Good juice drinks for kids

psarinuk

Hi,

I've 2 kids aged 8.5 and 3.99 (nearly 4). Both of them love juice drinks over water.
We live quite close to Asda and Tesco, so I used to buy whatever juice was on offer like Capri Sun, Fruit Shoot, Tropicana, Innocent, and big cartons of Rubicon, Del Monte etc.
When their teeth started eroding slightly, I showed them to the dentist who advised more water and less juice.
With a less chance of that happening practically with my kids, I am hoping to find a list of good juice drinks that we can give to our kids.
I also have a hereditary issue of high Uric Acid which I may have passed to my kids, so need to keep sugary drinks low.

Obviously, the labels like "no added sugar or preservatives" is not good enough when you buy these cartons these days.

Looking forward to some clarification and choices.
Thanks.

stephen77

If you want less sugar and more water.

You may have to choose a option like fruit shoot (though check the ingredient dec), flavoured spring water.
Tropicana do a 50:50 fruit juice with out added sugar. Some other brands will do the reduced sugar options as well.

flea72

Short answer, there are no good fruit based drinks. However for an easy life, if you feel they must have them, then limit them to mealtimes only. outside of that man up and tell them its water or nothing.

WestonDave

Most of those you've listed will be classed as "Juice Drinks" meaning that they contain some juice but also a load of added sugar. Sticking to meal times for drinks other than water will avoid a residual acid problem as the saliva when eating will help clear that. I'd personally switch them to pure apple or orange juice - start them on it neat to get over the flavour change without losing the taste, and then as they get used to it add increasing amounts of water until its 50:50 juice and water.


The other thing is a lot of people dislike luke warm water - we keep a refillable bottle of tap water in the fridge so that we can drink really cold water - which gets over the taste issue. A certain amount of outsmarting can also be useful especially at this time of year when its hot. Sistema do a drink bottle that has a freezable core - set those up so they are ice cold and the kids can only drink water out of them (because juice will damage them - ;-) ) and the novelty may outweight the dislike of water.

bargainbetty

Get them a couple of refillable drinks bottles (one in use, one in the fridge) and make up a weak cordial/squash using a no-added sugar option. They are used to juice, but at those ages, a refillable bottle will be just as good. It will also save you a fortune on expensive juice. Save that for breakfast.

AnnieO1234

I second what bargainbetty has suggested, but also freeze the bottles (leave some air at top for expansion) and give them to your kids to take to school. It will serve as an ice pack, still be partly frozen by lunchtime if not later and will be very refreshing on hot days.

Xx

Bublin1

Fruit Shoots are gross...., full of sugar and do not quench your thirst.

sharond101

Drinking juice through a straw helps reduce the amount in contact with the teeth so lessening the possible erosion.

maman

Ideally you'd just give them milk or water. All juices contain sugar whether added or natural it's still sugar. As a compromise go for no added sugar squash, well diluted or flavoured water.

ms_night_ryder

Make them flavoured water, with their choice of flavour.

BAGGY

Dont let them have squash in a sports top bottle. My friend (dental heigenist) says the slurping action through the front teeth is worse then drinking full sugar cola. Let them have a straw or beaker.