Juice?

[swellman]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Orange juice is deeply offended. It also wanted me to tell you it is a drink, not a food.

It was a food until someone squeezed 4 or 5 of them and drained them into a glass.

[emm142]

Originally Posted by swellman

Juice is a horrible food with very little nutritional value - there's very little difference between juices and coke with the exception of caffeine.

Starting to wonder whether what you call "juice" in the US is the same as the UK stuff.

Over here, when we talk about juice we mean pure fruit juice, nothing added or taken away (except maybe some pulp). Although it's not as nutritionally valuable as fruit, since it's lacking the fibre, it's far more nutritious than coke.. Vitamins!

[swellman]

Originally Posted by emm142

Starting to wonder whether what you call "juice" in the US is the same as the UK stuff.

Over here, when we talk about juice we mean pure fruit juice, nothing added or taken away (except maybe some pulp). Although it's not as nutritionally valuable as fruit, since it's lacking the fibre, it's far more nutritious than coke.. Vitamins!

Actually, pure fruit juice is marginally more nutritious than coke in my opinion but, yes, we refer to juice the same as the UK. The vitamin content is overrated and, for the most part, unnecessary and certainly not worth the sugar content. Many school systems are removing juice from the lunch room for the same reasons.

Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's good.

EDIT: I don't want to give the impression that I'm anti-juice because we go through a bunch for regulating BGs - but not because it's superior to plain sugar water and coloring and flavor but because they come in very convenient packages.

[dzirbel]

I think nutrition wise I would worry more about all the processed, loaded with garbage foods, that are out there. An occasional glass of juice is no biggie. As long as it is 100% juice, preferrably organic. Fresh squeezed is even better. My kids mostly drink water, good for the body, but no real nutritional value.

I just wish there were more 4oz juice box options other than Juicy, Juice. My daughter occasionally drinks a glass of juice and just covers it like normal.

We also don't do any artificial sweetners. I will use Stevia, which is an all natural sweetner. Although not all stevia products are created equal.

[emm142]

Originally Posted by swellman

Actually, pure fruit juice is marginally more nutritious than coke in my opinion but, yes, we refer to juice the same as the UK. The vitamin content is overrated and, for the most part, unnecessary and certainly not worth the sugar content. Many school systems are removing juice from the lunch room for the same reasons.

Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's good.

EDIT: I don't want to give the impression that I'm anti-juice because we go through a bunch for regulating BGs - but not because it's superior to plain sugar water and coloring and flavor but because they come in very convenient packages.

Okay, I think we agree in large part (I certainly don't think natural = good) and personally I reserve my fruit juice consumption for (mildly) low BGs. But I still think it's healthier than soda. Plus, no soda can beat the taste of orange juice. Yum.

[cdninct]

Thanks for the responses! It's interesting: we were given very few hard-and-fast rules at dx, but we were told that juice, regular pop, and maple syrup were off limits. Well, we gave up on the maple syrup rule pretty quickly, but he only gets that rarely and in small amounts (darn that breakfast spike--pancakes are just too much bother at the moment!). I know it seems really silly, but the juice guideline just seemed like a law, and it never really occurred to me that I had the option to "break it" if I felt so inclined!

I feel confident that I can handle juice the same way again, if the situation warrants it. I handled it like I handle other problem foods, and it worked out. And, yes, I chose the apple juice over the fruit punch (the only two options...what kind of a restaurant doesn't offer milk with a kid's meal?) figuring there would be a better chance of getting something more natural and without added sugar that way.

Moderation in all things, I guess!

[valerie k]

Originally Posted by cdninct

Thanks for the responses! It's interesting: we were given very few hard-and-fast rules at dx, but we were told that juice, regular pop, and maple syrup were off limits.:

I think you will find that most of us have drs who have no "off limit" rules. We were told that matt can have everything and anything, we just have to carb for it. If you wouldnt have said NO before diabetes, you certainly shouldnt say NO after.

[steph]

it never ceases to amaze how completely different the medical advice is that we were given at dx. we were just told to keep giving the same healthy diet that any toddler should get. as for maple syrup...i far prefer that over the weird concoction of chemicals that is sugar free syrup. but i usually just make whole wheat pancakes and toss in blueberries or bananas for flavor. DD and i eat them plain, but DH still requires his syrup. peanut butter, whip cream and fruit or low sugar jam make a nice pancake topping as well.

[momof2marchboys]

We have let our son have juice at meals - we found that Little Hug Assorted Fruit Drinks have 2 grams of carb per bottle. It has been great for us to have on hand for when we go places and they are giving other kids juice boxes have 20+grams of carbs in them. These little bottles are found in the produce section of our grocery store for some odd reason and not in the juice aisl.

We have also found that there are some smaller juice boxes by Minute Maid I think that are like 14 grams that come in fruit punch and orange juice. I keep these on hand for lows in the middle of the night. I found these at Dollar General - 4 or 5 boxes for $1....what a great deal.

[quiltinmom]

Originally Posted by cdninct

I'm sure we are not the only family who was given the no-juice-unless-treating-a-low warning. I understand that juice is not a great beverage alternative for any child, but we were in a position today when not letting my son have a drinking box with his friends was going to turn into a big issue.

My son had just been quite active, and I gave him a pretty long pre-bolus. He drank slowly with a meal. In the end, as I had hoped, the CGM revealed no spike at all.

So, my question is, if juice can be managed without a substantial rise in BG, is it really any worse for a child with D than any other kid? Don't get me wrong: I'm not looking for carte blanche to give him juice with every meal (we've never done that with either of our kids), but I am wondering if others feel comfortable giving their children juice occasionally or under certain conditions.

I think you did the right thing by giving him the juice and bolusing accordingly. I don't see why it would be worse for a D child than any other child. I don't think juice is evil. We don't drink it often, but if it's on the table, of course i let my cwd have some.

That's my take on it.