Apparently, juice doesn't cause childhood obesity

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Jul 23rd 2008 12:51PM

Categories: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Of all the things that are blamed for the obesity epidemic, soda has received the worst publicity. But we often forget about soda's equally harmful cousin, juice. Sure, juice contains nutrients that soda is missing, but they share a number one ingredient: sugar. It might even be fair to say that juice is merely a type of non-fizzy soda aimed at children.

Not so fast, says some research. Apparently the link between juice consumption and obesity is a weak one, and evidence even suggests that giving juice to your kids is a good way to make sure they're getting their recommended intake of fruit.

Do you agree with these findings? Myself, I'm a bit skeptical of these findings, but like all things, I think moderation is the key; One glass a day won't alone make kids fat if they're getting regular activity and eating healthy. But five or six a day? That might become a problem.

Source

Comments (5)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Christina 7-23-2008 @ 2:09PM

Oh come on! "Equally harmful cousin". "Number one ingredient"? You're HORRIBLY biased. First of all, the "number one ingredient" in juice is WATER, so don't mislead your readers.

And juice is not harmful, so placing it within the same category as soda takes a heck of a lot of nerve. Where soda has added sugars, juice is 100% all natural. Milk has naturally-occurring sugars in it too.

Juice is nutrient packed (though alas, it's missing the fiber of whole fruit) and a healthy part of a meal.

Sugar isn't harmful in and of itself. It's overconsumption of anything, as you noted. But this entire post is misleading due to your bias.

Yuri | EatingforEnergy.ca 7-23-2008 @ 3:57PM

There's a big difference between store-ready sugar-packed juices and fresh pressed juices.

Making a fresh-pressed juice is a great way to get your kids to drink their nutrients.

Kids are fat because they are less active and eating garbage foods!

Yuri
http://www.EatingforEnergy.ca

Jermoir Saucier 7-23-2008 @ 3:59PM

I agree with Christina. I don't see how juice - juice without HFCS or added nastiness - can possibly be said to have any relation to soda? I don't see any Pepsi trees or Dr. Pepper bushes growing out there.

And five or six glasses a day? Where did you get that figure. The study mentions more than 12 ounces.

Anyway, juice is good for you. It doesn't take a nutritionist to figure that out.

Nova11 7-23-2008 @ 4:44PM

Juice is no where near as bad as soda. Still...there is sugar in juice and its usually really sweet so we dilute it down for our boys with water(about 1/2 & 1/2) They still love it and we also dont go through it as fast. :D

Martha Edwards 7-23-2008 @ 7:30PM

Ok, ok, I see all of your respective points. But Yuri is right -- all juices are not created equal. Fresh juices are good for you, but be cautious. Kool-aid counts as juice, does it not? I would say it's no better for you than soda. But a glass for freshly squeezed orange juice isn't bad, just look out for added sugar. I like the suggestion of diluting it with water -- that's what I do when I drink juice.