Healthy Juices for Healthy Kids. Wendy Sweetser

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      First published in 2010 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd

      London · Cape Town · Sydney · Auckland

      Garfield House

      86–88 Edgware Road

      London W2 2EA

      United Kingdom

      www.newhollandpublishers.com

      80 McKenzie Street

      Cape Town 8001

      South Africa

      Unit 1, 66 Gibbes Street

      Chatwood

      NSW 2067

      Australia

      218 Lake Road

      Northcote

      Auckland

      New Zealand

      Copyright © 2010 text: Wendy Sweetser

      Copyright © 2010 photographs: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd

      Copyright © 2010 New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

      ISBN 978 1 84773 612 3

      Senior Editor: Corinne Masciocchi

      Designer: Lucy Parissi

      Photographer: Ian Garlick

      Home economy and food styling: Wendy Sweetser

      Production: Laurence Poos

      Editorial Direction: Rosemary Wilkinson

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      Reproduction by Pica Digital PTE Ltd, Singapore

      Printed and bound by Tien Wah Press (PTE) Ltd, Singapore

      contents

      

introduction

      

breakfast juices and smoothies

      

mid-morning snacks

      

afternoon treats and party time

      

ice lollies, crushes and slushies

      

bedtime soothers

      

index

      ‘Please Mum, I’m thirsty, can I have a drink?’ is a cry mothers are all too familiar with and it’s true that children do need plenty of liquids to stop them becoming dehydrated. Due to their low body weight, children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of dehydration and this can cause not just tiredness, headaches and mood swings but make it difficult for them to concentrate too. It can also prevent the digestive system from working efficiently as bowels need plenty of fluid to avoid constipation.

       KEEPING YOUR KIDS HEALTHY

      Fresh juices and smoothies contain lots of nutrients to help keep children healthy and are a useful way of ensuring that picky eaters, who normally turn their noses up at fruit and vegetables, add to their recommended daily allowance.

      Fruit and vegetable juices are an excellent source of vitamins, particularly vitamin C. This valuable vitamin helps children absorb iron from their food and build up their immune systems to protect them against bacteria and viruses. The recommended daily allowances of vitamin C vary slightly from country to country but the following can be taken as a guide:

      * 25 mg for 4 to 8 year olds

      * 45 mg for 9 to 13 year olds

      * For 14 to 18 year olds, 75 mg is the recommended daily allowance for boys and 65 mg for girls.

      The recommended daily allowances for adults are 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. As a 250-ml (9 fl-oz) glass of freshly squeezed orange juice contains around 120 mg of vitamin C, it’s easy to see just how valuable a contribution a juice can make to a healthy, balanced diet.

      Smoothies, where fruit or vegetables are puréed with milk or yoghurt, can also play an important part in keeping your kids healthy. Milk, the ultimate superfood, is packed with a range of nutrients including calcium, protein, zinc, iodine and vitamins A and B and, as whole fruit are used to make smoothies, the resulting drinks also contain dietary fibre. Calcium is essential for strong teeth and bones, whilst protein repairs body tissues like muscles and zinc boosts the immune system. Iodine is needed to help the body convert food to energy, vitamin A is important for good eyesight, vitamin B for healthy growth, and dietary fibre keeps the body regular.

      Yoghurt is low in fat, high in calcium and good for the digestive tract but it’s best to opt for natural yoghurt that contains probiotic bacteria and sweeten it yourself with a little honey, if necessary, rather than buy a flavoured yoghurt that can contain large amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Although skimmed milk should not be given to children under five years old, after that age low-fat yoghurt and skimmed or semi-skimmed milk can be used to make drinks.

      When sweetening juices, honey is a better choice than sugar as honey increases the level of protective antioxidants in the blood and softens sharper juices with its own warm, rounded flavour. Maple syrup is another natural sweetener that, amongst a range of health benefits, contains zinc and manganese to help the immune system.

       What are the best drinks for children?

      Whilst persuading children to have a drink is rarely a problem, the difficult part can be steering them away from heavily sweetened juice drinks, squashes and fizzy pop in favour of a healthier option. Children have a naturally sweet tooth and many consume too much sugar from fizzy drinks that are high in additives and low in nutrients and can lead to a variety of problems such as hyperactivity, weight gain and tooth decay. A single can of ordinary cola contains an eye-watering 10 teaspoons of sugar, so as well as being nutritionally poor value, it’s high in calories too.

      The two healthiest drinks for kids are without question plain water and milk, and all children should be encouraged to consume plenty of both. But, like adults, children thrive on variety so including healthy options such as homemade fruit juices and smoothies will not only add interest to what they drink but increase the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet.

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