When your kids are feeling thirsty due to the hot weather, they need something to drink. They will often just grab the first thing they find that is nice and cold, and be perfectly satisfied with whatever it is. They may be particularly happy is the drink happens to be a cola or juice.
Juice is definitely better than cola in most cases, and it is even better if the juice happens to be natural and healthy. But if you are thinking about letting your kids prioritize juice over water, you should reconsider before your kids get used to it. Drinking a few glasses of water every day should always be part of their routine, because of these facts and reasons:
Too Much Sugar
Drinking juice is not necessarily a good solution if you want your kids to stay in good shape. This may sound ambiguous because television commercials will tell you that various fruit juices are healthy and are filled with vitamins and minerals that are sure to have some positive health benefits.
This can be true, but you have to remember why juice has that distinctive taste that water lacks – the answer is because it contains sugar. Yes, it is natural sugar, but sugar will always be sugar and you don’t want your kids to ingest too much sugar. You also don’t want them to develop a preference for the sugary taste of juices over water. While it is true that juices have many healthy vitamins and minerals to add, your children are much better off getting those vitamins and minerals by eating whole fruits that contain the natural fibers that juice lacks, and drinking water to quench their thirst.
Remember that kids are likely to intake sugar through other means, like candy, so giving them more water to drink will help to balance that out. Water is best for proper hydration because it does not give that bloated feeling that they can get from drinking juice or colas. If kids drink too much juice, they won’t have the urge to drink anymore water, because they are filled.
More Accessible
Whenever your kids feel thirsty, water is readily available. Just about every vendor that offers juice or colas also sells bottled water. And if you opt for tap water, rather than paying for some fruit drink, you can enjoy some monetary savings.
Concluding that water is really better than juice is something worthy of debate, but the facts lie in the ingredients of the drinks. This is not to say that juice should be completely abandoned because juices ARE good for kids – but in moderation. Water should always be the top priority if you want your kids to be healthier.
