Children love drinking fruit juice, but the sugar content in it often scares parents, who practically view it as "fattening water". However, foreign nutritionists presented research findings at the annual conference of the pediatrics society, stating that as long as children drink 100% natural fruit juice, parents need not worry about them becoming overweight.
American child nutrition experts analyzed the dietary habits of more than 3600 children aged 2-11 and found that they did not exceed the recommended daily intake of natural juice, averaging 116 ml per day. Even children who consumed more than the recommended amount were not more prone to obesity than other children. Furthermore, upon closer examination of the 2-3 year old age group, it was found that those who regularly drank natural juice were three times less likely to be overweight than those who did not drink juice. Additionally, children who liked drinking natural juice also consumed less fat, salt, and other sweets.
Therefore, to help children maintain a healthy weight, the focus should be on their daily calorie intake and physical activity, rather than missing out on the opportunity to obtain large amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, and iron from natural fruit juice.