| Juicaholics
How much squash and fruit juice does your child consume? Jane Bartlett looks at toddlers with a drink problem 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.
‘They graze, sip, stop, sip, stop,’ says Yeo. ‘It takes up to 45 minutes for acidity to be neutralised in the mouth by saliva. So constant grazing means their mouth is rarely free of acidity.’ She also warns parents against giving toddlers a night-time drink of juice in a bottle as this can rot the front teeth. And don’t use milk as a safe substitute in this situation – it also contains sugar. A further dilemma: artificial sweeteners Many drinks boast no sugar or low-sugar content, but the small print on the label often reveals that they’re artificially sweetened with saccharin, aspartame or cyclamate. Critics argue that consumed in large quantities, artificial sweeteners can be harmful. In America, products containing saccharin must be labelled with the words ‘The use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals’. Manufacturers in the UK point out that sweeteners have been approved by all 15 government health advisors in the EC and are perfectly safe if consumed in moderation. However, an increasing numbers of foods are artificially sweetened, including baked beans, tomato ketchup, soups, crisps and toothpastes. Look out for sweeteners in fruit flavoured ‘spring waters’ too. In the UK, artificial sweeteners aren’t permitted in any foods or drinks made for babies. Nutritionists and dentists recommend water and milk but getting children to swallow this is easier said than done A glass of water or milk is not an attractive option to a child when there’s a brightly coloured carton of squash or juice on offer. If you can make sure your baby gets used to drinking water and continues to do so as a toddler, you’re establishing excellent drinking habits and deserve a big pat on the back.
If they’ve already turned into juiceaholics, be cunning Reduce the amount of squash you put in the cup, until it’s just a splash. Both nutritionists and dentists recommend diluting one part juice to ten parts water. MacAvilley suggests trying to increase the amount of milk children drink by offering milk shakes or smoothies. ‘If you can get them to have one glass of milk instead of one glass of fruit juice, it will help with calcium levels,’ she says. Fruit juices should never replace milk in an infant’s diet, and should not be given to babies before they’re six months old. And when they do drink juice or other soft drinks, dentists recommend that you establish certain ground rules. ‘Make them sit down and drink it in one go. If they leave any, take it away. Offer it occasionally but don’t make it their major drink,’ Yeo advises. Here’s what American doctors are recommending
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