Is Cranberry Juice Good For Children?

Is Cranberry Juice Good for Children?

Apr 29, 2011 | By Laura Niedziocha

Cranberry juice is a good juice for your children to drink. The USDA recommends that children consume one to one and a half cups of fruit each day. One cup of fruit juice can satisfy one serving. Cranberry juice is a healthy part of a nutritious and well-balanced diet for your child.

Nutrition

Cranberries are packed full of healthy vitamins and minerals that your growing child needs. A cup of un-sweetened cranberry juice contains the minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Beneficial vitamins include vitamin C, folate, beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin K. The American Academy of Pediatrics says a child's diet should fulfill all of her nutrient needs; adding cranberries to your child's diet can help.

Cranberry Juice and Urinary Health

Cranberry juice may be an effective home remedy for children who suffer from frequent urinary tract infections. A urinary tract infection occurs when harmful bacteria invades your urethra. This can result in a painful infection. Cranberry juice can help reduce the likelihood of suffering from another infection and may be beneficial to drink while your child has an infection.

Considerations

According to the USDA, the intake of refined sugars in the United States increasing average daily calorie consumption and may contribute to overweight and obesity. Approximately 16 percent of total calories are from added sugars each day in the average diet. Of those, 36 percent are from juice drinks. Although cranberry juice can contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals, you must carefully select your juice.

Choosing Healthy Juice

Cranberry juice is available as a juice cocktail, alongside other fruits or as a juice of its own. Cranberries are tart and some children may be turned off by the taste. The best way to get your children to drink cranberry juice is when it is combined with other fruits, such as cran-grape or cran-apple. Read nutrition labels and look for healthy, low sugar cranberry juice.