Juicaholics
Knowing what to give your child to drink has never been more confusing. Fruit juice used to be the healthy option, but now American doctors have issued a warning that children may be drinking too much of a good thing.
According to a report by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), large quantities can be hazardous to the health. ‘Many fruit juices do not contain significant amounts of protein, fat, minerals, or vitamins – other than vitamin C. But they do contain a large amount of carbohydrate (sugar), which if consumed in quantity can result in diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence. Also, most juices do not contain fibre – so fruit juice offers no real nutritional advantage over whole fruit,’ they say.
The AAP is especially concerned about babies and young children who are given fruit juice. ‘A number of scientific studies have shown that infants who drink too much juice may become malnourished as a result of fruit juice replacing human milk or formula.’. They’re now recommending lower daily levels of juice consumption for children.
‘The biggest concern here is that children may not be getting enough calcium because they’re drinking fruit juice rather than milk.’ says Claire MacAvilly, a nutrition scientist with the British Nutrition Foundation. ‘They’re drinking nearly twice as many soft drinks as milk’.
School milk is currently only provided by 20% of primary schools, and according to Mintel, the market research analysts, ‘fruit and juice drinks are seen as healthy, come in convenient packaging and are therefore often included in lunchboxes.’
The other health issue parents have to consider is teeth
‘Fruit juice and soft drinks contain a lot of sugar and they’re also acidic which can damage tooth enamel,’ warns Jacinta Yeo, of the British Dental Association. She says that dentists are now seeing a new type of tooth decay in children, where molars are worn away by the acidity of soft drinks and fizzy water. Even sugar-reduced or sugar-free drinks can cause this problem, which is exacerbated by the way children constantly sip drinks.
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