Drinking fruit juice may seem like a healthy option but drinking a lot of juice can be bad for our health. Fruit juice does have some health benefits including containing vitamins, minerals and plant compounds that can protect you from disease. However, fruit juice is also a concentrated source of natural sugar. One small glass of juice (250ml) is equal to four pieces of fruit.
If you drink high quantities of fruit juice, you could be contributing to excess energy intake increasing your risk of obesity and other conditions like type 2 diabetes. Despite what the label on the juice bottle might say, or even if the juice is “freshly squeezed”, you can’t beat plain old water and tucking into a fresh apple or orange.
What’s wrong with fruit juice?
High in sugar and increases the risk of weight gain
One of the main problems with fruit juice is that it’s high in calories and sugar and low in fibre and very easy to drink. If you’re drinking it regularly, it can lead to weight gain by adding unnecessary energy to your day. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting fruit juice consumption to 125ml (as a single serve) and should only contribute to 1 of your 2 fruit serves recommended every day.
Drinking a lot of sugary drinks has been linked to a number of lifestyle conditions.
Damaging to your teeth
As fruit juice is high in sugar, it can provide a food for the bacteria in dental plaque, resulting in an increase in dental decay. The other issue is that the acid content of many fruit juices can start to damage the enamel on your teeth and this can lead to a higher risk of tooth decay.
What do the Australian eating guidelines say?
According to the Guidelines for Healthy Eating, we should only occasionally drink a small amount of fruit juice with no added sugar. They caution that fruit juice is acidic and can increase the risk of dental erosion.
The guidelines also recommend we should be consuming two serves of fruit a day.
A standard serve of fruit is about 150g or:
- 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear
- 2 small apricots, kiwi fruits or plums
- 1 cup of diced or canned fruit (with no added sugar)
What should we have instead of fruit juice?
Water
If you’re looking to quench your thirst, water is always the healthiest option. It’s also free and readily available in Australia and causes no damage to your teeth. In fact, the fluoride that’s added to tap water helps to protect your teeth from decay.
Whole fruit
If you’re looking for a bit more energy, whole fruit is a much healthier option than fruit juice. Whole fruit contains more fibre and is therefore more filling and leaves you less likely to overeat. For example, it’s much easier to drink the juice of seven apples than it is to eat seven apples in one sitting.
Ice tea
Homemade iced tea (not bottled iced tea which is high in sugar) is refreshing and can be made by brewing four teaspoons of loose-leaf herbal tea with one litre of freshly boiled water. You can add a few mint leaves, store in the fridge until chilled, and enjoy with a slice of lemon. There are also cold infusion tea-bags available with lots of flavours and no added sugars.
Fruit infused water
Fruit infused water is simply water with fruits such as strawberries, lemon, orange and watermelon added. Add a little mint for a special touch.
What about coconut water?
Coconut water is the water of a young, green coconut and because of the hydrating qualities and the electrolytes it contains, it’s been marketed as a low sugar alternative to water. The reality is that it’s only low in sugar when you compare it to fruit juice or soda drinks. Coconut water is often high in natural sugars. Many of the marketed forms of the drink also contain added sugar as well. While it is high in potassium, it only has small amounts of other electrolytes like calcium, phosphorus and sodium. It also isn’t very high in vitamins. Overall, drinking coconut water is ok nutritionally, but it’s better just to stick to plain old water.
Ways to encourage children to eat fruit
Eat the rainbow
It’s important to try to eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruit each day as they all contain different nutrients. Focusing on colour can be a good way to engage your kids.
Fruit blooms
Take some watermelon and rock melon slices and, using a cookie cutter, create some beautiful flower fruit shapes. Add a popsicle stick for the stem, and watch your children giggle and gobble them down!
Heart apples
Show your child some love in their lunchbox by adding a heart to their apple. Simply take a red and a green apple, cut them in half and remove the core from each side. Cut a heart shape out from a half of each colour using a cookie cutter, and then switch the pieces over.
Fruit pizza
Start with a slice of watermelon and ask your toddler to pick some fruit toppings like passionfruit and blueberries.
You can find more ideas for getting your kids to eat fruit and vegetables at the Queensland Department of Health.
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fruit-juice-vs-soda
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/fruit
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/recommended-number-serves-children-adolescents-and
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-that-make-you-fat#section3
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/juices-and-acid-erosion-in-teethhttps://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/how-to-get-your-kids-to-eat-fruit-and-vegetables
https://www.healthier.qld.gov.au/tools/colour-recipe-wheel/
https://theconversation.com/is-coconut-water-good-for-you-we-asked-five-experts-123524
https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Adults-31-64/Fluoride
All information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes only. The information provided should not be relied upon as medical advice and does not supersede or replace a consultation with a suitably qualified healthcare professional.