Last week we went to the pediatrician. Excellent visit. Junior could be a poster child for good childhood health. As skinny (39 pounds) as I may think he is, he's where the doctor wants all kids.
Our pediatrician is anti-juice. He recommends milk and water. He firmly believes that juice is as bad for children as soda. One serving of juice a day is fine, but to allow kids to drink juice all day isn't good for them. The sugar content of juice is the same or higher than soda.
What?? Yes, the sugar content of juice really is the same or higher than soda, here's a test:
Regular Pepsi 8 oz serving = 26 grams of sugar
According to our pediatrician kids who drink juice all day instead of water can be taking in 3000-6000 extra calories a week, and there's no way a child can burn off that many extra calories, and eventually all this extra intake turns to fat. Yikes.
I pulled this from juicyjuice.com:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than four to six fluid ounces of juice per day (one serving) for children ages one to six years old, and no more than eight to 12 fluid ounces per day (two servings) for children seven to 18 years old. Too much juice in the diet can lead to diarrhea, stomachaches and gas, and contributes extra calories, which may be unnecessary.
That's the equivalent of one juice box for kids 6 and under and 2 juice boxes for kids over 7.
Junior doesn't drink juice, we cut it out of his diet last year when the pediatrician pointed out the sugar problem. My husband's family has a history of diabetes and we decided to be careful with sugar and carb intake. Don't get me wrong, we're not neurotic about what he eats, but cutting out juice was an easy way to avoid excess sugars and calories.
Okay, I'm officially off my Mommy Soap Box.
Have a great day, stay cool and happy reading.
6 comments:
My tiwns just LOVED Thomas the Tank engine stories - we had a couple cassette books too that they adored - they had the sounds of the train and the whistle. So cute.
I agree with your doctor - my kids drink milk or water - only one fruit juice drink a day and hardly never any soda (I don't ever buy soda - we only have milk, water, or orange juice at home) Boring, I know, but it's nice that every year when I call the doctor for the kids' check-ups he has to look us up to see who we are, lol.
Hey Sam, Junior discovered Thomas at 2 and it has been his favorite ever since. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday--"Thomas stuff" was the answer.
I had cut off his juice intake last year, though it wasn't much to start with, I always thought it was too sweet and watered it down anyway. We don't keep soda in the house either. So when the pediatrician brought it up again I decided to check out the stats at the market and was shocked by the sugar counts.
I actually have to make sure he drinks milk with each meal as his first choice would always be water, I guess that's a good thing.
I stopped giving my kids juice when they were little because they weren't as hungry if I gave them juice. The dr said (only after I asked, though) the excess sugar cuts back on their appetite. My kids are still skinny, but they eat much better than they used to. Diabetes is scary at any age, but especially with kids.
Yikes! I had no idea it was that bad. I give him about 4 oz watered down but I may cut back on that. That's crazy how my ped never mentioned that especially when his weight is a little below average and my dad and grandma are both diabetic. You would think he'd give me some warning. Sheesh!
Me again.The Academy of Pediatrics recommends 4 to 6 oz of juice at breakfast for a one to two year old. No mention of sugars or even watering it down. That's insane.
My youngest Godson wouldn't eat and always wanted his bottle filled with juice or milk. The doctor finally explained to my friend that he was drinking his calories and that if she stopped giving him so much to drink he would start to eat.
Now, he's a skinny boy and he eats next to nothing but at least he isn't drinking as much as he was.
I know I was a pain as a child because I was horribly picky but I can tell you, I wasn't nearly as bad as Josh. I'm hoping he will still outgrow it.
On an adult note, Bob was drinking chocolate milk like it was water and thinking it was better than drinking pop. By the time he checked the labels of all the drinks he thought would be better than a can of Pepsi, he was better off just drinking the Pepsi. Of course, we would be better off to drop pop all together but, uh, we don't have parents to control that kind of stuff ;)
CindyS
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