Juice, nectar, drink. There is something different under each of these words. Before you buy your child something to drink, it's important to know what the names actually mean.
Drinksfor infants have in common that no matter what the name is, they are foods for particular nutritional uses. According to the law, they cannot containpreservatives ,dyesor flavorings, and all fruits, vegetables and herbs used in their production must come from from controlled crops.
Juice, nectar and drink - what's the difference?
Some manufacturers, out of concern for the taste habits and teeth of small consumers, do not add sugar to their products. Others add sugar because it makes it easier to get a sweet taste without spending a lot of money and changing the recipe. But the main difference between juice, nectar and a drink is … the percentage of juice that really determines both the taste and nutritional value of the finished product.
Juices - one hundred percent flavor
According to the law, juice can be defined as a drink made of ripe, fresh or frozen fruit or vegetables, having the taste, color and aroma characteristic of the fruit or vegetables from which it was produced. There is one exception - the juice is also the liquid obtained by diluting the juice concentrate with water, provided that the proportions of nutrients, vitamins etc. in the final product will be the same as in the freshly squeezed juice. There are few juices squeezed directly from fresh fruit. Concentrated ones are found much more often, also among baby juices. Why? Concentrates of many juices, e.g. from oranges, grapes or bananas, are produced in other countries, usually distant - France, Spain, Portugal. The juice is first squeezed from fresh fruit, and then the water is evaporated from it, which significantly reduces their volume and therefore transport costs. At the destination, the producers add to it exactly the amount of water removed in the evaporation process, which allows to obtain almost the same content of vitamins, minerals, organic acids, etc. as in the fruit. This process makes it possible to produce exotic fruit juices all year round, away from the country where they are grown. How to distinguish between squeezed juice and that made from concentrate? Read onlabels - if the juice has been reconstituted, the manufacturer will include this information where it mentions the composition of the juice. Contrary to popular belief, juice should not be used to quench your thirst. This role is better fulfilled by mineral water - the juice contains a lot of calories and natural sugar, so it can deprive the baby of its appetite. Infant nutrition specialists recommend that you do not give your baby more than 100-150 ml of juice per day. The juice is unequal. In stores we can find:
- clear juice, completely transparent, with a thin consistency, devoid of most of the fiber
- puree juice, thick, rich, because it contains fragments of fruit flesh, rich in fiber, valuable for the body.
The latter is definitely more often recommended by pediatricians because it improves the functioning of the digestive tract.
Nectars - half juice
This name applies to juices that are squeezed from fruit or vegetables or made from concentrate, as well as from purees or a mixture of these products that have been diluted with water with added sugar. Fruits or vegetables in nectars usually make up half of the nectar composition ( although there may be more of them, it all depends on the recipe). If the nectar has several flavors, the amount of fruit usually adds up. The minimum juice content from which the nectar is produced is strictly defined and may vary according to the type of juice. For example, to produce nectar from pears, peaches, oranges or apples, you need to use 50%. juice, in the case of strawberries, apricots or raspberries must be at least 40 percent, and in the case of bananas, mangoes or currants it must not be less than 25 percent.
What should you know about squeezed juices?
Drinks - tasty but low in fruit
If children's drinking can be categorized, the drinks will be the lowest. Manufacturers of baby food rarely offer them, but drinks designed for older children are easy to find at any supermarket. Sometimes they are standing right next to the baby drink, so when you see the word "drink" on the bottle, it is always worth reading the label with information about the composition. The drinks may contain various types of flavor additives, artificial colors, preservatives, and sugar. However, the regulations do not specify how much of the so-called fruit ingredient should be in them. Most drinks contain no more than 5 to 10 percent. fruit juice. However, it is worth paying attention to the small nuances: if the bottle says that the drink tastes orange, then with a high probability it can be expected that instead of fruit juice there will be a mixture of artificial flavors in it.
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