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It contains high amounts of sugar, and very little nutrition. It is more important for your children to eat real fruit. Having your children eating whole apples will provide them a lot more fiber, and they will get the entire health benefits of the ...
Text: Next Article » Arsenic in apple juice? Mom says skip juice all togetherJoin the conversation: Do you let your kids drink apple juice? Will Dr. Oz's findings change your mind? Leave a comment below.
Dr. Oz caused a bit of an uproar among parents across the nation when he released testing that showed arsenic levels in apple juice.
Most American apple juice is made from apple concentrate instead of fresh apples. Sixty percent of the concentrate in apple juice in America comes from China, and food products that come from other countries have the possibility of being exposed to higher levels of pesticides.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz tested dozens of apple juice samples from three different cities in America and found that they contained levels of arsenic. Dr. Oz launched a heated debate with the FDA claiming that the levels of arsenic in the apple juice is higher than in bottled water.
Arsenic is found in many of our foods because it is a natural source that comes from the ground. Organic arsenic is not the concern; it is non-organic arsenic that can be toxic to humans.
Dr. Oz?s testing only showed the levels of arsenic in the apple juice and did not distinguish between organic and non-organic forms of arsenic.
Not because of the heated debate between Dr. Oz and the FDA, but because apple juice just isn't the healthiest option for your children. It contains high amounts of sugar, and very little nutrition.
It is more important for your children to eat real fruit. Having your children eating whole apples will provide them a lot more fiber, and they will get the entire health benefits of the fruit.
Apples are also not one of the ?cleanest? fruits that children should be eating. Apples are one of the top ten fruits in the EWG report for having the highest levels of pesticides. It is one fruit that parents should be purchasing only organic or locally grown to help lower the levels of pesticides in the fruit by at least 80 percent.
There are also concerns of how juice can affect child?s dental health. The sugar in juices can lead to tooth decay and affect the enamel on your children?s teeth. In some cases, drinking a lot of juice can be just as bad for your teeth as drinking soda.
Shelby Barone writes a weekly column about family nutrition and healthy eating for kids. She is a local freelance writer and owner of Glitterful Felt Stories. She lives in South O.C. with her husband and three children, one of whom suffers from severe food allergies. You can find her on Twitter @glitterfulfelt.
My kids LOVE their juice, especially mango juice. As a kid I drank Capri-Suns and Minute Maid. My boys drink a ton of water (especially Andrew who loves the stuff!) so I believe a little bit of juice is okay in moderation.
My biggest concern is the lack of education and knowledge among the layperson regarding what is being allowed in our food. The FDA, like every other government agency, is flawed, and if we only had a nickel for every time they "recalled" something that they previously deemed safe.
This story is much more than just about apple juice. It's a reminder that we need to take it into our own hands to research what is being put in the foods that we feed our children and ourselves. Bravo Dr. Oz, for trying to raise the bar. You will be crucified by the media and big corporations, but that is what ALWAYS happens when something like this is exposed.
I give my son organic apple juice, but water it down considerably. I think if I survived all of that Kool-Aid as a kid, he'll survive a little watered-down juice ;)
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