Childhood obesity is an ongoing concern across our country.  Keeping kids active and making sure they eat good foods are a couple of ways to keep kids healthy.

Making sure kids drink healthy is important too.

Juice can be healthy, but too much juice can add unnecessary calories.  Let's take a look at the experts' recommendations and find out how much is enough.

Are your kids drinking too much juice? 

How much is too much?  Mayo Clinic gives us the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations:

  • Birth to 6 months: No fruit juice, unless it's used to relieve constipation
  • 6 months to 6 years: 4 to 6 ounces (118 to 177 milliliters) a day
  • 7 years and older: 8 to 12 ounces (237 to 355 milliliters) a day

About 4 ounces (118 milliliters) of 100 percent fruit juice equals one serving of fruit. Remember, though, juice lacks the fiber and other nutrients of whole fruit. Although a reasonable amount of fruit juice each day is fine for most children, be sure to offer your child whole fruit as well.

A recent report from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital provides some interesting insight into why some kids may be drinking too much juice.  CBS Detroit explains:

Of parents whose household income is less than $30,000 annually, 49 percent report that their children drink two or more cups of juice per day. Only 23 percent of parents with household incomes of $100,000 or more report that their children drink two or more cups of juice per day.

The experts offer some good advice and guidelines, but we should keep in mind that everyone's situation is different.  How active is your child?  What is the rest of their diet like?  These are just a couple of the questions to keep in mind when viewing these guidelines.

More From 100.5 FM The River