Got a question about fruit juice? Ask it of a leading expert – you could win £150! ANSWERS BACK

[AnnMumsnet]

Sue Gatenby from Tropicana is here to answer any questions you may have about enjoying fruit juice and its nutritional benefits, for both you and your children. Sue has 25 years of industry experience and is here to share her top tips and advice.

The team at Tropicana say, "We've just launched a new campaign to talk about the health benefits a small glass of juice can bring. There’s been lots of confusion about juice, and we’re here to help clear the air and explain how 100% pure fruit juice can play an important role in a healthy and balanced diet."

Maybe you have a question about the nutritional benefits of juice, getting your 5 a day, how much you should drink, or anything else to do with juice? If so, ask away!.

Here's a little bit more about Sue:

Sue Gatenby is the Senior Director, Nutrition with responsibility for nutrition strategy at Tropicana. Sue has over 25 years’ experience in nutrition research, education and in the food industry. She has a BSc and PhD in Nutrition and Postgraduate Diplomas in Dietetics and Sports Nutrition. Prior to joining PepsiCo Sue held positions at the John Radcliffe Hospital, the Universities of London & Surrey and Institute of Food Research (IFR). During her time at the IFR she consulted for the Department of Health in the research and development of the <a class="break-all" href="//mailto:www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eatwell-plate.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eatwell Plate. She is also a Governor of the British Nutrition Foundation.
Post your questions to Sue by 21 March and we will pick 20 for her to respond to. Everyone who posts a question will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £150 John Lewis voucher. A link to her responses will be posted on this thread by Mid April.

This Q&A is sponsored by Tropicana.

Thanks,
MNHQ.

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Is it best to drink juice with meals (in terms of limiting tooth damage/sugar levels)?
How many meals in a day could you drink juice-all 3?

Why can juice only be counted as 1 of your 5 a day regardless of how much you drink?

Thank you.

MN is full of people saying that juice is as bad junk food as are boiled sweets, juice is just another pure sugar. What do you say to that?

Why can you only count one glass of juice towards your '5 a day'?

As a family we try to eat more than 5 portions of fruit and veg each day.
Could you please explain if the claim in the post that 'fruit juice can play an important role in healthy eating and balanced diet' true for us? And if so, what role would it play in our diet?

Adding vitamins to juice - I like that particular juice product (Tropicana Essentials Multivitamins) but it can be hard to obtain in anything other than single serve. Is over dose a potential issue and thus retailers tend not to stock larger pack sizes? Daily Reference Intake, Vit C can be 143% in 300ml. Is that an issue or does the body just excrete any excess?

Are the fruits washed of all chemical insecticides before being pressed?

How much healthier is orange juice with pulp as opposed to smooth juice? (Or Is it even healthier at all?)

What would be the most nutrient rich fruit juice to choose? How do they compare in terms of health benefits to making homemade fruitjuice?

And how many ml would provide a child with one portion of fruit from fresh juice or concentrate juice?

Fruit juice is getting a hell of a lot of bad press at the moment and I can understand that people want good, impartial advice about the subject. Is it possible to get a truly impartial answer about the 'benefits' of fruit juice from someone directly employed by the PepsiCola owned company Tropicana who obviously have a vested interest in maintaining the healthy sales of their many fruit juice products? I'm not suggesting that Sue Gatenby does not have the right medical/scientific credentials to give such advice, just that her message might be somewhat 'diluted' by a conflict of interest?

I will watch this thread with interest and look forward to hearing the answers Sue provides.

(I don't expect to win the £150 though!)

Another one here concerned about the effect of juice on teeth. I remember my health visitor recommending drinking juice with meals to help with absorption of iron. Is this true? I do still give my children fresh not from concentrate juice but I dilute it with water and they drink it through a straw as I'd read that this way there was less contact with teeth.

my questions already been asked re diluting pure jucie

We don't buy juice very often but I'm sure DD will start to ask for it at some point.
Is it just better to make our own juice rather than buy supermarket stuff? Surely anything in a box has extra nasties you don't need?

What's better for you? Juice or eating a piece of fruit in its raw state?

If children are only supposed to have very small amounts of juice, why do all packaged drinks start at 200ml+?

I REALLY do not understand why it's good to eat fruit but not drink fruit juice.
Please explain.

All mine have been asked!

Is it better to have a mixed fruit & veg juice?

Is there more fibre in a juice 'with bits'?

Are there any health benefits to fresh over from concentrate?

Is juice problematic for those with diabetes?

Thanks

Does juicing (or blending) really change the nutritional makeup of a fruit- for example make it more calorific or sugary as some diet 'experts' would have us believe?

Like cellocello I'm very suspicious of a brand telling us what is healthy and leading on this. I'd rather someone independent answering the questions. She's not going to say 'it's loaded with fructose and will rot your teeth' is she? Of course the answer is 'it is fine as part of a healthy, balanced diet'.

Iwantmymaidennameback - the problem is that most fruit is quite high in fructose (the sugar which is not very easy to process, i.e. bad for you). In whole fruit, you also get fibre, which is good for you. When it's juiced, the fibre goes, and unless you only drink a very tiny amount of juice, you also get way more fructose than in a single whole fruit (imagine how many oranges you would need to get a decent sized glass of orange juice).

It's a similar problem to dried fruit - imagine how many raisins you could eat, and then imagine if you ate the same amount of grapes ...

I have only given young children milk or water to drink. At what age would you reccomend giving juice? as the worry is the amount of sugar in it.

Are some juices 'better' than others, i.e. less sugar?

Are there any specific benefits to drinking juice? It always seems like empty calories to me and it's more filling to just eat the whole fruit itself.

I don't understand why fruit juice is bad for teeth but eating fruit isn't, or is it that eating fruit has more other benefits so we ignore the negatives, or is it that fruit juice sits on teeth?

Would it be better to drink juice diluted with water, or drink it as it comes followed by a few mouthfuls of water to wash away the sugar?

Is there any fruit/fruity juices which are 100% good for kids (or adults)because the dentists suggest one thing then a health visitor suggests something different? Can we keep both dentist & doctor/ health visitor happy as well as actually enjoying something ourselves??