Handout I put together for the mom to mom group I'm leading tomorrow for work

Juice

More is not always better!

• drinking too much juice can contribute to obesity, cavities, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems, such as excessive gas, bloating and abdominal pain.

• infants under 6 months of age should not be given juice, although many Pediatricians do recommend small amounts of juice for children that are constipated

• younger children aged 1 to 6 years should have only 4 to 6 ounces of juice a day.

• older children should be limited to 8 to 12 ounces of juice a day

• instead of juice, children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits

• If your child fills up on juice they may not want to eat other healthy foods

• Your child does not need to drink any fruit juice, especially if he is getting the Food Guide Pyramid's recommended servings of fruit by eating whole fruit.

American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement. The Use and Misuse of Fruit Juice in Pediatrics. PEDIATRICS Vol. 107 No. 5 May 2001, pp. 1210-1213.

Some tips for making the most of your WIC juice:

• go for the dark colored juices or citrus juices- they have more nutrients in them than the clear juices like apple.

• buy V8 (if you don't like to drink V8 use it to make veggie soup or as the liquid in your chili recipe!)

• Put your juice in the blender with some frozen bananas or frozen strawberries so that you get some fiber with your juice and get some WHOLE fruit included in your diet

• try making flavored water by mixing juice and water. 1/3 juice and 2/3 water tastes similar to a lot of the expensive flavored waters such as Propel only its cheaper and more natural! It will also help you increase your water intake!

• Look at the ingredient list on all your purchases. The ingredients are listed in the order of amount. If you buy “grape flavored” juice and the first ingredient is apple juice than you know that there is more apple juice in the drink than grape juice. And if sugar or high fructose corn syrup is listed than its not 100% juice and its probably better to just leave that drink on the shelf!

• Mix some juice with yogurt to make a yogurt drink just like the ones sold in the yogurt section of your store. If you are making a yogurt drink for your little one you might even be able to use PLAIN yogurt and juice to make a drink that is lower in sugar than the more expensive ones at the store!