The Truth About Juice

Wait... I thought juice was good for me?

Here's the truth about juice: While 100% fruit juice is better than drinking beverages with added sugar, it's still high in calories and natural sugars. That's fine in small amounts, but too much juice can lead to weight gain and dental cavities.

What about kids? Don't they need juice?

The same goes for kids. They really don't need any juice. It's fine in small amounts, but it's better to give them water to drink and fruit to eat. If you must give them juice, you can mix it with water to decrease how much juice they're actually getting. Here's a helpful chart for how much is "too much":

Age	Recommended Amount of Juice per Day
less than 1 year old	None
1-6 years old	less than 4-6 oz
7-18 years old	less than 8 oz

*Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Find more details here.

Why is fruit so much better than juice?

Even though juice comes from fruit, a lot is lost in the process. The most important part that's lost is fiber. As a result, a piece of fruit will keep you fuller longer than juice, while providing less sugar and calories. Let's compare...