The Goldilocks Principle; Just right.  Of course, what is “’Just right” isn’t always agreed upon, especially when it comes to sugar! Take for example a study published in the journal BMJ Open.  They looked at over 200 drinks marketed to kids, including fruit drinks, 100% natural juices and smoothies.

They measured what they called free sugars, which are the ones that are added, like glucose, fructose, sucrose and table sugar, as well as naturally occurring similar sugars to the free sugars in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.  Naturally occurring sugars in whole fruits and vegetables are not free sugars.

Nearly half of the children’s products had 5 teaspoons of sugar, which is considered a child’s entire daily recommended dose of sugar, and amounts to about 19 grams of sugar.  And this was in about 7 oz of the product. So, while drinking 100% juice is better than fruit drinks, some authorities suggest limiting juice to 4 to 8 ounces a day if at all. Milk and water are the best choices for your little one!