juice’ conjures up an image of a glass full of health and thus, we encourage our little ones to guzzle down fruit juice to lap up all the so-called ‘nutrition-laden’ calories.

Fruit Juice Recommendations

While it’s a given that fruit scores high above its liquid form nutritionally, drinking moderate amounts of freshly squeezed unsweetened fruit juice cannot be considered a glaring nutritional sin. Parents can offer age-appropriate servings of juice, but make sure that whole fruit remains an integral part of your child’s diet.

Caveats If Serving Fruit Juice 

Here are some must-know points which you need to care about. Read below...

1. Serve fruit juice only with a snack or a meal, rather than allowing your child to sip juice throughout the day to avoid acidity and tooth decay.
2. If you're having trouble getting your child to eat, don't allow him or her to drink any liquids 30 minutes before meals or snacks.

Always ensure that your child isn't drinking too much juice, follow given below limits... 

Case Against Fruit Juice

While fruit juices are very popular amongst young and old alike for their taste and touted health benefits, many claims made by ‘juicing proponents’ (juice companies) are simply far-fetched. Fruit juice deserves censure for the following reasons:

1. Juice Lacks Fiber and other nutrients of the whole fruit. By eating the whole fruit, you not only get the juice, but also the goodness of its flesh that provides fiber. Fibre provides many health benefits such as maintaining a healthy digestive system by preventing constipation, controlling unruly appetites, aiding in the absorption of nutrients, boosting colon health and lowering cholesterol. 
2. Juices Are Higher in Calories as against fresh fruit. You need to use up a number of fruit pieces to extract even a small cup of juice. So, satiation by drinking juice comes at a high calorific cost which can easily lead to excessive energy intake and weight gain.
3. Tooth Erosion and Decay could occur if the juice is had regularly, as the vitamin C in fruit together with its concentrated natural sugars, makes the juice highly acidic. 
4. The Deionization Process Strips the Juice of its many nutrients. To maintain the quality of juice and extend its life, manufacturers use a common manufacturing process called “deionization”. It works by stripping away the colors and flavors to produce a clear product that lasts longer. Different flavors and colors are then added back into the juice to produce the desired product. A downside of this process is that it makes the end product nutritionally inferior to its fresh unprocessed variety. 
5. Weight Gain Leading to Obesity - Children can easily drink a lot of juice because juice tastes good. However, too much juice a day can contribute to obesity. 
6. Fruit Juice Calories Are Not Very Filling, so they can easily increase your child’s overall caloric intake. It is quite easy to over-consume fruits in liquid form which is high on sugar.

Therefore, fortifying a child’s diet up on vitamins and minerals in this way isn’t the ideal one. It is better to get these nutrients from the fruit itself with its power-packed goodness. While the ideal diet nutritional mantra according to me would be - “don’t drink your calories”, an exercise in moderation if the liquid calories seem too irresistible to ignore!