| When diet in pregnancy becomes a focus, many | | | | pregnancy, and they can help fill those empty spots on |
| women turn to fruit and vegetable juices in an effort to | | | | a daily diet chart. |
| get their required servings of fruits and veggies each | | | | The first step in getting a quality juice that will actually |
| day. The problem is all juice is not created equal. | | | | fill the needs of a healthy daily diet plan during |
| Some brands amount to nothing more than colored | | | | pregnancy is to know what the plastic juice container |
| sugar water mixed in with a few drops of juice. | | | | really holds. The answers are all on the label, but they |
| Avoid Juice with High Sugar Content | | | | are not written in plain English. |
| First off, fruit and vegetable juices might seem like a | | | | Deciphering the Labels |
| great way to get those vital servings of veggies every | | | | Learning how to read juice labels, and then actually |
| day, but it is not the best way. Juices, even the top | | | | reading them, will enhance new mother's ability to pick |
| quality varieties, lack nutrient components found | | | | a winning juice drink. |
| abundantly in their non-juice forms. | | | | When trying to spot a great juice, the first place to |
| Fiber, for example, is lost in the juicing process. | | | | look is on the ingredient list. The items listed there |
| Constipation, gas and bloating are a common | | | | should be easy to read and relate directly to the fruit |
| pregnancy discomfort, which can be eased by the | | | | or vegetable pictured on the label. For example, if a |
| simple addition of more plant based fibers to a healthy | | | | juice container reads "apple juice", the ingredient list |
| diet. | | | | should be relatively short and comprised of words |
| It should also be noted that pregnancy does not | | | | like "apples" or "apple juice concentrate". |
| require a huge increase in daily caloric intake. Juices | | | | Words in the ingredient list such as ascorbic acid are |
| made from whole fruits and vegetables are not usually | | | | not a cause for alarm because this is just code for |
| egregiously high in calories, but they do have more | | | | vitamin C. |
| calories than water. The best hydration source for | | | | Words that should raise red flags are any word ending |
| pregnancy, and any other time really is plain old H2O. | | | | in "ose", as these are almost always added sugars. |
| What's in Your Juice? | | | | Overly long complicated and scientific sounding words |
| Setting all that aside, juice is not bad for diet in | | | | are almost always added chemicals used as |
| pregnancy. Juices have their place and next to | | | | preservatives, flavor enhancers or other properties. |
| water are about the best drink choice available. Juice | | | | These additives might increase shelf life or create |
| is certainly a much better option than diet drinks during | | | | appealing colors and flavors, but they are not healthy. |