Last Updated: January 17, 2020

How Good Is Juicing for Your Kids?


by Lisa

Childhood is an important time as all the mental and physical developments begin during this age. Parents must take utmost care to feed their child to provide them with all the necessary elements responsible for a healthy mind and body. However, children are fussy eaters and generally do not like to consume vegetables and fruits which are a source of vitamin and minerals.

It thus becomes a difficult task for parents to provide the child with the nutrients required for their healthy growth. It is thus, advised by some doctors and nutritionists that children should be fed these vegetables and fruits in the form of their juice. Juice, thus serves as an alternative and is a favorite among kids.

A study by the California State University, found that 50% of the kids consume the juice of those fruits and vegetables that they do not like to eat in their solid form.

Why are juices recommended?

Juices are a great source of energy and have all the nutrients required for development of body and mind.

The juice of carrots provides Vitamin A, the juice of orange provides Vitamin c, the juice of green and leafy vegetables provide Vitamin B complex and roughage, thereby making juices an ideal drink for growing kids. It is advisable for parents to make their child accustomed to the habit of having juices along with their meals or otherwise.

However, kids at different age have different requirements, so how do you decide which vegetable or fruit juice to give to your kid, let us find out:

How Do I Choose the Right Kind of Juice for my Child?

Kids at different ages have different needs and thus parents should have knowledge about the type of juice that their kid requires. Parents must take the advice of a nutritionist or a doctor before introducing any kind of juice in their child’s diet. A doctor knows your child’s history and health parameters and thus is the best judge of your child’s diet.

Let us now see what kinds of juices are advisable for kids of different age groups.

Children between the ages of 1 and 3

It is a crucial stage in a child’s life as it is at this age that he is first introduced to solid food. At this age juices of fruits such as pears, apples, oranges etc, are recommended by doctors. However, the juices must be highly diluted and should be administered in small quantities so as to let the child’s digestive system get accustomed to it.

Children Between the ages of 4 and 9

By this age, a child’s digestive system is fully developed and can digest solid as well as liquid food easily. Thus at this age, parents should increase the concentration of juice and should try the juice of green leafy vegetables as well.

Children older than 9 years.

By this time, a child should be accustomed to consuming all kinds of juices including beetroot and bitter gourd and should adopt the healthy habit of consuming a glass of freshly squeezed juice with breakfast.

Juices are a great way to fulfill the daily requirements of the body however; one should not forget the importance of solid food. Parents should keep in mind that juices are an alternative to solid food and should not be entirely replaced with solid food. Parents need to practice a lot of caution with kids; therefore, to help you out here are some dos and don’ts of juice consumption.

The Dos and Don’ts of Juice Consumption

Do not add sugar to your juice

Juices contain the natural sugar present in the fruit and thus do not require any extra sugar. The extra sugar can lead to gum and tooth diseases and obesity.

Do not sieve out the pulp of the fruit.

The pulp contains roughage and fiber, which is extremely important for the digestive system; hence, the pulp of a fruit should not be sieved out of the juice.

  • Always consume freshly squeezed juice; it is not advisable to consume stored juice.
  • Cleanliness is necessary. Always wash your juicer before and after using it, also the fruits or vegetables should be thoroughly washed and properly peeled. Read
  • It is always advisable to dilute the juice for kids.
  • Do not let your child consume juices that come pre packaged in tetra packs.
  • Do not let your kid have more than one or two glasses of juice a day. Give more importance to the consumption of solid food such as grains and solid vegetables.
  • Consult your doctor or nutritionist and prepare a chart, follow the chart thoroughly.

Kids are the apples of their parent’s eyes and they strive to provide every possible healthy and nutrition edible during the years of their development. Juices are an important element in that list and now with the help of the above instructions, you can safely and easily give your child the best suitable juice for them. Also, check out! all about the top-rated juicers and the best slow juicers.

