Dr. William Sears Offers Juice Advice on New 'Pediatric Office' Web Site,
AskDrSears.com
LAKELAND, Fla., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask a mother what kind of
beverages she serves her child, and one of her proudest responses will be
"fruit juice." But unveiling what she considers to be juice can force
renowned pediatrician
Dr. William Sears into education mode.
"Parents may think a beverage with the word 'fruit' or 'juice' on the
label is significantly healthier than soft drinks," says Dr. Sears, author of
30 books on child-rearing. "That may be true if it's fruit juices like
100 percent pure orange juice, but some fruit-flavored beverages may be junk.
There's a lot of fruit juice confusion out there."
That's why the role of fruit juices versus fruit-flavored beverages in
children's nutrition is the first subject Dr. Sears features on his newly
launched Web site, AskDrSears.com . Scheduled to kick off in March during the
American Dietetic Association's National Nutrition Month(R), the Web site is
designed to be a comprehensive online pediatric office, providing a wealth of
information on children's health, behavior and nutrition needs.
JUICE CONFUSION?
Kids love the sweet taste of fruit juices and fruit beverages, and today
there are plenty of choices: 100 percent pure juice, fruit drinks, fruit
cocktails, fruit-ades, and fruit punch. According to Dr. Sears, 100 percent
pure juices generally provide the best all-round nutritional value. Many of
the rest may contain 10 percent or less of real fruit juices and are loaded
with artificial sweeteners, as well as added sugars such as high-fructose corn
syrup, which provides empty calories and crowds out nutrient-rich foods.
"An orange 'drink', for example, is not going to provide children with the
nutritional bang that 100 percent pure orange juice does," says Dr. Sears.
A seven-year trend shows the daily consumption of fruit beverages is up
91 percent for boys and 52 percent for girls, according to the latest USDA
survey on children's food and nutrient intakes. In his published "The Family
Nutrition Book," Dr. Sears included the nutrient-scarce fruit beverages in his
top 10 list of common junk foods among children. As a 'food that does more
harm to your body than good,' the junk fruit beverages join the ranks of
doughnuts, potato chips and sodas, says Dr. Sears.
SO WHAT ARE THE BEST JUICE CHOICES?
Even within the "100 percent pure fruit juice category," not all juices
are created equal in terms of their nutritional value. In the Family
Nutrition Book and on his Web site, AskDrSears.com , Dr. Sears indicates that
100 percent pure orange juice is one of the healthiest beverages a child can
drink.
"Ounce for ounce, other popular kid fruit juices that are 100 percent pure
such as grape, apple and pear don't have the natural levels of vital nutrients
contained in orange juice," says Dr. Sears. "Compared to other 100 percent
fruit juices, orange juice is generally higher in vitamin C, folate, thiamin,
and potassium. And calcium-fortified orange juice is a good source for that
nutrient."
Other nutritious 100 percent fruit juices recommended by Dr. Sears include
grapefruit juice, pineapple juice and prune juice.
Despite the nutritional juices available, kids are drinking more than
40 gallons of soda a year, guzzling more than 15 percent of each day's
recommended calories, according to the latest USDA survey. "Parents need to
replace these sodas with nutritional fruit juices, but unfortunately some
parents are instead choosing the fruit beverages that are as
nutritionally-void as soda," comments Dr. Sears.
READING THE LABEL
It's no wonder some parents are fooled by fruit beverages that may be
disguised as nutritious. Some front-label terms of these "incognito" fruit
beverages sound wholesome -- touting "real fruit," "100 percent vitamin C" or
"all natural" -- though they may also contain added sugars and high-fructose
corn syrup. The truth of the beverage's true nutritional value
is found in both the list of ingredients and in the Nutrition Facts.
"Parents tell me all the time that they choose labels that read 'made with
real fruit' or 'vitamin C', " says Dr. Sears. "But what parents need to know
is that unlike junk beverages, most 100 percent pure fruit juices offer many
healthy nutrients, and contain no other added ingredients."
NOT JUST FOR KIDS
Parents can set an example for children by also drinking healthy fruit
juices. The USDA's Food Guide Pyramid says 100 percent fruit juice alone or
mixed with mineral water provides the biggest nutritional bang for the
snack-time buck, according to the USDA's Children Nutrition Research Center at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
"Children typically imitate the behaviors of their parents, especially
when in comes to meal time. The food you serve and the habits you promote
become your child's nutritional norms for life," says Dr. Sears. He adds that
acquiring a taste for healthy beverages and foods early on in life will make
sugary options less appealing later, especially when one understands how the
poor nutritional value of these foods negatively affects the body.
To learn more about kids' nutrition visit Dr. Sears Web site
http://www.AskDrSears.com .
AskDrSears.com , founded by William Sears, MD, one of the nation's leading
pediatricians, is the most comprehensive online "pediatric office" for parents
and caregivers in search of fast and credible advice on children's health,
nutrition and behavior. AskDrSears.com provides factual, information that
answers common and not-so-common questions asked of pediatricians and child
health experts throughout the world, every day.
Based in Lakeland, Fla., the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is a
state agency devoted to promoting Florida citrus products. Florida is one of
the world's leading producers of oranges, grapefruit and specialty citrus
fruits, with more than 90 percent of Florida oranges being made into orange
juice. Consumers can identify pure Florida orange juice by looking for the
"100% Pure Florida" symbol on juice packaging.
Contact: Heather Hogan, hhogan@golinharris.com, 312-729-4237, or Denise
Paleothodoros, dpaleothodoros@golinharris.com, 312-729-4211, both of
Golin-Harris International for The Florida Department of Citrus.
SOURCE Florida Department of Citrus
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Related links:
http://www.AskDrSears.com
CONTACT:
Heather Hogan, hhogan@golinharris.com,
312-729-4237, or Denise Paleothodoros,
dpaleothodoros@golinharris.com, 312-729-4211, both of
Golin-Harris International for The Florida Department of Citrus
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