Gummy fruit snacks not the most nutritious for children, UMass study says
BOSTON - If you want to put a healthy fruit snack in your child's lunch bag, researchers from UMass Amherst say to stay away from fruit gummies.
A UMass Amherst team of food scientists analyzed the nutritional content of nearly 1,500 fruit snacks looking at levels of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugar, and added salt. They found that dried fruit, pureed fruit, and canned fruit with juice were the only ones that met the latest recommendations for high-nutrition snacks set by the federal government, with dried fruit earning the top prize.
Gummies were the least nutritious fruit snack, followed by canned fruit packed with something other than juice and dried flavored fruit, both of which have a lot of added sugar. They say eating a piece of fresh fruit is without a doubt the healthiest option, but if you're going to pick a fruit snack, dried fruit is the way to go.
Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.
