kathytx 06:35 AM 02-27-2017
hello! I'm sorry if this has been answered already!
Where do you purchase your 100% juice? Do you buy the juice base and make it, or just buy already made? Which is cheaper? Thanks so much! Kathy
Cat Herder 07:08 AM 02-27-2017
I no longer serve juice based on best practices, but when I did we were only allowed to buy it whole, no mixes, no frozen concentrates. I generally got mine in the juice aisle of my local grocery store.
sharlan 08:08 AM 02-27-2017
Originally Posted by Cat Herder:
I no longer serve juice based on best practices, but when I did we were only allowed to buy it whole, no mixes, no frozen concentrates. I generally got mine in the juice aisle of my local grocery store.
This is what I did also.
I only buy oj now. The kids MIGHT get 1/2 cup a week, but generally none. I keep water cups on the counter and that's what they drink.
LysesKids 08:41 AM 02-27-2017
Originally Posted by kathytx:
hello! I'm sorry if this has been answered already!
Where do you purchase your 100% juice? Do you buy the juice base and make it, or just buy already made? Which is cheaper? Thanks so much! Kathy
I never serve juice, just water and the kids eat whole fruit. Heck I don't even buy it for myself on weekends when it's just me, myself & I lol
CityGarden 09:12 AM 02-27-2017
If you opt to serve something other than water (or milk) I would have them make it.
So you would buy oranges they would make orange juice, same thing with lemons, carrots, etc.
Gemma 09:16 AM 02-27-2017
I quit serving juice too, the kids get way too much at home as it is. I serve milk or water and fruit instead.
kathytx 09:57 AM 02-27-2017
thanks for the response! We only serve it at pm snack as part of one of the required items. I was just wondering is it cheaper to make it verse already made. I've only found one place to get the 100 % juice base from and i think it comes out to 10 cents a serving, but the other factors i'm concerned about is the labor part, someone having to make it label it and so on, how you figure that into it!
Thank so much!
Kathy
ColorfulSunburst 11:35 AM 02-27-2017
I buy organic juices in Costco.
Kids get 1/6 of a cup every breakfast. I do not add water in it. I also very often remind them, that juices contain a lot of sugar and because of that we do not drink it much.
My point: kids should know real test of different food, should know that they may eat EVERYTHING (even fast food), but they may not eat any food (even healthy food) in unhealthy big amount.
Cat Herder 12:12 PM 02-27-2017
LysesKids 01:16 PM 02-27-2017
Cat Herder 01:41 PM 02-27-2017
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
I knew about best practice lol... my families actually prefer whole fruits & water and are glad I'm offering it when so many providers don't
Oh, no doubt.

I was sold on "no juice served" pretty quick once I noticed how dramatically behavior issues after snack times declined.
At first, I was on team "let them be kids, let them eat sweets while they can". I generally gave one fruit/one veggie with snacks, anyway, so it felt like an omission of a component. I felt guilty serving "just" water, like it was the "cheap" way out, not the healthier choice. Just a odd "culture thing", I guess.

LysesKids 03:13 PM 02-27-2017
Ariana 03:47 PM 02-27-2017
If I offer juice (which is a rare treat) it is from an actual apple popped in my juicer

. I make juice with apples, pineapples, cucumbers, carrots, beets etc. The kids love it, especially frozen in the summer time!
Pestle 04:56 PM 02-27-2017
I know! We sometimes squeeze oranges as an activity, but I don't want the expense or extra sugars of serving juice with meals. Am I grabbing the right info from the food program?
"Pasteurized full-strength juice may only be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal, including snack, per day." So it must be 100% juice, reconstituted to the correct strength, and you can only do it once a day. I'd rather not do it at all.
Play Care 03:22 AM 02-28-2017
Originally Posted by Pestle:
I know! We sometimes squeeze oranges as an activity, but I don't want the expense or extra sugars of serving juice with meals. Am I grabbing the right info from the food program?
"Pasteurized full-strength juice may only be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal, including snack, per day." So it must be 100% juice, reconstituted to the correct strength, and you can only do it once a day. I'd rather not do it at all.
This is what mine says as well. I do not serve juice in my program. When I first started out I had kids who would only drink juice. I bought colorful water bottles for each child and kept them full with water. I let them carry them around and sip when they wanted. This helped break the juice habit. Even only serving once a day adds up. Water is free, lol.
Gemma 04:05 AM 02-28-2017