Healthy News

As parents, we want our kids to be healthy and well and most parents worry about excess sugar and too much junk food. Are you giving your kids too much juice?

When our children are small, diluting juice is a good idea. If you never give your kids water, you could be making a judgement error. A lot of kids refuse milk and water because juice is so sweet and treat-like. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t continue to dilute juice even as they’re in their preschooler and school years.

Juice is great for vitamins but is high in natural sugars so giving your children more than a glass or two a day of juice can be a bad idea. It can also be a bit of an appetite suppressant for our kids.

A toddler who isn’t eating well might be getting too much liquid during the day. Tooth decay is also a concern so try not to give your kids juice after dinner. A great rule of thumb is to give water only after teeth have been brushed for the last time at night.

Beware of cocktails and fruit drinks masquerading as juice. Many labels say “With Real Juice” but that equates to 10%. Look at the ingredient list to see if the fruit juice fits before or after sugar and opt for sugar-free and sweetener-free drinks as much as possible.