Though juice was once a cornerstone
of a balanced breakfast, its place
at the table has been looking a bit
precarious these days. Concerns
over excess sugar and calories
have led many parents to stop
buying it—especially after a 2017
recommendation from the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which
said juice provides no nutritional
benefit to babies before their first
birthday. Even older kids should
limit their intake to minimize the
risk of weight gain and tooth decay,
according to the AAP.
But is a glass of OJ really a big
deal? While limiting sugar and
calorie consumption is important,
Dr. Wanda Abreu, a pediatrician
at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan
Stanley Children’s Hospital, says the
issue is more about what juice often
replaces. Kids are “better off just
eating the fruit itself,” she says.
Juice contains the same vitamins
and natural sugars found in whole
fruit but lacks the satiating fiber that
aids healthy digestion and makes
an apple or orange a satisfying
snack, Abreu explains. As a result,
juice is less filling and easier to
overconsume than real fruit, and
it delivers a hefty dose of sugar
straight to the bloodstream—all of
which can lead to weight gain. Plus,Should you give your
children juice?
if young kids drink juice all day from
a bottle or sippy cup, it coats their
teeth in cavity-causing sugars, the
AAP says.
If buying fresh fruit is too costly
or inconvenient, Dr. Matt Haemer,
a pediatric nutrition specialist
at Children’s Hospital Colorado,
recommends offering frozen or
unsweetened canned versions over
juice. “It’s about establishing a
behavioral pattern long-term ... and
attempting to improve what we have
currently: an epidemic of children
growing up in our country for whom
it’s not normal to eat fruits and
vegetables,” he says.
Still, Abreu says parents shouldn’t
feel guilty if their kids drink the
occasional glass of juice. Parents
should look for 100% fruit juices,
not “fruit drinks” or juice cocktails,
which typically contain added
sugars on top of those found
naturally in fruits. And the AAP offers
recommendations by age: no juice at
all for babies; no more than 4 oz. per
day for toddlers; up to 6 oz. per day
for kids ages 4 to 6; and up to 8 oz.
per day for older kids.
“Are there better options? Yes,”
Abreu says. “But we don’t live in a
perfect world, so you kind of just do
the best you can.”ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX EBEN MEYER FOR TIME —Jamie Ducharme