Yesterday I overheard a conversation between two mothers of very young children (3/4 years): it was about the lunches they put for school ... Attention !: “if I put the girl a sandwich every day, or fruit on 'fruit day', she ends up getting bored”; as a solution, he offered the following: “one day I am changing a piece of coca (sweet cake) with butter, another 'oreo' type cookies. It became clear to me then that the title of father / mother does not give us more wisdom in the field of child health, although for the sake of children, it should be. To myself I thought: "I hope I go to the nutrition talk at school this afternoon."
But look: by dint of being told about (solid) food unhealthy from excess sugar, salt, bad fats, etc ... we are becoming a little more aware, that is, the type of comments that I mention above squeak. But what would you think of the following statements? "I don't give him a bottle of water because he prefers juice", or "I bring him a smoothie (he has sugar!) For a snack", or "every day we take out the blender and make a good natural juice, it's so healthy!"
It seems that nowadays children are bored or tired to drink water, of course as it is no longer customary in homes! But it is undoubtedly the healthiest drink, ahead of natural juices.
How the healthiest? you may wonder, I understand you perfectly: We usually have a designer juicer on the countertop, we know that fruits are healthy, they are also sweet. What's wrong with your juice? If it can also compete with sugary soft drinks and packaged juices! But ... what happens is that fruit is a food rich in sugars (I know, they are natural), and when children have a juice of 4 oranges, the sugar from all the oranges is getting into the body, and no fiber.
For the record, I don't say it, well yes: I say it and I do it instinctively since they were little. But that natural juice is not as healthy as you think (and let's not say the other drinks) nutritionists, pediatricians and various professional societies have been affirming it for years. And, the good thing about natural fruit does not compensate for the high sugar concentration of a juice. This study published in The Lancet 'Diabetes & Endocrinology', stated that - although - natural juice contains more vitamins and antioxidants, It is also capable of causing an overweight-generating effect, due to an excess of calories.
Natural fruit juice is a suitable drink, as long as it is used occasionally
Natural fruit juice: a drink whose use we must limit.
Contrary to what many of us think, fresh fruit is preferable to its juice, it is - also - a good practice - accustom girls and boys to consuming it whole, in pieces or grated (flattened if they are soft fruits like banana or grape). For mothers and fathers it hardly requires effort (wash-peel-cut) and for our children it is very educational, plus it lays the foundation for healthy eating in the future, and why not say so! chewing is also stimulated in this way, and when it comes to babies between 1 and 4 years old this is highly recommended, compared to providing them only food in the form of porridges, purees and soups, which not only discourage eating without anyone helping them, but also eliminates the possibility to value the contrast of flavors, colors and smells.
You will tell me: "well, a natural juice is better than a soft drink", well ... let's see how I explain it: it is true that in the former the nutrients are of better quality than in the latter, but I refer to what was explained above, to remember that should not be consumed regularly. Experiments have been carried out on the impact of fruit juices on health; I specifically remember one in which after administering grape juice for a month (that delicious fruit loaded with sugar), it was found that waist circumference in people who had taken it had increased, and your insulin resistance as well.
No packaged juices?
Before starting I clarify that I do not want to lose myself explaining the types of existing juices depending on their production process, that is why I refer you to this Great article on the blog of the nutritionist Naiara Fernández. With that said, I get to the point: this research conducted by the University of GlasgowSays that packaged juices are as dangerous to health as soft drinks. In other words, the 70,1% of parents who (in this study published in the journal of Primary Care Pediatrics) gave their sons and daughters packed juices for a snack, and they did so regularly, are wrong.
This interests you: a juice to be it cannot have added sugar (according to a European directive of four years ago), because those that are sweetened with MORE sugar they should be called 'nectar' so as not to mislead. However, they still contain a lot of sugar from the fruits from which they are made., and sometimes, other added to make it sweeter.
At the end of the day, what concerns us most is the health of children, and we know that too much sugar is related to acquisition of type 2 diabetes, overweight, with developing cavities, and with nutritional imbalance
What can the little ones drink then?
Water! Does my statement surprise you? See if it has advantages: quenches thirst, refreshes, has no additives or calories, is as easy to carry as a packed juice or a smoothie ... Do you want more options? Think of a glass of milk at snack time or after dinner. What do you make them an orange or strawberry juice from time to time? Nothing happens either, but let it be 'from time to time'.
But limit soft drinks, packaged juices (including those with the legend 'sugar free') and smoothies to the maximum.
Image - (Cover) John Revo Puno