Puree pouches are super convenient, contain fruits and vegetables, and most importantly, kids love them, but are they really a healthy option for your baby? They may look just as healthy as homemade, but unfortunately they are not… even with “organic” on the label.
How are they made?
The first step in making store-bought puree is in a mass producer where fruits and vegetables are boiled using ultra-high heat processing to create a shelf-stable pulp. This pulp is then sent to various baby food manufacturers who combine them in their own way and then boil them again with a second round of ultra-high heat processing.
Fruits and vegetables contain water-soluble vitamins and enzymes that are sensitive to heat. So while the high temperature ensures that it stays shelf-stable by killing all the “bad stuff”, unfortunately it also destroys most of the nutritional value. The result is a syrup that is high in sugar, low in nutrients and no longer resembles a real fruit or vegetable. Store-bought puree also doesn’t contain the fiber, fat, or protein necessary to slow the blood sugar spike that these little pouches inevitably cause. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down, and when blood sugar finally drops after the sugar rush, crashes and explosions are more likely to occur.
A baby’s first food experiences build his preferences for the future. Children who eat sweet, processed baby foods have an increased chance of developing a lifelong preference for sweet, processed foods. Even the pouches with flavors not normally considered sweet, like kale and quinoa, are primarily packed with an overpowering and addictive sweet fruit reduction.
A warning disguised as consolation
Although strawberries are a common food that babies react to (often with a rash), they are still commonly added to store-bought purees. But baby food manufacturers are “reassuring” parents not to worry, saying they use such high temperatures to process their strawberry purees that they “destroy” the protein responsible for the allergic response. As if boasting, they go on to say that the temperatures used to cook strawberries at home could not reach a high enough temperature to effectively destroy these same proteins.
Am I the only one who sees this as a terrible red flag?
What about homemade mash in reusable containers?
While the ingredients inside will be much more nutritious, there are still plenty of reasons to limit your little one’s use of the bags.
Purees do not prepare your baby for differences in color, texture and taste.
Children who consume pureed food for a longer period of time have been shown to be increasingly resistant to different textures and tastes later on (read = picky).
While squash and pea may taste different than banana and apple, all store-bought purees are made to taste sweet and therefore lack the variety to really cultivate a well-rounded, adventurous palate.
I often hear parents say that their baby or toddler prefers pouches to other foods. To me this is a very clear indicator that reliance on mash cases is having a negative impact on them. Continuing to offer these pouches may feel easier in the short term, but if that’s all picky eaters want to eat, I can firmly guarantee that giving them more pouches will only create more pickiness.
Puree pouches do not allow the baby to interact with the food.
Seeing, touching, and smelling food are all critical components necessary for feeling full, and a lack of these key factors during consumption could significantly disrupt the body’s internal fullness cues.
Interaction with food is also important for babies to learn how to self-regulate appropriate portions, rather than aimlessly gobbling up a pouch until it’s finished.
Purees do not teach the baby about real food.
Real, fresh foods allow babies to begin to develop an appreciation for the taste of individual foods. Then, even if they do go through that age-appropriate picky phase during toddlerhood, those who started out on a solid footing will probably go back to being adventurous eaters much more quickly, rather than letting the pickiness play out well in the their school years.
I know parents love their convenience, but the reality is purees are definitely not the nutritious meal they’re marketed for. When I’m on the go with my babies and don’t have time to make a proper meal, we’ll bring easy travel foods like avocados, unsalted canned salmon, nut butters, or freeze-dried fruit.
Are mashed potatoes the most horrible thing you can give your child? Certainly not, but our culture’s current reliance on handbags is certainly doing our children an injustice.
