Musing on juice

Governor Schwarzenegger today broke with the California Chamber of Commerce and signed a bill to eliminate sugary and fattening foods from state public schools. 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is pleased.  But the Los Angeles Times last week made the important point that by only targeting certain foods, the bill (originally written by state Senator Martha Escutia) ignores some key nutritional facts:

AN 8-OUNCE GLASS of apple juice has about 120 calories; grape juice, 170. The same amount of Coca-Cola comes in at 105. So why is the state banning Coke at California schools in an effort to slim kids down, while the juices get the stamp of approval?

Explaining her position on juice earlier this year, an Escutia aide enthused that the body processes the sugars in fruit juice differently. Not according to the California Dietetic Assn., whose spokesman told The Times last year, "Sugar is sugar is sugar." Similarly, a new Government Accountability Office report bemoans the availability at school campuses of pizza made by outside vendors, even though a well-made slice of pizza can be lower in fat and calories and higher in nutrition than a cheese sandwich on white bread.

Emphasis mine.  It's an interesting point.  I see lots of my friends with small children absolutely loading up their kids on apple juice, grape juice, and everything else.  Juice boxes are an immensely popular snack, despite the calories; I've seen small kids at weekend soccer games go through four or five juice boxes (at 120 calories a pop) over the course of a game, all without ever taking a sip of water.  I'm no dietary expert, but the "sugar is sugar is sugar" point is well-taken.  That doesn't mean that juice isn't healthier than soda, of course!  It's much healthier, but it also has the potential to do what all sugary foods do to the teeth and the body. 

I'll admit, I'm a juice lover.  When I gave up drinking alcohol many years ago, my body craved sugars like never before.  It's a rare evening where I don't pour myself a glass of apple or white grape juice, usually "cut" with some mineral water.  It fills the void left when I gave up glasses of wine.  But I drink my juice in moderation; it would be a rare evening where I drank more than 12 ounces...

As I've mentioned before, I'm very interested in what's written by the good folks at Big Fat Blog.  I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the fat acceptance movement, and I've become more keen on understanding how much of our cultural obsession with obesity is less about health and more about attempting to conform to an unrealistic beauty standard.  Thus, while I can cheer any act that gets junk food out of the schools, I want to make sure it's part of a campaign for healthier living and not another potential reason to harass heavy kids.   The last thing we'd want is to have an overweight kid endure additional harassment at school:  "You fat slob, you're the reason we can't have a Coke!"

Of course, what our governor really needs to do is sign bills making PE widely available once again.  Physical Education courses, along with music and arts curricula, are the first victims of academic budget cuts.  Teaching healthy eating habits -- and exercise habits -- is as vital a role for the public schools as teaching the Three Rs; teaching all young people that truly healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes is equally essential.

Comments

[Rob]

Not all sugar is sugar. Take it from a diabetic.

Apple juice contains sorbitol, a sugar that's not digeted well (if at all) by the human body. The sugar causes diarrhea as a result.

Tagatose isn't digested by the human gut, but it does provide a nutrient to the good intestinal flora. It also seems to stabilize blood glucose levels. In fact, it's a bit too safe and good for you, but that's a story about the idiots at the FDA....

Different sugars have different glycemic indexes, as well. A few manage to have a glycemic index over 1, where as others can have a lower index.

With fruit juices, there's a chance there are less artificial chemicals in the drink. Of course, that may not always be a good thing, either.

Not disagreeing with you, just pointing out some problems with blanket statements.

[mythago]

From a nutritional standpoint, juice is not much better than soda, and parents tend to overdo it because it seems like it would be better.

[djw]

When I saw the titles of your posts today, I first thought Hugo was contemplating steroids to aid his recovery some injury. Glad to see that's not the case.

[amelia]

another interesting post on food/health/weight. with the caveat that i didn't actually read the linked article OR the bill, i want to note that the better policy would be the elimination of processed foods from our schools, or portions that actually corresponded to nutritional recommendations, or both. but...fat and sugar??? those things are important! we cannot and should not do without them, and to label them as inherently bad is to lead a(nother) whole generation of kids down the primrose path that is fad dieting [not to mention restriction-based eating disorders]. alas, i think that this sort of rethinking is probably a long way off still.

on an almost entirely unrelated point, i want to note that PE, while nice in theory, is generally a bastion of thuggishness in practice, much more harmful to fat kids' psyches (and their propensity to exercise) than those missing coke machines.

[shannon]

Yea, the PE classes we had when I was a kid sucked. Mostly we ran around a track while the PE teacher complained about how slow we were, or we played some boring team sport where most of the kids would be standing around in the hot sun doing nothing for most of the time.

[Claire]

Although the idea of good health is constantly hanging around in the back of my mind, I can't/won't follow through with my constant resolutions to exercise. When I was in high school the students at my school were only required to take PE for 2 years. I "got it out of the way" my freshman and sophomore years, and then never had to exercise again. I really wish that I had continued to exercise for even one hour each day because I gained 10 lbs my junior year. What all this rambling is leading to is this: I miss mandatory exercise.

[Emily H.]

But does a mandatory mile per day around a track (I should note that, when you change and warm up and warm down and change again, and class periods are 45 minutes, there's not much time for any real exercise)--does that really teach you good exercise habits? Does it teach you to do anything except hate the whole stupid hamster-wheel routine?
(Sorry. Still bitter).

[Tony Vila]

Well Juice has other vitamins or nutrients I always thought, which make up for it.

Also "sugar is sugar" is simply not true. Some sugar is corn syrup. That's more fattening, and I think you're more likely to find it in soda than in juice.

[Hugo]

I think that the fact that PE has been dull in the past is not a reason to abandon it altogether. I didn't like PE classes much myself, but I do believe that teaching exercise is as important as teaching intellectual skills -- we've just got to be much more creative in how we do it, and we've got to get more folks excited about being good, loving PE teachers.

[NYMOM]

A glass of red wine with a meal is supposed to be healthy for you.

I think you can have one glass of wine. Although I prefer white anyway. But there is nothing wrong with that?????

[Sarah]

PE is not what it used to be... at the elementary school I teach at, our PE teachers motivate our students by learning games, fitness, and fun ways to learn about the body (i.e., running through a giant representation of the heart pumping blood through the body). Five teachers from the school and I also coach an after-school running club called Landsharks, which gets kids involved in cross country in the fall, track in the spring. Watching these kids at these races is so thrilling and motivating for my own fitness routine- and I have great confidence in these programs that help kids learn to live healthy lives.

[Stentor]

Some sugar is corn syrup. That's more fattening, and I think you're more likely to find it in soda than in juice.

Most of the juice you see on the supermarket shelves is basically fruit-flavored corn syrup. If you're buying juice, make sure you check the label and get as high a % real juice as you can. The real stuff tastes better, too.

[The Countess]

Some school districts have a contract with Coca Cola to stock their drinks.

Fighting The Cola Wars In Schools

That National Soft Drink Association has also been lobbying schools. Regarding calories, "To be sure, no direct connection has been established between increased soda consumption and increased obesity. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines soda as of "minimal nutritional value." That means a 12 ounce can of non-diet soda, which usually contains 120 to 200 calories, provides less than 5 percent of the daily requirements for eight key nutrients."

Are some of those juices owned by soft drink companies?

"In the District, according to spokeswoman Denise Tann, the exclusive contract with Coke does not include any commercial tie-ins or advertising. Instead, in exchange for the exclusive right to sell its soda, juices and bottled water to the District's 71,000 students from elementary school to high school, Coca Cola offered 65 percent of sales, up from the previous 50 percent. She said that vending machines are switched on all day, though students are not supposed to use them while federally subsidized lunches and breakfasts are being served."

[Our Healthier Living]

Who wants not lead a healthier life? Obviously everyone. Most important part of our healthier living is healthy food. I think naturals are always better than other. So, I like to be stick with any type of natural food not only milk. I believe the most important part of our healthier living is healthier food.

[hormone imbalance]

It is very important to monitor what our children eat, their health is. It would be good to regulate their feeding at school.

[vertigo symptoms treatments]

Ive found this to be quite a unique topic ,but also very confusing topic but maybe its just me as i really dont know much about this.

[Jack]

Thanks for the descriptive article, and I will in response place it in my bookmarks. I had this same problem at my house until I purchased a juicer.