Health - No Juice For Babies Says Docs

The American Academy of Pediatrics is issuing new guidelines on giving fruit juice to babies younger than one year of age - don't.

Instead, the baby doctors say parents and caregivers should concentrate on feeding whole fruits to tykes, whirled in a blender to a consistency that the little one can handle. 

Previously, the AAP advised against giving fruit juice to infants under 6 months.  But after seeing too much new evidence linking juice consumption to tooth decay and to gaining either too much or too little weight, the group expanded that advice to one year. 

"We want to reinforce that the most recent evidence supports that fruit juice should be a limited part of the diet of children," says University of Texas professor of pediatrics Steven Abrams. 

Whole fruit is a much better choice to feed babies because it contains fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar by the body.  Fiber also helps people of all sizes feel fuller than merely drinking juice, and that will prevent overeating.