No Juice for You!
February 17th, 2005 5:20 pm

Doctor’s are now saying that giving kids juice is not good for them, even if it is 100% juice, and not that concentrated or powdered “Juice” that we all called Cool-Aid when we were growing up.

Here is what I find troubling, and as a parent, I see this often. I take my kid to soccer practice so he can get some good exercise and learn the value of team sports. He’s having great fun on the field with his friends, playing the type of soccer that 4-year olds play which is basically kicking the ball and falling on the ground to make each other laugh.

While I’m watching my son do his best Charlie Brown on a soccer ball, while listening to other parents on the sidelines talk about this new juice recommendation by doctors. One of the mothers’ proclaimed how since that report, they have been trying to limit their son’s juice intake. Then I watched in near horror as her son ran off the field, run up to her, and asked for some candy. She stuck her hand in her pocket, pulled out a piece of candy and the kid jammed it in his mouth as he ran back on the field.

WTF?

This is what bothers me about some parents, and to some extent, dieters. They seize upon a single piece of information and carry it out in absence of well-rounded logic. Doctor’s say to limit the amount of juice you give your kids to 4 ounces a day, yet the same parents who seize on that do not notice how many hours of TV (or Playstation 2) their kids watch as a substitute for quality time.

In my department, there are 14 women and 2 guys. The women complain to no end about their weight and discuss as length about how eating this particular food or not eating another specific type of food will “shed pounds.” Then I watched in amusement when one of our clients sent a treat basket over the holidays and these “dieters” attacked it like a pack of ravenous raptors. And the diet conversation continued as they jammed Double-Stuff Oreo’s in their pie-holes.

My kids will still get 100% juice, and it will be more than 4 ounces, even if the doctor’s say to be careful. But guess what? I play with my kids outside. They don’t eat candy or drink soda.

This does make me wonder. How many parents will limit juice, yet let soda consumption go unfettered?

Posted in General, Personal Musings by Mark
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Martin
February 18th, 2005 11:00 am

This reminds me of my mom who told me that when she was a little girl growing up in Post WWII Europe it was said for a number of years that tomatoes where a severe cancer risk. She doesn’t remember why this was the case, but the point is that anything do you do has some sort of concequence in life. Use a little common sense and eat a balanced meal in moderation and you’ll be fine. Mankind has managed to survive for several thousand years without the constant “advice” of modern medicine (Not to say the modern medicine hasn’t helped us live longer).

Though I’m really curious as to why juice intake should be limited? Is it because there is too much sugar in some juices? Is there a vitamin C overdose scare now?

Mark
February 18th, 2005 5:36 pm

It is indeed because of the sugars. But they say even the 100% fruit juices have too much sugar in them. The sugar in 100% juice is fructose, which our bodies have been digesting for a millin years. So they suggest only 4 ounces a day. 4 ounces is about two swallows.

As opposed to soda, which has processed sugar. Their recommendation, give you kids milk and water.

James
February 22nd, 2005 2:36 pm

So, what about the sugars in fruit in their natural form? Is “an apple a day” no longer valid unless it’s a four-ounce apple?

Wouldn’t no-sugar-added juices have the same sugar as the fruit in its natural form? Or does the process itself create more sugar?

TJ
February 23rd, 2005 12:16 pm

I have a 3 year old and she gets juice in more of a quantity than 4 ounces. She has a glass for breakfast, maybe a glass for lunch, or ice tea, and lemonade for dinner. She usually has water inbetween at snack times.
The reason that I have heard that juice is bad, is because of the citric acid that is involved. It gets between the teeth and promotes decay faster than regular sugar. I was raised to brush my teeth after every meal, and my daughter is the same way. I think its ubsurd for someone to say that juice is bad. They should just learn to brush the childs teeth, or teach and instill brushing to even have to worry about the problem to begin with.

Pat
April 19th, 2005 9:27 am

i heard the same thing but with the 100% juice they say you should just weakin it a little bit mix it with some water or what ever. i think it is all stupid. i rarely listen to doctors anymore. look how much the new diets change form week to week. there will be a new study out next week that will porve this one wrong the the week after that and so on.

Linda
January 16th, 2006 6:25 pm

Here is a good one. I had to blink reading this. My kids are 6 and 8 and aren’t obese, aren’t sporting cavities and have had 100% juice almost every day from the time they started graduating to grown up food.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/11/health/main673229.shtml

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/11/health/main673229.shtml

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