Healthy Kids School Canteen Association

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Should Healthy Kids Drink Fruit Juice?

Australian Nutrition Guidelines recommend we eat 2 serves of fresh fruit every day and drink only 125ml of fruit juice, if any at all. Because of the amount of sugar and kilojoules in juice being comparable to soft drinks, it isn’t considered to be the best drink choice for children.

Weighing up Between Fruit and Fruit Juice

Fresh fruit is low in energy (kilojoules). But we all know how little juice comes out when you squeeze it.  You need to use several pieces of fruit to get a small cup. So quenching thirst by drinking juice can easily lead to excessive energy intake and weight gain. The vitamin C in fruit makes the juice highly acidic, and together with all those concentrated natural sugars can lead to tooth erosion and decay. By eating whole fruit, you not only get the juice, but all the goodness from the flesh, including the fibre, which helps to maintain a healthy digestive system and control unruly appetites.

Natural Sugars Versus Added Sugars – Is There a Difference?

Sugar, whether natural or not, provides little else other than energy and should be eaten in moderation.  The nutritional benefits associated with natural sugars come from other parts of the foods they are found in – like the protein and calcium in dairy foods and the antioxidants and fibre in the flesh of fruit. Natural sugars are extracted from fruit to sweeten processed foods like muesli bars, biscuits and frozen treats. Fruit sugars used in this way are declared as ‘fruit juice concentrates’ on product labels and under Australian Food Law, are not classified as being ‘added sugars’.  So beware when reading food labels!

Different Types of Fruit Juice

These days there is so much choice when looking to purchase fruit juice, ranging from fruit-based drinks to 99% fruit juices. There is also lots of choice in the form you want to drink it in – is it carbonated, shelf stable, frozen or freshly squeezed you prefer today? Manufacturing processes to turn juice into these forms can remove some of the nutrients it would naturally contain. In its freshly squeezed form, vitamins found in juice are sensitive to heat and time meaning that the longer the juice sits un-refrigerated, the fewer vitamins it will contain. To maintain the quality of juice and extend its life, manufacturers use a variety of processes that effect the nutritional value. So it isn’t uncommon to see fortified juice products - where vitamins and minerals are added back into the juice. Getting your vitamins and minerals this way isn’t ideal. It is better to get these nutrients from the fruit itself and get the goodness from the flesh at the same time.

Deionization Processes

A common manufacturing process used to extend the life of juice is called “deionization”. It works by stripping away the colours and flavours to produce a clear product that lasts longer. Different flavours and colours are then added back into the juice to produce a desired product. A downside of this process is that it makes the end product nutritionally inferior to it’s fresh unprocessed variety and more comparable to a cordial or soft drink. Manufacturers don’t have to declare the juice has undergone deionization so remember the more processed the product appears, the greater the chance it has undergone the process.

Healthy Kids Recommendations

Healthy Kids and the Dietitian’s Association of Australia recommend water to be the first drink of choice with one small glass (125mls) of fruit juice daily being an appropriate serve size for everyone, including children.