MINNEAPOLIS — A popular snack for young kids is drawing some concerns from health experts.
Fruit and vegetable pouches are go-to picks for parents because they're easy, quick and mess-free.
Dr. Gigi Chawla from Children's Minnesota sees their efficiency and notes they have some nutritional value.
The concern rises when they're overused and replace whole foods. "It's so efficient that it can become problematic as well," Chawla said.
Chawla pinpoints cavities as a possible unwanted effect. Dental decay can occur from the added sugars that are generally in the pouches. Chawla says the puree form can coat kids' teeth in a way that a piece of fruit does not.
Excessive calories or overeating is another top concern because pouches can be consumed so quickly.
"Instead of just taking one pouch, which could be the equivalent in volume of one apple, to suddenly having two, three, five pouches a day, now you're getting maybe a lot of extra food or calories," she said.
Developmental concerns also arise. An article by the St. Louis Children's Hospital warns that babies miss out on learning hand-eye coordination when they don't touch or hold food in their whole form.
"When you don't have plates of food where they're having to pick things up and use their fork and spoon and know how to balance peas, for example, that is potentially problematic," Chawla said. "It's the socialization piece that you can be missing but also the physical act of chewing, of learning different textures."
She wants parents to know pouches should not substitute an all-inclusive meal.