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Juice vs. Smoothies: A Parent’s Guide to Smart Sipping

This article was written by Gaby Thompson MS, RDN, LDN. Note: This blog is not medical advice and is for informational purposes only. For any specific recommendations or questions, please refer to your child’s healthcare provider.

Kids have plenty of hydrating beverage choices to fill their cups, and the sweet varieties are usually top of the heap.  But which drink is best for growing healthy kiddos? In this article, we delve into a sipping showdown between juice and smoothies and important things to consider when offering little ones juice.

What’s the difference between juice and smoothies?

Fruit Juice

Fruit juices—store-bought or freshly squeezed at home—come from extracting liquids from fruits, vegetables, or both. Many kids enjoy 100% fruit juice, which comes directly from produce like apples and oranges and doesn’t contain added sugars. When buying children 100% fruit juice at the store, it must be pasteurized to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from ingesting harmful bacteria.

Other types of juices available at the store that aren’t labeled 100% or natural juice could contain extra ingredients such as added sugars, natural flavors, and preservatives.

Smoothies

Smoothies are beverages made by blending whole fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables with a liquid source like coconut milk, 100% juice, or water. Often, smoothies are thicker than fruit juices because they blend more than just liquid extracts from produce, but other parts of the produce, like the flesh and sometimes the skin or peel.

Thanks to their versatility, smoothies may include other plant-based foods such as wheatgrass or pumpkin seeds—nourishing ingredients in our no-added-sugar* Dairy-Free Smoothies. Note: Once Upon a Farm smoothies and blends are pasteurized using high-pressure processing (HPP)—a method that uses cold water (and a lot of pressure) to kill potentially harmful pathogens.

Juice vs. Smoothies: Which is better for kids?

Whole fruits and vegetables are packed with many vitamins and minerals that support kids’ healthy growth and overall wellness. Some 100% juices may offer ample amounts of vitamin C and contain antioxidants, but they fall short in delivering a variety of nutrients essential for kids, like fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin K. 

Smoothies use more parts of fruits and vegetables and incorporate other plant-based ingredients than juice. Once Upon a Farm’s Go Go Greens Dairy-Free Smoothie, for example, contains kale and spinach, is free of added sugars, and is naturally sweetened with apples and bananas. Not to mention, your child gets nutrients like iron, vitamin E, zinc, and vitamin B6 in this pouch! That’s not something you’ll find in 100% juice, according to USDA data.

Our smoothies make a quick, blender-free, on-the-go option to keep your tot full and happy and make a well-balanced alternative to juice.

Giving Juice to Children

For babies: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under one year don’t need to drink juice because it offers no nutritional benefits to them (plus, they’re getting all the calories they need from breastmilk or formula) and can cause cavities that put a damper on a baby's dental health.

For children over 1: Toddlers and older kids can drink juice, but it helps to limit it to four ounces daily as a part of meals. Make their primary beverages water and milk to lower the risk of cavities or developing a preference for juice or sweetened drinks.

The decision to give juice vs. smoothies doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. As long as your child is over one, offering juice in moderation is OK, but try to stick to no more than four ounces a day with meals.

Always look for the terms “100% juice” and “pasteurized” on the label when buying juice.

Most often, giving children fruits and vegetables in smoothies or serving Once Upon a Farm smoothie pouches can help better meet your child’s nutrition needs.

Not a low-calorie food.

Smoothies and Fruit & Veggie Blends