Lifestyle
Food & Nutrition
Fitness
It’s hard to deny that the high sugar content in soda can have an adverse effect on your child’s health, including weight gain and tooth decay. So many parents have chosen to eliminate soda from their child’s diet completely, opting instead for fruit juice or plain water instead. But according to recent research, giving your kids juice may actually be better than soda because of the beneficial vitamins and minerals it provides. Plus, there are many ways you can lower the sugar content of your child’s juice without compromising its nutritional value.
Reasons why your children should not be drinking juice
First and foremost, the juice is full of calories. It’s not just a large number of calories either; drinking too much juice can completely derail your weight loss or healthy eating plan. This means that if you have a child who drinks an excessive amount of juice every day, it could very well be adding up to several hundred extra calories per day. In addition to all of those empty calories, juice also contains sugar. If you are trying to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle in general, then cutting out added sugars should be one of your top priorities. The sugar found in fruit juices is no different than any other type of sugar found in processed foods. And finally, fruit juices contain natural sugars that are actually quite high on the glycemic index (GI). The GI measures how quickly carbohydrates enter our bloodstream and raise blood glucose levels after consumption. Fruit juices may taste great but they aren’t doing anything for our health when consumed in excess amounts!
Where can I get more information on children’s drinks (besides water)?
The National Institutes of Health is a great resource for parents on nutrition in general. In addition to providing a wealth of information, their report Drinking Water and Other Beverages and Foods can also help you plan your family’s nutritional needs. The CDC also offers recommendations for children’s drinks that are updated regularly. If you want more specific info on healthy choices for your kids, or if you just want to see how your beverage choices compare with those of other families, check out this study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center published in 2014. It shows what types of beverages were consumed by mothers during pregnancy and by their preschool-aged children. The results may surprise you! (It turns out most moms don’t drink enough water!) When it comes to choosing between juice and soda, consider these suggestions: juice has vitamins but soda doesn’t; soda has sugar but juice doesn’t; both have calories so choose whichever one fits into your overall eating plan. And be sure to stay tuned—in March 2015, WHO released new guidelines on sugar intake as part of its ongoing effort to address obesity and non-communicable diseases like diabetes. These guidelines specifically address added sugars including sugary sodas. While they’re not set in stone yet, they could mean big changes for our sweet tooth! So stay tuned—and make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your family’s health at its best!
