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Week 2 Challenge - Just a Bit of Juice
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschoolers drink no more than 4-6 oz of fruit juice per day.
What does 4-6 oz of juice look like? Most small drinking cups used for children hold 7 oz when filled. The largest sippy cups hold 10-12 oz - that’s fine for toting around water but preschoolers don’t need constant access to fruit juice.
Most fruit juices contain vitamins and minerals. Popular juices like apple juice and grape juice, though, have only modest amounts. Orange juice is one exception - it is an excellent source of vitamin C. Phytonutrients are another food component found in most fruit juices. You won't find phytonutrients on the food label but scientist know they are present in fruit juice. In fact, phytonutrients are found in most plant foods and are thought to play a role in health.
The nutritional downside of fruit juice is that it contains none of the fiber that the whole fruit contains. Plus, fruit juice contains calories (55-80 calories in 4 oz) and is appealingly sweet to preschoolers, a combination that makes it easy to overindulge and get too many calories. So choosing whole fruit is usually a better way to help your preschooler meet their fruit goal for the day - more fiber plus it would be hard to eat extra calories in the form of whole apples.
What to Work On This Week
1. If your preschooler drinks juice, limit the amount of juice each day to 4-6 oz.
2. Instead of a sippy cup of juice that your preschooler carries around, offer juice during a sit down meal or snack.
3. Don’t let your preschooler take a sippy cup or bottle of juice to bed
Tips for Success
You can distinguish 100% fruit juice from other fruit drinks by reading the label. To be called ‘fruit juice,’ a drink must contain 100% fruit juice. If the drink is less than 100% fruit juice, you will see other terms used such as "drink," "punch," or "cocktail."
To stretch out the 4-6 oz, dilute the juice with water
Again, water is a great between meal thirst-quencher!
Do the Orange Juice Taste Test and help your preschooler learn where juice comes from.
Next Week’s Challenge
Family Meals - Having meals where the family sits down together to enjoy quality food is a great goal. But with preschoolers running around, some extra advice is necessary on just how to accomplish frequent family meals!
References
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2006. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata Note: Release numbers change as new versions are released.
2. Dietary Recommendations for Children and Adolescents: A Guide for Practitioners. 2005. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/