Should fruit juice be used in children under 1 year old?

Should children drink fruit juice or not, or should children eat more fruit, must be the question of many parents. In particular, is the issue of using fruit juice for children under 1 year old.

Despite bringing many benefits, but giving fruit juice to children, especially overusing juice, can face some of the following risks:
Tooth decay: Abuse of fruit juice can increase the risk of tooth decay. The risk of tooth decay is caused by the frequent direct contact of the teeth with the sugars in fruit juices, especially canned and processed ones. Colic, flatulence: With young children, when the digestive system is still in the mature stage, children do not have the enzymes needed to metabolize vitamins and minerals in juice, which can cause bloating. Abdominal discomfort. Diarrhea: In addition to gas, bloating, giving children fruit juice also increases the risk of diarrhea because the intestines have not absorbed all the fiber, fiber is pushed down the colon and fermentation occurs in the colon. Here, causing diarrhea. Decreased appetite, slowed physical growth: Drinking fruit juice in excess of the recommended amount can reduce a child's appetite and reduce food intake. As a result, children are not able to fully absorb the nutrients in food for growth. Weight gain, obesity: Giving children fruit juices, especially processed and canned varieties with high sugar content, can increase the risk of overweight and obesity in children if used regularly. Reduce milk and water: When children drink too much fruit juice, it also means that children reduce drinking water and milk. Deficiency of starch, protein, fat: The main components of fruit are sugar and carbohydrates. Therefore, consuming too much fruit juice can cause an imbalance in the child's diet, lacking in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Reduce fruit intake: Compared with drinking fruit juice, it is better to give children fruit to directly provide fiber for children. Drinking too much fruit juice can lead to children not eating fruit and reducing their intake.

As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), fruit juice should not be given to children under 1 year of age. Because breast milk or formula is still the baby's main source of nutrition at this stage and fully meets the baby's needs without the need for vitamins or minerals from fruit juices. In particular, babies need to be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be healthy, grow and develop comprehensively. Giving fruit juice to children under 6 months of age or before weaning can increase the risk of refusing breast milk, reducing the absorption of proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals in breast milk, leading to to malnutrition.
Children under 1 year old can only use fruit juice in case of constipation and prescribed by the doctor. Under 1 year of age, parents are recommended to give children crushed or chopped fruit and after 1 year of age can give children fruit juice as a snack or snack during the day.

Children from 1 year old can drink fruit juice, but it should be noted:
Give children pure fruit juice, 100% pressed from fruit. It's best to give your child fruit instead of fruit juice. Should drink fruit juice from a regular cup, limit the use of bottles or practice glasses, because it can make children drink more and reduce the amount of milk and water. Fruit juice should not be used for children under 1 year old because at this time breast milk is still the main source of nutrition, children can fully absorb nutrients from complementary foods instead of drinking fruit juice. .
Above are important information about giving children fruit juice, parents can refer to and apply in the child-rearing regime. If you need more in-depth advice on a complete nutritional regimen, suitable for each child's condition, customers should directly contact the Nutrition Specialist - Vinmec International General Hospital for examination and exchange. with a team of doctors and specialists.