There Must Be Something in the Water - Guest Post by Jenna A. Bell, PhD, RD

There must be something in the water.

Unfortunately, a lot of times, it’s too much sugar.

Every year, billions of gallons of sugary soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks are finding their way into the American diet. That’s right, billions. Four out of five kids in the U.S. and two out of three adults drink sugary beverages every day. That’s a lot of sugar.

 The consequences of eating or drinking too much sugar can be felt now and in the long-run. For toddlers, one of the concerns is that drinking empty calories (sugary beverages) can take the place of more nutritious choices, which hurts their ability to grow healthfully.

Over time, all that sugar leads to painful and costly cavities. It can also lead to gaining weight to the point of being overweight, which increases the risk for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

 The experts agree that sugar-sweetened beverages are a part of the problem. “The scientific evidence is now clear; soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages are important contributors to obesity in children and adults,” said Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), in an HSPH statement on the role of sugary drink consumption in obesity and diabetes.

 Something positive that parents can do to help their toddlers and children learn to prefer healthier drinks is to provide less-sweet tasting options. Water is great, so is First Juice. When kids want a juice drink, First Juice is a smart way to go.  Here’s why:

 ·      First Juice has no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup

·      First Juice contains 12 grams of sugar per 8 fl. oz serving. That’s equivalent to 3.3 sugar cubes, vs. 7.5 sugar cubes in 100% juice, which is over 50% less sugar than the leading 100% fruit juice and, coincidentally, the exact same amount of sugar as organic low-fat milk.

·      First Juice selects organic fruit and vegetables that are naturally lower in sugar and then blends these organic juices with purified water to create a flavorful, less sweet juice, with lower per-ounce sugar content.

·      First Juice provides 60% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, 35% DV for vitamin A and 10% DV for calcium and vitamin D in an 8 oz serving

·      First Juice is USDA Certified Organic, and kosher

·      Additionally, all First Juice bottles are recyclable (recycle code #1), BPA-Free, and made of Phthalate-free plastic. The 8-oz size is a re-useable, non-spill, sippy-cup container.  The company likes to call it, “environmentally responsible convenience,” and realizes that healthy products must also be convenient or they will not get used regularly.

Learn more about the nutritional benefits First Juice has to offer.