Skip the Juice

Most parents wouldn't dream of giving their toddler soda. Those same parents often don't think twice about giving their child juice. Doctors are now saying that kids should skip the juice and stick to water, and possibly milk.

"[R]esearchers say that when a baby's bottle or cup is filled with juice—even the 100 percent, all-natural, no-sugar-added stuff—parents might as well be pouring Pepsi.

A growing body of science is linking sweet drinks, natural or otherwise, to a host of child health concerns, everything from bulging bellies to tooth decay.

"All of these beverages are largely the same. They are 100 percent sugar,"Dr. David Ludwig, an expert on pediatric obesity at Children's Hospital Boston, said recently. "Juice is only minimally better than soda.""

Many consumers think of juice as a good, healthy beverage. This article states that "Though healthy in moderation, juice essentially is water and sugar. In fact, a 12-ounce bottle of grape soda has 159 calories. The same amount of unsweetened grape juice packs 228 calories."

One way to limit your child's juice intake is to mix it with water - perhaps 1/4 juice to 3/4 water. Another alternative is to use fruit juice that is low in sugar.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that fruit juice should not be given to infants under 6 months of age and should never be given in a bottle. Fruit juice serves no nutritional purpose to children under the age of one. Children ages 1-6 should receive no more than 4-6 ounces of fruit juice per day, and children 7-18 should be limited to 8-12 ounces per day.

The short answer is that juice is not healthier than water - no matter what juice companies claim about their product - and juice consumption can lead to obesity, unhealthy eating habits and dental problems.