Healthy Childhood with Nutritious Juices

Juices are packed with punch of nutritious elements like Iron, Calcium, Vitamins, and Minerals. Importance of juices is not something new for any of us. The health benefit of juices for kids is often a topic of much debate. However, to relief of all of us, researchers have found that juices are equally beneficial for kids too.

The popular opinion that juices are a reason for obesity in kids is a myth. Juices are equally important for kids’ growth. Juices are rich in phyto-nutrients, which are not easily available in cooked food, thus these are an excellent form of raw natural nutrition. It may be very difficult for you to feed your kids their favorite veggies, but when it comes to juices, kids do not need all that convincing!

Vitamins: for the Growth and Proliferation of Tissues

It is really very tough to infuse vitamins in diet of your kids. There are many parents complaining that their kids do not take enough of healthy foods that would suffice their vitamin intake. However, with help of juices it becomes easy to include vitamins in every meal that your kid takes. The basic fact about juicing is very interesting, as cooking destroys all the healthy components of food, which are still preserved when you juice those healthy fruits and vegetables for your kids.

Nevertheless, this is interestingly not the case with juices. Any vegetable or fruit when turned into juice maintains its vitamin value as it is, as in raw fruit itself. This is what is really attracting to most of the parents these days, plus it is really easy to spice up a glass of juice and make your kid drink it too. Now you do not need to run after your kids to eat Spinach curry or Spinach sandwiches, just juice it, and see it vanish!

Hydration Benefits

Kids often play for long durations in harsh sun, and they do not understand that they require enough of water to keep themselves hydrated at all times. This is another issue with kids’ diet. Every mother wants her kid to stay fit and it is very difficult indeed to make your child remember to drink water every few hours. It even becomes difficult to give any other glucose drink to children. However, when these same nutrients are laden in juices it becomes a great treat.

Hardly any kid would resist fruit juices, which are sweet and nutritious as well as aromatic at the same time. One thing that needs to be remembered is that, you should always prefer homemade juices to packaged juices for your kid. Packaged juices contain artificial sweeteners and preservatives these are unhealthy for kids and are not recommended for them. If you are thinking about juices to include in your children’s diet then go for citrus flavors as researchers have often reflected how kids absolutely love the combination of sweet and sour.

Developing Healthy Regime:

Developing a healthy diet that would benefit your kids in long term is very important, and this is something that needs to be taught when your kids are young. Whatever healthy habits you try to inculcate in them, will definitely benefit them tomorrow. A glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice is something that no kid can refuse, if served right.

You can also make a whole family thing out of it, by dividing chores such as you passing on the cut oranges to your kid who carefully juices them while u supervise or you let your kid watch while you prepare a juice for him. This can also add some parent-kid bonding time; ensuring healthy habits stay that way for long.

Developing a Strong Immunity:

Immunity is one thing that needs the most attention, especially in the growing years. A stronger immunity can help decrease the many ailments your kid can acquire while growing up. It has been seen that kids who keep sick during their growing years often suffer from stunted growth and lower IQ. If your kid has, all the nutrients and vitamins required to build a strong immunity against diseases, he will stay fit and healthy for longer. A good immunity also means a greater growth potential.

Including Benefits of Vegetables in Diet

Children of all, tend to ignore green leafy vegetables in their food. They do not naturally like to eat vegetables in their food, and this is somehow universal. What is commendable is that kids all over the world somehow get to dislike the same things without actually premeditating about disliking them. Moms are generally aware about the fact that it is very hard for them to make their kids to eat vegetables.

This is something that probably every mother has to go through, or has been through. This is why juices offer such a riveting rescue to all the mothers out there. Fruits like pineapples, guavas, berries, apples and almost anything under the sun can be juiced and kids have a hard time saying no to an attractive glass full of actual nutrition. Therefore, juices are every mother’s best friend from now on, as they actually lighten your daily children’s cajoling routine and you do not have to convince your kids anymore!

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