Orange juice, milk or just tap water? We asked three top dietitians about what you should REALLY give your children to drink at breakfast

Sugar in juice, fat in milk and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks.

They all make deciding what to feed your kids a minefield.

To add to the confusion for every parent, a new study today suggested that fruit juice can make children fat due to the dual impact of sugar and ‘liquid calories’.

The finding contradicts what many parents may have believed, especially those who assumed juice was a healthy, vitamin C-rich alternative.

MailOnline has now asked registered nutritionists for their views on what children should be given to drink.

Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and consultant for Healthspan, said he wouldn’t advise parents to give up juice altogether.

But he says they should be aware of how much their children drink.

“I see no problem in giving your child a small portion of fruit juice (150ml) daily, but it is better to serve this as part of a healthy breakfast,” he said.

“Same goes for smoothies, but serve one or the other.”

He said that while juice can add calories to a diet, it also has other benefits that sweet alternatives lack.

“Any drink with a high sugar content, even fruit juice containing natural sugars, is likely to add extra calories to the diet, which is more likely to be a problem if consumed in excess,” Hobson said.

‘Compared to other sugary drinks, fruit juice contains vitamin C.’

While limiting fruit juice to one a day, Mr Hobson said parents can still dish out other healthy thirst quenchers.

“During the day I would recommend other drinks that hydrate without the extra sugar,” he said.

‘You can try naturally flavored water by adding ingredients like cucumber, pineapple cubes, strawberries and mint.

‘A glass of milk is also very nutritious for children and can both hydrate and contribute to their calcium intake.’

Bridget Benelam, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said water and milk were the best choice for children’s drinks over juice.

“Water and milk are the best choices because they do not contain free sugars,” she said.

‘Fruit juices and smoothies contain some vitamins and minerals, but also contain a lot of sugar. The advice is to keep this in no more than one small glass (150 ml) per day.’

She added that parents should not only consider the calories, as juice can also harm children’s oral health.

‘The sugar and acidity of juices can damage teeth if children have them often. If you are feeding fruit juice, it is best to drink it with a meal to minimize the impact on dental health,” she said.

For particularly picky kids who want a juice, or for parents who want to maximize the vitamin benefits without the downsides, Ms. Benelam recommended diluting it with water to reduce the sugar and acidity.

The recent study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatricswas based on a review of 42 other studies.

Canadian researchers looked at how body mass index (BMI) changed in both children and adults who drank 100 percent fruit juice for two weeks.

They found that each serving of juice apparently resulted in a small increase in their BMI in children, suggesting a possible link.

However, they found no significant change in the weight of adults who drank juice in the studies.

The NHS recommends that children aged four to six should eat no more than 19 grams of free sugars per day, while seven to 10-year-olds should limit intake to 24 grams.

There are no NHS guidelines for children under the age of four, although the health service advises parents not to give these young people extra sugar.

These limits only apply to sugar added to foods, such as flavored yogurts, cereals and carbonated drinks, or to sugar that occurs naturally in fruit juices, smoothies and honey.

Health chiefs don’t set limits on the sugars in fruit, vegetables and milk.

A 150 ml portion of orange or apple juice contains approximately between 12 and 15 grams of sugar.

With a standard juice box, a classic mainstay in many packed lunches, containing 200ml, it’s easy to see how a child could accidentally consume more than recommended.

The scourge of so-called ‘hidden’ or ‘added’ sugars that we may not be aware are in drinks such as juice, as well as products such as sauces, ketchups and salad dressings, has been blamed for contributing to several health problems.

Some experts consider them to be one of the main driving factors behind the rise in obesity and diabetes rates in both Britain and America.