CARMEL, Ind. -- Eating fruit, not just drinking its juice, is the best way to stay healthy, an Indiana doctor said.

With many Americans becoming more aware of what they eat, some have turned to drinking fruit juice as a healthy alternative, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

But Dr. David Creel at the St. Vincent Bariatric Center said the sweet drink can be filled with just as much sugar and calories as a typical carbonated beverage.

"Juice consumption has gone up, and our waistlines have gone up," he said.

The recommended daily amount of juice is no more than four ounces, although filling up a glass can add up to four times that number.

Instead, Creel recommends his patients skip the juice and eat the fruit.

"You're getting fiber, you're getting chewing, you're getting a sense of fullness that you would get from eating that piece of fruit. And with juice, you don't get that," he said.

He said the same holds true for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends about six ounces or less of juice a day.

Creel recommends parents water down their child's juice to spread out the extra sugar and calories.