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How much juice should children drink? Not a lot. This is the essence of the juice policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children of school age (7 to 18 years) should limit their consumption to eight ounces a day. Preschoolers (4-6 years old) may have four to six ounces per day, while toddlers (1-3 years old) may not consume more than four ounces per day. day.
Since most Americans need to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diets and that good eating habits can be established during childhood, why is juice so worrying? "The recommendations are centered around two arguments," says Steven Abrams, pediatrician at the University of Texas at Austin and one of the authors of the policy statement: Fruit juice is a fruit with fiber and some vitamins removed, and "Some pediatricians do not say anything about juice," says Abrams. "I think it's a bit difficult, it's a fruit serving."
When Gary LeRoy, a family doctor in Dayton, Ohio, sees his youngest patients, he uses the common sense of parents. "An excessive amount of everything is not good," he says. "Moderation is the key."
LeRoy helped create a program with the public health board of his county called 5-2-1-0. The name refers to five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, a two hour limit on screen time, one hour of physical activity and zero sugary drinks. With regard to fruit juices in particular, LeRoy says, "If you use juice as one of the servings of fruits and vegetables, then make sure it's all right." a 100% fruit juice.
There are pure juices and then there are juice drinks or cocktails; the latter usually has some added ingredients, such as sugars or preservatives. All that is labeled as 100% fruit juice comes solely from fruit, which means no added sugar.
But that does not mean at all no sugar. A box of Mott's apple juice of 4.23 ounces contains 14 grams of sugar and the white grape juice portion of Apple & Eve of the same size contains 15 grams. That's more than three teaspoons. A box of six ounces of orange juice Minute Maid contains 18 grams of sugar, similar to the portion of Coca-Cola of the same size (19.5 grams in a half-can of 12 ounces – all the added sugar in that case).
not the juice itself that is so bad; it's what the juice replaces. Everyone I've talked to has argued that apple slices are a better choice than apple juice. Apple slices contain valuable dietary fiber, and they take longer to eat, slowing caloric intake.
It is difficult to know exactly how American families are complying with juice advice and whether they think it is too restrictive. Although the recommendations were made last year, it is too early to answer this question, says Abrams.
"But juice producers have stopped marketing their products," he notes. "And there are fewer products."
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