If you regularly consume fruit juice with your lunch instead of a soft drink, good for you! Fruit juices are a more nutritious alternative to carbonated drinks which only ‘hype you up’ with empty sugars. The great this is that more cafes and restaurants nowadays offer fresh-fruit and 100% juice drinks kids, which makes it easy to provide your child with this healthier option. However, did you know that it is possible to give your child TOO MUCH juice? Check this out and other ‘juicy’ FAQs which you should know about.

1.   I’ve heard that compared to eating fresh fruit, fruit juice is more likely to harm my child’s teeth. Is this true?

Yes. Sugars in whole fruit remain within the structure of the fruit. However, when the fruit is turned into juice, the sugars get released. These coat the teeth easily and can damage your child’s teeth, especially if your child drinks juice regularly throughout the day without brushing or drinking water in between.

2.   How much fruit juice is too much for children?

Fruit juice is great but like everything else, you CAN get too much of a good thing. Fruit juice contains calories too, and too much of it can contribute to weight gain, cavities (see question 1), diarrhea and stomach upsets. These are some guidelines you could follow:

-         infants up to 6 months: no juice unless recommended by the doctor (e.g. to relieve constipation)

-         6 – 12 months – up to half a cup (about 120 ml) a day

-         1 – 6 yrs – up to ¾ cup (about 180 ml) a day

-         7 yrs and above – up to 1 and a half cups (about 360 ml) a day

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