Kids love fruit juices.  As parents we think we’re giving them something “healthier” than soda.  But this portion of Dr. Mercola’s article helps us understand that is not the truth at all.

Fruit juice is probably the most requested drink by children of all ages, not because it quenches thirst, but because it tastes good. And fruit juice, it turns out, is not one of the best things you can put into your body, especially for children.

Yes I can hear all the fruitarians screaming that I am wrong and there are unusual situations in which this isn’t true. For someone who is normal body weight with no insulin resistance it might not be a major problem, especially if you’re drinking freshly squeezed organic juice in moderation.

However, that is clearly a very tiny minority of the population.

Drinking fruit juice is only slightly different from drinking soda. Both deliver a massive dose of sugar to your body unbound by any of the slow-releasing mechanisms provided by nature.

So when you think of fruit juice, you should think of soda.

You should certainly by now be aware of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, but please understand that simple fruit sugar extracted from fruit has virtually identical side effects and negative effects on your biochemistry. This means fruit juice will cause a major spike in your insulin levels.

This is important because elevated insulin levels are one of the primary drivers for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.

This may be why drinking fruit juice has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, while fructose itself has been shown to increase your triglyceride levels. In one previous study, consuming fructose raised triglyceride levels by 32 percent in men. Forty years worth of research has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease. So when it comes to fruit juice, if you are overweight or obese, it’s my recommendation for you to avoid it entirely and limit your fruit intake to berries.

Also, keep in mind that these processed fruit juices have been heated and pasteurized to the point where their nutritional value is possibly negated.  You’re basically drinking straight sugar, or worse, artificial sweeteners.

Solution?  Try teaching your children to drink plain, pure water!  You can splash some lemon or lime in it to make it more tasty.  You can also make your own smoothies at home.  If you do this, you can sneak in some amazing green veggies and they won’t know they’re having something so wonderful for them.

sources: Mercola.com, Shaklee