Fruit and vegetables are not necessarily favorite foods for many children. Food manufacturers have a solution to the problem, but consumer advocates don’t like it that much.
Many children do not eat fruit and vegetables voluntarily. Which in turn worries worried parents who fear their child is not eating enough healthy foods.
So products like the Quetschies come at just the right time. Behind the Quetschies is nothing more than fruit and/or vegetable puree in a squeeze bag. And: Thanks to the suction attachment, squeezes can also be easily consumed by smaller children without them choking or making a mess.
Of course, there are still much “worse” foods for children, because most of the products designed and advertised specifically for this customer group often contain far too much (added) sugar and fat. And yet the Quetschies don’t come off too well with experts. For example, the Lower Saxony consumer center (VZNI) says quite clearly: “Quetschies are another superfluous and overpriced food for children.”
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What speaks against the Quetschies?
But why are the Quetschies so criticized by consumer advocates? We summarize the most important criticisms of the VZNI for you here:
Too much natural sugar: The Quetschie manufacturers also advertise “no added sugar” for their products. That is also true. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t contain sugar. On the contrary: the purees contain natural fruit sugar (fructose) – and not too little. The sugar content in the fruit purees often comes close to that of at least the same amount of cola. Problem besides the “too much”: fructose is converted into fat in the liver, which can promote obesity or a “fatty liver” if consumed excessively.
Harmful continuous use: The Quetschies are designed with their suction device in such a way that they invite you to suckle continuously. Squeeze the squeeze box into the hands of the little ones in the pram – and the offspring are already busy. However, there is a risk that the little ones will consume more calories than is appropriate because of the high natural sugar content. And since the sensitive milk teeth are constantly bathed in the high-sugar fruit puree, the risk of tooth decay increases at the same time,
Lack of chewing training: In contrast to eating fresh fruit, sucking on the quetschie does not strain the chewing muscles. This in turn does not promote oral motor skills, which means that there is no positive influence on learning to speak.
Expensive replacement: Fresh fruit is significantly cheaper. 100 grams of fruit puree in Quetschie costs between 40 and 90 cents, while an apple (about 100 grams) costs between 20 and 30 cents. And if you compare some homemade fruit/vegetable purees with store-bought products, according to the VZNI, the Quetschies in the store cost four to seven times as much.
No squeeze is no solution either
Basically, you shouldn’t totally condemn the Quetschies to the ground. As a small snack for the “emergency” they are definitely good. Even the VZNI comes to a rather “forgiving” assessment: “Squeezes are acceptable now and then or for on the go. However, they should be seen as sweets and not as a substitute for fresh fruit and vegetables.” Fruit as a reward for children, that’s something!
But: However, parents should be aware that they are not doing their little ones any good if they keep handing them the quetschies.
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Dental hygiene for parents: testing electric toothbrushes
Of course, “healthy teeth” and dental hygiene are not only an important issue for children, but also for adults. More and more households are using electric toothbrushes for dental hygiene. But not all models are good. Stiftung Warentest has been testing such electric toothbrushes since 2013 and chooses a new test winner every year. We have summarized the StiWa test results from December 2020 for you in one article. The current recommendations from the test are shown in the following table: