Chance to win a £150 Waitrose voucher! Join a Q&A on fruit juice with nutritionist Fiona Hunter ANSWERS NOW BACK!

[AnnMumsnet]

Over the next week, we're running a Q&A about fruit juice with Fiona Hunter, a qualified independent nutritionist and member of the British Dietetic Association. You may have read a number of stories in the papers about fruit juice and have some questions about its role in the diet for you and your family. For example, can 100% juice be one of your 5 a day, what goes into juice, when is it best to drink juice and how much to help ensure my children have a balanced diet?

Fiona has a BSc (Hons) Nutrition Degree and a postgraduate diploma in Dietetics from Kings College London. She worked as a Registered Dietitian in the NHS for seven years and for the last 15 years has worked as an independent nutrition consultant, writer and broadcaster.

Post your questions to Fiona before 9am on Friday 12th December and we'll send over a selection to which she will provide answers. There is a £150 Waitrose voucher up for grabs for one lucky Mumsnetter who posts a question. We will post Fiona's answers w/c 12 January.

This Q&A is sponsored by Tropicana.

I'm a diabetic and while I love fruit juice it isn't the best thing for me.

Are there any particular juices which are naturally lower sugar that would be a better choice than my normal orange juice?

My family like orange juice but we try to buy fruit and vegetables as locally (and seasonally) as possible.

Do you know if the manufacturers of packaged juice like Tropicana make any environmental considerations that lessen the impact of the farming, processing and transport?

Do you make seasonal juices by using in-season fruit or can frozen fruit be used?

Why aren't there more commercially available veg juices? Is it just supply and demand or is the juicing process more expensive for veg?

And is a Nutribullet or similar actually healthier than a blender?

Does 5 glasses of orange juice count as your 5 a day?

If your child won't eat a whole fruit, is fruit juice an alternative and which one/way is best?

As a former registered dietitian, can you give us any advice on how to spot unqualified (or less-qualified) people who call themselves "nutritionists" and offer questionable advice?

I sometimes use concentrated fruit juice in baking, to replace refined sugar. Is there are any real nutritional benefit in doing so?

Other than beetroot juice are there any other juices that help lower blood pressure. Also, what would you suggest mixing with beetroot juice to make it more palatable.

V timely for me as have just bought the teens a particular juicer for Christmas (their request after seeing a certain popular 'vlogger' (I believe that is the term) recommend it. I thought it might be a good alternative to Tropicana actually, which tastes so terribly sugary, but am wondering if diy juices will be any better for them?

Ds doesn't drink juice at all only milk and water (his choice) I only drink water. Should we be drinking juice to aid vit c absorption or is eating fruit ok or that?

is it true that some of the nutrients are taken out when juicing or smoothing fruits?

Are all pure fruit juices of a muchness nutritionally, or are there certain types that are to be recommended/avoided?

Are the more benefits to using vegetables rather than fruit? Things like kale carrot and peppers seem to pop in recipes more these days

Is it true that the colour has to be added back into the juices, even the not from concentrate ones?

How does a glass of juice compare as one of your five a day with a handful of cherry tomatoes or an apple, for example?

And I presume are all juices aren't equal. As in, one child likes apple juice- which she has from concentrate. Is that the same nutritionally as a glass of shop bought Tropicana/brands own? Somehow it feels worse for the teeth

Is drinking juice through a straw still going to damage teeth? I'm absolutely paranoid about fruit juice now that my juice loving sons have had major dental problems, in fact I now only buy it on very special occasions, which seems like such a shame

Hi Fiona!
I have a very fussy 5 year old who doesn't any many veggies but loves all fruit!
She would eat mango for every meal if she could
She is also a big fan of smoothies & fruit juice. I worry about the amount of sugar in these drinks so try to limit them to meal times & offer water for the rest of the time. Does this sound ok?
Should we use a straw to help her teeth?
Thanks!

How much juice is ok and how much is damaging? My children and dh love it but i rarely buy it because im worried about the amount of sugar ruining their teeth and health in general.

What's the difference between juices that are 'cloudy' and those which are not?

Fruit juice seems to have been the latest food to be demonised in the press. How much of the current "fruit juice is bad" publicity is hype and how much is true?

Other than replacing sugar, does stevia have any nutritional benefits?

Is 'from concentrate' nutritionally worse than 'not from concentrate'? If so, why? What is done to the juice to remove its nutritional value? Should it even still be called juice or something like "overly processed sugar water, some of which once resided in a fruit"?

Is eating the whole fruit less damaging to teeth and having it as juice?