How much fruit juice is healthy?
Eating the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables can help people reduce many leading causes of illness and death. These include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, the daily recommended amount of fruit is:
- Adult females: At least 1 and a half cups of fruit per day
- Adult males: At least 2 cups of fruit per day
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that at least half of the daily recommended amount of fruit should come from whole fruit. This means that a person should not get their daily recommended allowance from fruit juice alone.
The CDCTrusted Source states that only 12% of adults in the United States consume the recommended amount of fruit.
Compared to whole fruit, fruit juice tends to offer less fiber content and more calories and sugar content.
That is why a person should limit the amount of fruit juice they drink each day.
Some researchTrusted Source suggests that high levels of fruit juice may not be good for children as they contain large amounts of sugars.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following maximum daily amounts of fruit juice for children:
- Children aged 1–3 years old: No more than 4 ounces of fruit juice per day
- Children aged 4–6 years old: 4–6 oz of fruit juice per day
- Children aged 7 years old and above: 8 oz of fruit juice per day