Whether it's the visually appealing orange juice or the deliciously tempting apple juice, fruit juice is truly renowned in the world of babies. Perhaps 50% of babies don't like to eat vegetables, but 80% of them enjoy drinking juice. With its vibrant colors and sweet taste, juice has won over the stomachs of many babies. However, in daily life, mothers have misconceptions about choosing juice, leading to their babies' health deteriorating the more they drink it. The editor has compiled five common mistakes, so moms, pay attention.
Mistake One: Giving babies freshly squeezed juice directly
Many mothers give their babies juice right after squeezing the fruit, thinking it's rich in flavor and freshness, but this can easily cause diarrhea or constipation in babies.
When giving juice to a baby, it is recommended to dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:2 or even 1:3. If the baby's stool does not change significantly after drinking the juice, you can gradually adjust the ratio from dilute to concentrated, such as 1:1 or 2:1.
Additionally, the dilution ratio varies depending on the type of fruit. For example, watermelon is already very watery, so the dilution ratio can be lower. For fruits like apples, pears, and peaches that are rich in water, they can be diluted according to the standard ratio. For citrus fruits, since the risk of allergies is relatively higher and the acidity is also greater, the dilution ratio should be higher as well.
Mistake Two: Using juice as a substitute for whole fruit
Some mothers might think that compared to solid fruit, liquid juice is more convenient, believing that freshly squeezed juice is equivalent to fruit. They also think that drinking juice is safer than eating fruit, as there's no risk of the baby choking. So, they simply use juice as a substitute for fruit. This is actually incorrect.
Freshly squeezed juice can preserve most of the water-soluble vitamins in fruit, such as vitamin C, B vitamins, and minerals like potassium and soluble dietary fiber. However, most of the dietary fiber and some minerals like calcium and magnesium remain in the fruit pulp and cannot be "drunk" by the baby. Moreover, frequently drinking juice without eating fruit is not conducive to developing the baby's chewing ability. Therefore, even freshly squeezed juice cannot replace whole fruit.
Besides this, mothers sometimes choose out-of-season fruits to make juice for their babies. For instance, when a certain fruit is not in season, mothers might still use it to make juice for their baby simply because the baby likes it.
If parents are making juice at home, there's no need to deliberately choose fruits based on their vitamin content. For babies, fresh, seasonal fruits are the best choice. Moreover, the editor suggests that mothers might also consider feeding the baby the solid pulp left after juicing.
Mistake Three: Using fruit drinks instead of juice
Nowadays, the market is flooded with various "fruit drinks made from fresh fruit," advertised as 100% pure juice. Consequently, some mothers take the shortcut and use these so-called "pure juices" from the store instead of freshly squeezed juice for their babies.
Mothers should know that generally, the actual fruit content in these drinks is only 10%-20%. The other main components are water, sugar, organic acids, fruit essences, various colorings, and even food additives that mothers may not be aware of. Besides their bright colors and appealing taste, the nutritional value of these fruit drinks is far inferior to homemade freshly squeezed juice, and it's even better to just let the baby eat fresh, seasonal fruit directly.
Furthermore, the excessive sugar content in fruit drinks can lead to cavities, obesity, malnutrition, or vitamin deficiencies. Therefore, experts recommend that babies under 2 should not drink any fruit beverages containing artificial additives.
Another situation is when mothers use the boiled water from cooking fruit as a substitute for fresh juice, thinking it won't be too cold for the baby's stomach. However, when fruit is heated to high temperatures, nutrients like vitamin C are largely destroyed, so its nutritional value is significantly reduced. Thus, the nutritional value of boiled fruit water is much lower than that of fresh juice.
Mistake Four: Letting juice replace water
As liquids, juice is more appealing to babies than plain water due to its taste and flavor. Some parents, seeing that their baby doesn't like drinking plain water, simply use juice as a replacement. This erroneous substitution is actually very harmful to the baby's health.
A glass of fresh juice, especially one mixed with two or more fruits, is too high in sugar, nutrients, and calories for a baby. If a baby drinks juice all day, the risk of obesity will also increase.
Studies have pointed out that a seemingly healthy glass of juice can have as many calories as a glass of soda. So while juice is good, it should be consumed in moderation. The importance of plain water for babies cannot be overstated; a baby might be able to go without juice, but absolutely cannot go without water. Therefore, no beverage can casually replace plain water, and this is something mothers must remember.
It's worth noting that drinking juice should not affect the baby's daily milk intake or main meals. Generally, for babies aged one to six, the daily intake of juice, whether homemade or bottled, should not exceed 120ml. If excessive consumption leads to various chronic diseases, the consequences will outweigh the benefits.
Mistake Five: Juicing fruit without any pre-treatment
In most cases, we directly squeeze fruit into juice for babies to drink, rarely blanching the fruit first. On one hand, fruit can be eaten raw, and on the other, many nutrients are lost when fruit is blanched. Mothers are actually mistaken; blanching fruit before juicing makes the juice healthier and more nutritious.
Mothers should briefly blanch the fruit in boiling water to "deactivate" the oxidizing enzymes and soften the texture slightly before juicing. This not only reduces the loss of vitamins and increases the juice yield but also keeps the color vibrant and prevents it from browning easily. The key is to control the blanching time.