Aug 4, 2009 9:35 am US/Pacific
The Downside Of Juice
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Drinking a lot of juice can add excess calories to your daily diet. (File Photo)
CBS
Because juice is a lot less filling than the fruit (or vegetable) itself, drinking a lot of juice can add excess calories to our daily diet and actually contribute to obesity. It may not make sense at first, since intuitively and from a young age we are wired to believe that juice is "part of a balanced breakfast" or that it is a "health food." Unfortunately as we tend to do with a lot of things in life, we tend to go for "too much of a good thing," which isn't always so good, and this is certainly true with juice.
Drinking too much juice can lead to a host of problems, including obesity. An increased risk of developing cavities, diarrhea, stomach pain, gas and bloating are also linked to drinking too much juice. Also, if you are drinking a lot of juice then you are likely taking in a lot of sugar and so you may be increasing your risk for blood sugar issues. Keep juice to a maximum of 4 to 6 ounces for kids ages 1 to 6 and for older children and adults, limit juice to 8 to 12 ounces day. Better yet, eat whole fruits and vegetables instead of juice. You'll get the benefits of all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are present in the fruit itself, and not just the flavor and sugar that come from drinking the juice. A special note for parents of toddlers – keep juice out of the sippy cups. For many kids, sippy cups are like a pacifier and security object. If your child constantly has the sippy cup in his/her mouth, full of juice, he/she is at the highest risk of getting cavities. Fill the sippy cup with water or occasionally with diluted juice or milk – at mealtimes.
Also, remember to read labels. Fruit drinks are not the same as fruit juice. You may be surprised that some "fruit drinks" don't contain any actual fruit juice at all, just fruit flavoring plus some water and sugar or artificial sweeteners and flavorings. Fruit juice should not substitute for the real fruit. If you argue that you or your child do not like fruit then you need to keep trying new varieties to find what they do like. Many vitamins and nutrients and fiber are lost in the juicing process.
Some might even argue that fruit juice is empty calories, in spite of the vitamins and/or minerals it may contain (orange juice, for example is usually enhanced with calcium and vitamin D). For kids who are already good and healthy eaters, fruit juice is an unnecessary addition of calories. Kids need fluids, but teach them to drink water from an early age.
This message is not just appropriate for children, but adults need to heed the same advice. Especially if you are trying to maintain or even lose weight, lose the juice and eat the fruit. Your body and your teeth will thank you.
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