The Truth About Fruit Juice

If I see one more Capri Sun or juice box in a kids' hand, I might scream.  So, if you are a parent who religiously gives these to your children or always has them at parties, then you might not want to read.  Or maybe you will to be enlightened a bit.

While 100% fruit juice is a better choice than Kool-Aid or soda, bear in mind how much fruit it takes to produce one little Capri Sun or fruit juice.  For example, it takes 3 apples to produce one 8 ounce glass of juice (a half cup)!  So, this gives you an idea of just how concentrated fruit juice is.

Juices are a highly concentrated form of sugar.  So, while you read that it is 100% juice, it has a lot of sugar. And yes, I can hear you saying "but it's natural sugar".  Yes.  But can you imagine your child sitting there eating those 3 apples to make that one 8 ounce cup of juice?  They would be sick to their stomach, natural or not.  It would be much better for them to eat the apple and maybe an additional item like almonds or peanut butter, and drink water to their heart's content.

The concentrated sugars in fruit juices also result in issues with tooth decay in children.  Especially when given via bottle, fruit juice sits on the teeth and contributes more rapidly to tooth decay.

Whether your child is medically diagnosed with ADHD or hyperativity, we all know the food our children ingest directly affect their behavior.  Sugar especially will affect any child's mood and make them more hyper (the symptom is exacerbated in children with hyperactivity).  In our fruit box world, this is a major contributor to the hyperness.

Again, let's go back to that 3 apple/8 ounce reference.  We all know most kids' thirst is not quenched with 8 ounces.  Especially if they are active, they can down a 1/2 cup of liquid pretty fast.  I know I've seen kids down numerous Capri Suns at one sitting.  So, while better than soda or drinks packed with additional sugar or artificial ingredients, we are still doing a detriment to our children.  They are more hyper due to the high concentration of sugar in their bodies.  Without actually eating the fruit, they are missing out on valuable fiber from the whole fruit.  And now that they are hyper, they have a hard time listening and focusing.

So, the summary on fruit juice, according the the Academy of Pediatrics,  is:

• Fruit juice should not be given to infants before 6 months of age.
• After 6 months of age, infants should not get juice from bottles or cups that allow them to consume juice easily throughout the day.
• Infants should not get fruit juice at bedtime. (It’s an issue known as baby bottle tooth decay.)
• For children ages 1 to 6, intake of fruit juice should be limited to four to six ounces per day.
• For children ages 7 to 18, juice intake should be between eight and 12 ounces a day.
• All children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits.

Let's also remember that fruit juice is a processed food.  I know, when you think of processed food, fruit juice may not be what first comes to mind.  But we want to strive to eat foods in it's most natural, unaltered form.  While some processes (such as heat) benefit certain foods (like killing germs), overall processing can have negative effects on the nutrient value of food.  So again, whole fruits versus fruit juice.

There are environment concerns with the fruit juice trend in children.  Most fruit juice served to children is in a juice box or bag form.  Plastic packaging and throw away straws.  And with that packaging comes an inflated cost of the fruit juice.  By simply investing in one stainless steel, reusable bottle for juices or water, you can save hundreds of dollars.


For me and my children, I feel the better choice is to serve whole fruit.  They are more satisfied, are getting more nutrients, and not clogging up landfills.  I'm developing healthy eating habits in that they know and recognize food in it's natural form.