Table 2.

NAP SACC Resource Manual, Sample Best Practice Guideline, North Carolina, 2001–2006

Juice is served as a fruit/vegetable serving once per week or less
Rationale
Fruits and vegetables provide more nutrition than fruit juice for children. Children tend to fill up on juice and not eat much at the meal or snack. Excess juice consumption has been linked to promotion of overweight among children. Fruit juice contains natural sugars that may adhere to teeth and cause cavities. Children benefit more from consuming fruits and vegetables during snacks and meals rather than fruit juice.
Challenges	Tips
Fruit juice is inexpensive and easy to prepare.	Help staff identify easy-to-eat alternatives to juice like orange sections, fruit salad, or banana halves. Juice can still be offered and does not need to be banned. However, easy and healthful alternatives should be offered every day.
Children enjoy drinking fruit juice and ask for it when they are thirsty.	Children do enjoy juice and often ask for it when they are thirsty. If a child has already had juice, the staff should offer water instead.
Staff and parents believe that fruit juice is healthy and encourage children to drink it.	If a child drinks juice instead of water, the juice may depress the child's appetite for whole foods, provide more calories than needed, cause diarrhea, and expose the child's teeth to excess sugar. Remind staff of the benefits and limitations of juice in a child's diet.

NAP SACC indicates Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care.