Why smoothies are better than juice for kids

If you have a picky eater in your house, you aren't alone. Kelly Homesley, a registered dietitian at Novant Health Bariatric Solutions - Elizabeth in Charlotte, rides the same struggle bus trying to get her 6-year-old to "eat the rainbow” (Skittles don't count).

If eating fruits and vegetables is a fight, could drinking them be a fix? It all depends on how they're prepared, Homesley said.

Drink this: Smoothies

When your child eats fruits and vegetables, they consume vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Fiber is pretty amazing: It helps their body with digestion and slows down the effect of the sugar in fruits and vegetables on their blood sugar. Yes, there is natural sugar in fruits and vegetables, but when paired with fiber, that sugar doesn’t negatively impact blood sugar.

The easiest way to get these benefits is to eat the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables as whole fruit. But if your child refuses to do that, you can throw fruits and vegetables in a blender and retain all the nutrients — including the fiber.

Homesley recommends smoothies for age 6 months and up, adding that smoothies are appropriate once babies have begun consuming solids. With babies and toddlers, Homesley recommends not adding more than one new ingredient at a time to better track and identify any potential allergens.

Skip (or limit) this: Juice

Remember the fiber that we just talked about? The juicing process removes it.

So when your child drinks juice — even fresh-squeezed juices advertised as healthy — they get all the sugar from the fruits and vegetables, without anything to slow it down. This can affect their health, mood and energy. The spike in their blood sugar can also cause them to crave additional sugary foods to keep their energy level high, leading to a vicious cycle.

Juice can also be calorie-dense, and can lead to cavities and “toddler's diarrhea” when young children drink too much of it. Since the average juice box is 6 ounces, it's easy for them to overdo it.

Long-term research found an increased risk of type 2 diabetes later in life in boys who drank 8 ounces or more each day of sugary drinks/fruit juices during childhood and adolescence. Interestingly, eating fresh fruit was not associated with the same increased risk. And a study analyzing 17 studies on juice in children found that a daily serving of 100% fruit juice was associated with a gain in body mass index (BMI).

Tips for blending a healthy smoothie

• Do use milk instead of juice as your liquid. Homesley recommends FairLife milk, which has double the protein and half the sugar of typical milk, and is lactose-free, which means children with lactose intolerance can enjoy it. As far as alternative milks go, soy milk is the best alternative milk due to the protein content, Homesley said.

• Don’t use more than one serving or one cup of fruit in a smoothie. Feel free to mix and match types of fruits within that (for example, half a banana and half a cup of strawberries). This guideline keeps your smoothie reasonably sized for a child and ensures that you are not overdoing it on the sugar.

• Do feel free to add protein, fiber and healthy fat. Homesley suggests adding unprocessed nuts or no-sugar-added nut butter (sunflower butter is great if your child has nut allergies), avocado, spinach, seeds, nut butter, yogurt, or instant oats to boost the smoothie's nutritional value.

• Don’t use protein powder or other supplements like greens powder in your child's smoothie. Children need less protein than adults do; for example, a 6-year-old only needs about 19 grams of protein per day. Children’s bodies are not capable of processing excessive protein, and having too much protein can lead to digestive issues, strain on the kidneys and liver, and even contribute to weight gain. Supplements can also sometimes contain added sugars, possible allergens, and high concentrations of some nutrients that can potentially harm children.

• Do freeze bananas for better smoothie texture: you can prepare them ahead of time by peeling, cutting, and putting them in a sealed container in your freezer.

• Don’t let a smoothie replace a meal; it can be a snack or serve as part of a meal that includes other protein sources. While you can pack a lot of nutrients into a smoothie, they still aren’t what dietitians consider a “balanced meal” — a combination of proteins, fruits and/or vegetables, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Relying on smoothies for meals can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Also, no matter how nutritious you make it, drinking their calories in a smoothie will not keep them full as long as eating whole foods, which can lead to them feeling hungry again shortly after.

• Do involve your child in making the smoothie so they get continued exposure to fruits and vegetables. “It helps them visualize, ‘Oh, maybe I actually do like bananas,’” Homesley said. "Then they're more likely to try it outside of a smoothie.”

• Don’t give up on whole fruits and vegetables. Smoothies shouldn't replace whole fruits and vegetables entirely, but they can fill in some nutritional gaps while your child’s palate develops.