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Ten Common Mistakes Parents Make When Choosing Beverages |
SourceForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesParents Confuse Fruit 'Drinks' With the Real ThingBeverages Play Important Role in Child Nutrition Information and news releases furnished by the members of PR Newswire, who are responsible for their fact and content. |
ATLANTA, Sept. 24, 1998 -- When it comes to choosing a healthy
diet
for their children, many parents don't realize the important role that
beverages play. For example, while most parents realize that milk is a
healthful drink there is still confusion about other beverage choices,
particularly the differences between 100% fruit juice (the type of juice
pediatricians recommend) and juice drinks.
One common mistake is serving fruit drinks with only 10% juice, fruit-flavored beverages and soft drinks as substitutes for 100% fruit juice. "Too many parents and kids are confused and aren't aware of what is missing from or added to the beverages their kids are consuming, like the differences between 100% fruit juice and 'juice drinks' that are less than 100% juice," states Dr. Marianne Neifert (a.k.a. "Dr. Mom"), a renowned pediatrician and mother of five grown children who also is editor of Smart Sippin': How to Choose the Right Beverages for Your Child. Selecting 100% fruit juice is an important distinction because a 3/4 cup serving of 100% fruit juice, like apple juice, can count as one of the 2-4 daily servings a child needs from the Fruit Group in the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid. "Recent government data shows that children are consuming barely three servings of fruits and vegetables each day," says Dr. Mom. "Many parents aren't aware that children can drink some of their servings of the recommended 5-A-Day, since 100% fruit juice counts as a fruit exchange." The Smart Sippin' brochure identifies 10 common mistakes parents should avoid when serving beverages to their children: 1. Putting a child to bed with a bottle in its mouth (no matter what liquid it contains) 2. Serving fruit juice to an infant at too young an age (before they can drink it from a cup) 3. Serving fruit juice to infants and toddlers in amounts that are not age-appropriate 4. Feeding skim milk, low-fat or reduced-fat milk to infants and toddlers under the age of two 5. Serving fruit drinks with only 10% juice, fruit-flavored beverages and soft drinks as substitutes for 100% fruit juice 6. Assuming that 100% fruit juice (such as apple juice) has sugar added 7. Setting a bad example as parents by frequently consuming unhealthy beverages 8. Not encouraging children to drink water when they are thirsty 9. Not paying attention to the label on the juice beverage, which tells you the ingredients and percentage of juice 10. Not having healthy beverages in the refrigerator for easy access Like foods, all beverages can be part of a healthy diet. One key is to drink a variety of different beverages. However, drinking healthy beverages such as 100% fruit juice adds important nutrients to a child's' diet. For more tips and other information on healthy beverage choices from Dr. Mom, visit "Smart Sippin," an on-line brochure, which offers tips for choosing healthy beverages, at http://www.applejuice.org. And, as always, parents should check with their pediatric healthcare provider for more specific advice about a child's diet. CONTACT: Tanya Mayfield, for Processed Apples Institute, 404-252-3663 |
