Criticized as much as they are adored, compotes are proving to be truly problematic for the health of young people, especially since they are sold in tubes.
For breakfast, dessert or snack, compotes to drink are certainly one of the favorite foods of children and sometimes adults. And yet, they don’t have a good press. Like many processed products, they are singled out for their composition, when sugar is added. It must be said that compared to homemade compotes, supposed to contain only freshly crushed fruit, those sold in supermarkets, even when they have the inscription “low in sugar”, are enough to annoy more than one nutritionist.
Between the amounts of sugar, preservatives and manufacturing methods, compote drinking isn’t really the best way to eat fruit – but is it really a secret? Some compotes actually contain up to 16 grams of sugar per 100 grams, which is 1.5 times more than in cola. And regarding manufacturing, remember that vitamins, in particular vitamin C, are sensitive to heat and therefore largely disappear during cooking. Added to this is the fact of mixing the product so that it is liquid, which also destroys the fibers contained in the fruits.
Faced with these products which in reality are very far from being truly beneficial for health and promote cavities, dentists are on their feet. In England, the British Dental Association (BDA) has published a press release alarming demanding “that measures be taken concerning the obscene levels of sugar” contained in compotes, particularly those intended for the youngest.
Sugar does not seem to be the only problem and even has an ally. An unsuspected danger for children’s teeth also comes from the format itself of the compotes to drink. For the experts behind the press release, this type of compote, which can be enjoyed and kept in the mouth for a long time, in fact promotes prolonged contact between food and teeth. Which would increase the “risk of erosion and decay”.
And if the idea of having an appointment with the dentist does not please anyone, for a child the poor health of baby teeth proves catastrophic. These, in addition to allowing him to eat, “define his very small face”, “allow the development of speech without articulation disorders” and, after a certain age, “guide the permanent teeth so that they grow in the right position” we can read on the site Ameli.fr.
To limit the impact of sugar on children’s teeth, it would be wiser for them not to consume these compotes directly in their packaging. In any case, this is what the British Dental Association recommends, which also denounces the communication of certain brands about their products.