Fruit Juice

Is Your Child Getting Too Much of a Good Thing?

By Kathleen Meister

When my son Jeffrey was a toddler, he was very fussy about food. He hated meat. He hated vegetables. He didn't even like spaghetti. But there was one thing that he absolutely loved: fruit juice. If he had the chance, he would have been happy to drink juice all day.

He would have been happy, but he might not have been healthy.

Experts say that drinking too much fruit juice can contribute to several health problems in babies and young children, including malnutrition, tummy troubles and tooth decay. This doesn't mean that juice is a bad food. It isn't. Fruit juice can be a healthy part of a child's diet, if it's used appropriately. The problem is that some children drink inappropriately large amounts of juice. And since parents usually perceive juice as a natural, nutritious food, they may not realize that they need to keep an eye on their children's juice intake.

In May 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement that advised parents to limit the amount of juice that their children drink. The AAP says that infants shouldn't be given juice at all until they're 6 months old; children aged 1 to 6 should drink no more than 4 to 6 ounces of juice daily; and older children should drink no more than 8 to 12 ounces of juice per day.

Many families – especially those with young children – will have to cut back on juice in order to meet these guidelines. Statistics show that the average American toddler drinks 6 ounces of fruit juice daily. That's equal to the maximum amount permitted by the AAP's recommendations.

"Moderation and balance are the keys to good nutrition," says Ruth Kava, director of nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health. Kava says too much of anything can compromise good nutrition by crowding other foods out of the diet. For example, children who drink excessive amounts of juice may not drink enough milk.

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• Talk about it!