Pediatricians Are Now Starting a War Against Fruit Juice

Jun 22, 2017 by Justin Vict

Giving clearly wrong advice, pediatricians are now taking a stand against giving children fruit juice, whether it be artificial or completely natural. This might be solid evidence that doctors can sometimes be horribly wrong.

Society is cultivated to assume that doctors always know what’s best for your health. This is how it is for most Western societies, where the population shares a sheep-like mentality to unquestioningly follow the doctor’s advice and to shun any other kind of healthcare provider or self-help.

On one hand, such a mentality is good because it keeps people from being tricked by unlicensed scammers trying to sell harmful health products or health advice. But on the other hand, it keeps people blind about the truly healthier, economical options available to them. It also causes them to never question their doctor’s advice – which could be wrong since no human is error-free.

The latest announcement by the American Academy of Pediatrics is an example of incorrect medical advice professionally licensed medical practitioners can give. They say that kids should stop drinking fruit juice – even natural fruit juice. They’re urging parents not to give their children fruit juice and to resist the urge to offer fruit juice as a convenient kids’ snack.

They reason that fruit juice is high in sugar, which can increase risk for childhood diabetes in children who drink it regularly. They say its high sugar content also contributes to poor oral health when kids drink it throughout the day and sleep with their sippy cups, which continuously introduces sugar into their teeth and gums both day and night – this leads to an increased risk of developing cavities and gum disease.

Why Natural Fruit Juice Is Holistically Healthier Than Most Kids’ Snacks and Drinks

Telling people that giving kids natural fruit juice is unhealthy and puts them at risk for disease is almost the same as saying not to eat walnuts because they’re high in fat (walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which do miracles for your children’s development). One serving of natural fruit juice may contain 150 calories, but it’s also filled with vitamins, minerals, and powerful antioxidants that enrich and protect your child’s growing body.

They also have powerful health benefits. Grape juice’s resveratrol has been found to boost heart health the same as exercise. It also protects your DNA’s telomeres, which helps slow aging (which isn’t as important for children). There are more amazing things it does for your body, like helping prevent cancer and lowering inflammation.

Tart cherry juice has been found to promote muscle recovery and lower muscle pain and weakness. Its anti-inflammatory properties have been found to help treat psoriasis, acne, and arthritis.

Compare juices’ healthy properties to what other child-friendly beverages have to offer. Water is probably the best alternative, but it doesn’t offer the same nutrient benefits. The next healthier options are antioxidant-rich teas and hot dark chocolate with no added sugar. Both these drinks have their own heart healthy, cancer-fighting benefits and more, but they’re unappealing to children.

The obvious other options are sodas, slurpees, and other toxin-filled fun drinks with no real nutritional benefit. They not only tax your children’s bodies, but they also destroy their teeth and increase their risk for developing diabetes and possibly other diseases.

Now that you see most of these alternatives, would you agree with your pediatrician if she told you that fruit juice isn’t good to give your kids?

But Pediatricians Aren’t Completely Wrong

Pediatricians argue that instead of giving children fruit juice, parents should take the time to prepare fruits as snacks instead. They say that fruits have fiber, which helps prevent diabetes by slowing the absorption of the fruits’ sugars in your gut. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol and cleans out your gastrointestinal tract. And that’s all they really had to say about fruits versus fruit juice!

They’re right – fruit juice doesn’t have fiber because it’s the pure juice from the fruit. But theirs is a weak argument, really. It’s like saying drinking vegetable-based protein shakes are bad and that you should eat nuts instead because they have fiber. Okay, that’s a bad example because nuts do have the minerals, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients that are lacking in vegetable-based protein shakes. But you get the picture.

But keep in mind that fruit juice contains the juice of several servings of fruit – that means one glass of fruit juice has more nutrients than one normal serving of fruit (but not the fiber). But that also means it also has more sugar than a serving of fruit.

Ultimately, pediatricians say that you can still give your children fruit juice, but you have to limit the number of servings they drink per day. They advise you not to let them run around with their sippy cups all day and night because this increases the likelihood of continuous introduction of sugar into their mouths. You can also help curb cavities in your children’s teeth by making sure they brush their teeth twice daily.