Vitamin C packets as Juice?!?

Have you led your kids down the path of sugary sweetness that knows no bounds?  Are you amazed by them begging for the good stuff?  I, myself, never got juice as a child and I'm lucky that it was not a staple in our diet.  However, hubby's mom bought it for them all the time and he says he craves sugar as an adult as a result.  So is this true?  Will giving your kids what you think is an innocent drink of juice lead to problems later in life?  Our daughter loves water which I'm very happy to oblige.  I don't think kids get enough of just plain simple water.  I was watching a friend's little girl one day and another mom offered her some apple juice.  I regretted giving it to her and realized that sugar is in everything, but its up to us as adults whether or not we are going to give it to them.  As my hubby just stated "juice is soda without fizz."

My best advice is to not give into those darling little looks and smiles.  You don't have to buy it just because they want something off the grocery shelf.  My earliest memory in a grocery store about juice is my mother getting cranberry juice off the shelf and me begging her to not buy it.  I had a kidney infection I think and to this day I still am not a fan of cranberries.  Thanksgiving meals where they serve that glob of cranberry sauce was never very appealing to me.  Now my daughter loves dried cranberries  and that is fine with me.  Most cranberry juice though is filled with sugar and if you are looking to help your kidneys then you need to look closely at what you are buying.  Knudsen's has one that is called Pure Cranberry and wow that stuff is definitely something to desire.  Hubby drinks it just fine though.  I, on the otherhand, have to down it when I need some in my system.  It is literally that bitter and so if you have a nice glass of cranberry and it tastes yummy, it is probably loaded with added sugar.

Besides preventing colds, vitamin C though helps with your kidney and bladder system and to flush out
any impurities.  I drink one packet of emergen-c packet every morning and I think this helps me to have the most energy and if you are low on iron, vitamin C is your ticket.  It actually helps your body to absorb the iron your body needs.  People with anemia who are reading this could probably go into deep detail about iron and vitamin C and the absorption rates.  Anyway, these little packets give me enough vitamin C and yes I have been using them while I have been pregnant and it has helped with my energy level.  Now here is my warning about vitamin C though.  Of course there has to be one!  Please be careful about how much you are getting especially while you are pregnant.  Too much vitamin C can actually cause miscarriages from what I have read.  I think you have to be in the 3000-5000 mg scale though for this to occur.  Yes, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

Kids too have a recommended amount and yes we give our daughter some of the vitamin C packet and we do call it juice.  It is loaded with vitamins and she loves it.  We do dilute it more than what it calls for and it can take her a couple of days to finish just one packet.  The MAXIMUM dose you can give a toddler is 400 mg and so please be aware of how much you are giving your child.  Also you don't have to give it to them every day.  The safer recommendation is to use the kids version of emergen-c and so you know you are not overdosing your child.  If you are trying to switch your kids from sugar laden juices, maybe try the packets to see if your little one will take a liking to that instead.  It is worth a try!

The paleo world is all about not giving into sugar and processed foods and I think its rather genius for them to promote vitamin C as juice.  They are not setting up their kids for failure and a lifetime of craving for sugary drinks.  Now I would be a hypocrite if I didn't admit drinking soda as a child, but we didn't get it very often.  I think it was easier for me to quit them than my husband.  We tried the Atkin's diet about a decade ago and I was able to kill that habit for good.  Remember that diet?  Well it served at least one purpose and got me off the soda drinks.  Now I admit I have craved root beer in this pregnancy and have indulged here and there, but of course I have to buy the one that is all natural without any preservatives and is filled with spices and herbs.  Most root beer on the market has high fructose corn syrup, but Virgil's Root Beer does not.

The best part about about not buying juice or pop for your kids and yourself besides your health would be the extra money you will be saving each week.  How much money do you put down to buying that kind of stuff?  Say you buy two gallon apple juice containers for 4.50/piece each week at your local grocery store.  One month that is 36 dollars of pure sugar down the drain or even more frightening to think about it is 432 dollars a year.  Trust me I can find better use for that money than buying juice with it.  In comparison, the vitamin C packets cost about 8 dollars for a 30 day supply and that is if you are using it on a daily basis.  A year supply of vitamin C will cost you 96 dollars instead.  Doesn't that sound more of a win win situation for you, your budget, and your child?