The Juice on "Juice"

This month, in our newsletter dietitian, Anne Kolker, discusses beverages. Beverages can be a huge source of calories for our children if we are not careful. This month, our blog will take a more detailed look at the beverages that are popular with children. We will be looking at few things: which ones are pure juice, what are the calories of different juices and even looking at those labels. I will also look at what some of the recent studies are saying about the childhood obesity and juices.

So in other words: I will be giving you the Juice on "Juice.

Okay. Let's start with a look at some recent studies. This particular study was published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Here is the link to the abstract.

There has been a great deal of noise lately about juice being associated with childhood obesity or not being associated with childhood obesity. Depending on what you were reading. But let's get back to this study. What I like about this particular study is that it is a study looking at the clinical studies that have done.

It looked at a total of 21 ( 9 cross-sectional and 12 longitudinal) studies evaluating the association between juice drinking and childhood obesity. Here is what they concluded:

• drinking juice in moderate amounts seems to be okay for children and adolescents
• drinking 100% fruit juice can help children get their servings of fruit

I don't want to sound sarcastic because I do have a great deal of respect for the scientific community and can appreciate the need for sound evidence. But don't just think that sometimes it is just good ole' common sense. We know fruit juices can be packed with sugar. Sugar means more calories. Depending on your child's activity, those calories can really begin to add up.

So it is again about moderation. Poor your child a small glass of juice, make sure it is 100% and does not have added sugar.