I like this article by Jesús Garrido in My Pediatrician Online, and I like it because it gives a very clear vision on the contribution of sugars and fiber when children take natural fruit, comparing it with the natural fruit juice (and let's not say the packaging, which may be missing the truth with the messages of the package).
Here we have already said that the best drink in any situation is water (even when they play sports, if it is recreationally). Why natural juice, "it is a very poor version of the fruit", it is not bad, but it does not contain fiber, and sugar levels increase above how they do when the child eats a piece of fruit, so the healthiest option will be the fruit in one hand and if thirsty) a glass of water in the other.
It seems that at present we do not have to become so obsessed with vitamins, because the deficiencies caused by a deficit of these are less frequent and serious, comparing them with the problem of childhood obesity. And it is this mistaken belief that leads us to consume juices of any kind
The nutrient absorption process when eating fruit is as follows: the fiber slows the absorption of sugar, so the levels of the latter are still adequate to eliminate hunger, and yet there is no sugar left over and then stored in the form of fat.
Obviously if we had to choose between sugary drink, packaged juice and natural juice, we would choose the latter first, but I think it is always easier to have water, right?
Packaged juices and juice (packaged) mixtures with other things - for example with milk - can carry added sugar, and even when the label does not explain that they do not carry it, it is possible that they carry extracts of other fruits (pineapple or grape for example) rich in natural sugar, that is, it is a drink enriched with sugar.
In summary: the fiber of the vegetable and the fruit suppose a healthy way to consume the carbohydrates in which they break down: these are the second essential nutrient of these foods (the other one is the vitamins). However, natural juices eliminate fiber, and with it the possibility of eating a more complete food.
