Revisiting the Juice Question

Zen

I have been steadfastly anti-juice thinking that kids need to get calories from food they eat, and drink just milk and water. But ... with an eye on getting in 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies daily ... is 4-oz of juice a serving? And if Shiloh had just one a day, would that be a bad thing?

ncmomstobe

We do not have juice in the house, but ds gets it when we're out or with family, etc. I do not personally count that as a serving of fruit, but that's just my opinion. The commericals for juice say that it counts...
If you look up serving sizes for toddlers, you will see that they are quite small. Maybe Shiloh is already getting them? Just a thought.

K&H

Lately E has been drinking "green juice", Which is Naken Juice Green Machine. It has mostly apple kiwi and pineapple juice, but also broccoli spirulina wheat grass and other good for you greens. In my opinion, giving juice that is just fruit is a waste of a veggie opportunity! If you do give her juice, try the most complex, whole food juice first and if she doesn't like it you're no worse off than now when she doesn't drink it at all. If you go straight to plain apple juice not watered down you could be teaching her taste buds to crave super sweet sugar.

SPJ&E

Since you are hesitant on the juice, have you tried maybe applesauce or something along those lines? My kids absolutely love those squeeze pouches of applesauce. They are pure fruit, nothing added. My guys (even the baby) are much more willing to have one of those for a snack than a cup of applesauce. I guess for the same reason they prefer Go-gurt over cups of yogurt.

But do I think juice is evil, no, absolutely not. My kids drink juice (1/2 water, 1/2 juice...unless it's orange juice, we don't water that down). They get about 4 oz. total in a day, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. They are very healthy kids who also drink plenty of water and milk. It's just not something I fret over at all.

babybaby

by the way, the jamba juice smoothies can be purchased in the freezer section of the grocery store near the frozen juices.

pb

I thought juice was evil. I would not let Beckham ever have it. Now he is almost 4 and he does get it once in awhile. He won't drink milk anymore but he drinks a lot of water. I do not count juice as anything but a treat but I'm not big into counting servings anyway-I'm just happy when he eats-lol

mommylove

We don't do juice...Nana tried to give Seb some recently and he wanted nothing to do with it. He drinks milk and water. He does occasionally get some homemade herbal unsweetened iced tea..he likes that!
Sebastian also wants nothing to do with those fruit pouches. But he does eat lots of veggies and fruits that we always have on hand.

EMG_REL

H doesn't get juice, but he LOVES any organic fruit/veggie pouch we give him. We always check the ingredients and never buy any that don't include vegetables. He eats at least one or two per day and asks for them; he calls it a "pack" because we call them packets. They can be pricey, but we think they're worth it!

Zen

*sigh* I'll keep up the juice restrictions. She gets the occasional juice box when visiting friends/family if other kids are having them. And she polishes them off in no time! So I was thinking that would be a nice easy way to up the fruits for the day. She does like fruits and some vegetables. I'd just love to find something other than cheese and milk that she'll eat without coaxing and pressure!

sara291

We only allow the boys juice in the morning & it's most likely 2-3 ounces. It is only orange juice & a very specific brand/type. We are very healthy eaters but now that he is 4 I want to lax some. R gets maybe 1 ounce in a small cup since Z does.

tc0104

What about smoothies? Laney will occasionally eat those packets and will rarely drink a smoothie but if I mix the smoothie in with her milk when shes not looking...it works!

Zen

My understanding of smoothies is that there's a lot that falls under that title! If you take whole fruit and blend it (ie: with water, milk, yogurt, ice, etc), then that's great if your kid will drink it. But if it's a mix that thickens to a shake-like consistency with fruit flavor, skip it!

tc0104

I make her smoothies from fresh fruit but it cannot be too thick or she refuses it....hence the hiding blended fruit in her milk...sigh.

Shaeley Mae

Zen, see what you think of this. It's sold in the refrigerated juice section, and has a blend of several juices, AND Algal DHA.
Lilianna gets approx 2-3 ounces per day with her lunch, simply because it's the healthiest way I can find to get Algal DHA into her body (Algal DHA is the single best food source for brain development).
To me, it's a fairly nutritious product (as far as prepared juices go).

http://productnutrition.thecoca-colacompany.com/products/minute-maid-enhanced-pomegranate-blueberry?packagingId=16791#ingredients

Zen

I remember DHA from my prenatal vitamins but this is the first time I've seen it since! I'll see if my local stores carry it. I'm thinking that juice will remain a treat rather than a staple but I'll feel better about it if the treat is healthy!

EMG_REL

Our pediatrician just mentioned DHA at our last appointment, so we've been giving H the Horizon Organic whole milk with DHA. He loves it (and any milk, really!).

pb

No one is scared of the DHA or others things added? I did give Beckham milk with the DHA but thinking about it scares me

Shaeley Mae

DHA is sold mostly in two forms -- from fish oil, and from seaweed.
Every prenatal, baby formula, milk, etc that I've seen advertising DHA, contains fish oil DHA. And while it's good for you, I'm disturbed by the potential for toxins. If we're supposed to limit our fish intake because of mercury and other toxins, then I can only deduce that we should limit our fish oil intake. I mean .... wouldn't the same toxins that are in the fish, be in the fish oil? Especially when you consider that the only way to mass market fish oil DHA is to seek out the same fish farms that mass market fish (salmon, in particular). And that's one of the most toxic sources of fish.
For that reason, I never took prenatals with fish oil DHA. Instead, I took my regular multivitamin and supplemented with an Algal DHA (which is also more readily absorbed by the body than fish oil DHA anyhow). And I still take it today, while breastfeeding.
When L was little I also used to squeezed some in her bottles or yogurt. Now that she's older, I have to get a little more creative because it is oily, and a little stinky. So,finding a 100% fruit juice, with Algal DHA added is definitely a bonus for us.

fisch

We have avid fruit fans in our house, and generally good eaters. I was more restrictive with baby #1 than we are now with #2. I just don't have to worry much about their nutrition intake. What about making muffins and other carb items with fruit hidden in them...Jessica Seinfeld style? You can buy organic, fairly nutritious juice boxes these days. I don't think it would hurt her, but as others have said, if you are counting food groups, juice boxes don't belong in the count.

Kari

I give Justin apple juice daily but I water it down to the point that he states that the juice he gets at grampy's house tastes sweeter! He eats some fruits but I've also had luck mixing pears, apples, and bananas into baked goods without him knowing. Also, keep in mind that a serving for their age is pretty small. I figure one-fourth of a piece of fruit is a serving, so if he eats a whole pear for breakfast, we're 4/5 there already.

Lindsay

I don't think there is anything wrong with giving juice as long as it is juice..Not HFCS and food coloring..Or they drink so much that they won't eat anything else..My 3 year old nephew drinks so much milk and juice he won't eat..:((

I buy (one at a time) organic orange,grape and pear juice..Lily likes it and drinks about 1 cup a day...

indigoscot

Our sons occasionally ask for fresh Oj which the youngest one then waters down. They only get a tiny amount though. Besides that - no juice boxes or other juices unless we are at a party in which case they can have one only. Both boys drink milk and water - they have learned that water quenches their thirst and request it when outside playing.

Both love fruit and some veggies. Dp also makes her own Popsicles which are basically frozen smoothie mix that she makes from fruit. You might want to try that? We have the zoku Popsicle maker.

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lisabr12345

I do not allow my children to drink packed juices as those are neither healthy nor fresh but when we are out they eat Peanut Butter and Jelly from secret menu Jamba juice. I can’t do anything about it and I hate it.