With the Government pushing their 5-A-Day messages and health professionals constantly promoting the benefits of fruits and vegetables, you would hope that people are starting to get the message to “just eat more fruit and vegetables”.
However, not all fruit is created exactly the same. Depending on the type of fruit your child consumes (e.g. if it’s fruit juice, a smoothie or a whole piece of fruit) or a mixture of both they can have different effects on the body.
This blog explores the differences between fruit juice vs whole fruits and what the guidance says about fruit juice consumption for babies and children.
What is whole fruit & fruit juice?
Whole fruit – as it sounds, is the complete whole fruit, including the skin, flesh and pulp. Not all fruits are eaten with skin on but many types are. Each of these components of the fruit has different nutrients.
Fruit juice – there are many types of fruit juice which vary depending on how the juice is processed. These can include fresh fruit juice that comes directly squeezed from the fruit, some are pasteurised, some are from concentrate,some clear and some are cloudy with pulp added back in. Some also contain very little in the way of “juice” and are called “juice drinks” which essentially is like a squash. Many popular juices for kids have the pulp removed so they are a smooth juice.
What are the differences between whole fruit & fruit juice?
Whole fruits contain more fibre
When you consume a whole fruit you are consuming the flesh, the skin and the pulp. Each of these parts contain different sets of nutrients – such as fiber and flavonoids in the skin and vitamins, minerals and water in the flesh and even more fibre in the pulp. The nutrients in each component are likely to interact with each other, enhancing their digestion and absorption into the body, but also offer you a more rounded set of nutrients too.
Fruit juice and Sugars
With fruit juice, the skin and pulp of the fruits are often removed which therefore reduces the number of nutrients and fibre and leaves a much more concentrated source of sugars, compared to whole fruits. The sugars in juice are known as “free sugars” as the cells of the fruit are broken down during the juicing process, and the sugars are more freely available for digestion and absorption. Additionally, juice often contains a number of fruits in one glass, rather than just one whole piece, further increasing the amount of sugar in a single glass of juice. On top of this, some juices (usually juice drinks) contain added sugar and/or sweeteners so you always need to check the labels.
Absorption – The concentrated source of sugar in fruit juice (arising from the breakdown of the fruit’s cells from blending, as well as the large number of fruits used in a portion e.g. 3-5 oranges in one glass of juice), results in rapid increases in blood glucose levels, meaning the energy is released very quickly (see more on sugar’s effect on health here). To read more about the impact of Free Sugars from juice see my blog “What parents need to know about free sugars”
Possible health concerns
However, as is always the case with anything ‘nutrition’, there has been some conflicting information and confusion around the concept of fruit juice. This has been highlighted by recent research suggesting that ‘whole fruits protect against diabetes but juice is a risk factor for diabetes’, for example.
Whereas another study says ‘In summary, there was no strong association between the consumption of 100 % fruit juice and diabetes risk’.
The jury is out, but it’s likely best to consume fruit juices in moderation, limit them for young children and focus on consuming whole fruits instead.
How much fruit juice can my baby & child have?
The truth is that babies and toddlers don’t NEED juice at all. Water or milk is always going to be the best source of fluid to keep them hydrated and all they need. Fruit juice, for older toddlers can be a source of fluid and vitamin C – but it should only be offered in small amounts – the NHS recommend when offering juice to under 5s it should be:
- 100% juice
- Diluted 1:10 with water
- Offered at mealtimes only
Babies under 1
NHS guidance states that babies under 1 “don’t need fruit juice or smoothies.” and it’s best not to offer anything other than milk or water to babies under one.
Children over 1 year
If you do choose to offer juice to your child over the age of 1, it’s really important to:
- To offer only 100% juice
- To dilute them – 1 part juice to 10 parts water – to reduce the impact on teeth and blood sugars
- To offer them at mealtimes only, as this can help to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
For older children over 5
Official recommendations suggest fresh juice can count towards ONE of your Five a day for older children, this should be 100% juice with no added sugars, and a portion is around 150mls. Those over 5 should stick to no more than one glass of juice a day, as it doesn’t contain the fibre that is a very important element and benefit from getting their 5 A Day.
Making fruit juice at home and including the skin, pulp, flesh and even some vegetables too (we often use peas or kale in smoothies), can help to increase the fibre, vitamin and mineral content of any juices you do offer.
If you are a big drinker of soft and fizzy drinks however, swapping to fresh juice is still a better option as it contains extra vitamins and minerals which are not found in the “empty calories” of other soft drinks.
More information on what they can drink and other drinks that are not suitable can be found here.
Recipe ideas for juices & smoothies
Every now and then juices and smoothies are fine for little ones (see recommendations above though), and can add nutrition to your little one’s diet. It’s just not ideal to rely on them as every day options.
If making a smoothie at home a few things you can do to make it a better option for your toddler:
- Offer it out of a bowl with a spoon to reduce the impact on teeth
- Include vegetables, yogurt, ground nuts, oats and seeds to add extra nutrition and reduce the impact of the sugars from any broken down fruit on the teeth.
- Have smoothies as every now and then foods and try to have them alongside other meals, rather than on their own.
Use recipes that contain whole fruits where possible such as using bananas and soft fruits like raspberries and other berries, as these will contain more fibre.
Here are some recipe ideas:
For more information see our blog on appropriate drinks for children.