Making homemade jelly beans is the resource of some parents who want to give children a more nutritious candy option. However, nutritionist dietitians are not clear that they are an adequate alternative. We resolve whether the concept of healthy gummies for children is coherent.
Whether homemade or commercial, gummies or sweets are sweet and their objective is to give us pleasure, not to feed us. This is what María Colomer, a nutritionist dietitian, says: «In the context of nutrition, ‘healthy sweets’ is a concept that does not exist. To define them they would have to have a quality standard within the technical-health regulations that, in this case, does not exist.»
What are healthy gummies
Officially, nothing. There is no definition of a healthy snack because it is a made-up term: “In this case, the Royal Decree 348/2011 of March 11 for the quality standard for candy, chewing gum, confectionery and sweets does not include anything about ‘healthy’ options. If there is no regulation to talk about healthy gummies for children, it is because the adjective is used according to each individual’s criteria,” Colomer clarifies.
However, social media is full of recipes on how to make healthy gummies. There are also many stores that sell them, usually labeled as “without artificial colors or flavors”, “made from fruit juice”, even “vegan”, “gluten-free”, etc. None of this, according to the expert, makes them nutritious or, per sehealth benefit. “Saludable is a surname that comes from marketing and that they want sweets to acquire an aura of being something that can be healthy, without being so,” he says.
Nutritional analysis of churches.
Colomer maintains that, from a nutritional point of view, the difference between traditional gummies and healthy sweets is marked by the ingredients. «It doesn’t matter whether they come from industrial syrups or fruit juice and honey, in both cases they are free sugars. In industrial gummies it is added sugar and in homemade ones it is intrinsic to the food. But when we eat either of the two, the intestine only recognizes free sugar molecules. It detects whether they are smaller or larger, but without knowing if they come from the sugar bowl or the blender.» That is, the effect on the body is the same.
Industrial sweets contain sugar, syrups, gelatin, agar agar, water and additives that give aroma and color, as well as acids to keep the product stable. Sometimes also sweeteners. “If they are sold as healthy,” says María Colomer, “they use fruit juice, non-artificial colorings and aromas, perhaps vegan gelling agents… but they are basically a source of free sugar.” As for homemade gummies, the ingredients range from fruit juice to yogurt or honey… The color and sweetness are obtained from the fruit. Yogurt seeks to modify the texture. They mix all of this with gelling agents such as agar agar or fish gelatin to imitate the consistency and flavor of traditional gummies.”
Benefits and limitations of healthy sweets
The only benefit of churches is to be appreciated in the context of a very special occasion. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults reduce the consumption of free sugars to less than 10% of daily caloric intake. «But a reduction to less than 5% offers additional health benefits. And there is no distinction between whether the free sugars come from the sugar bowl or from fruit juice,» explains the expert.
In terms of nutrients, the differences between homemade and industrial are few when we analyze the concept of healthy gummies. Colomer points out: «The big difference is the amount of sugar. In a “healthy” one it is the sugars in the juice. In the industrial one, it is the syrup (normally more than in a juice) plus the sugar coating.»
Better ways to consume them
Any candy, whether store-bought or homemade gummies, within a balanced children’s diet has to be part of occasional consumption related to festivities, not habitual consumption, “no matter how much natural juice is used to make them,” María Colomer insists. If the child asks for this type of candy, it should be offered in the smallest quantity possible and always framed in the context of a special occasion, as happens with cakes, pies and other sweets.
«The random placement of the adjective ‘healthy’ or the fact of insisting that they have been made with natural juice, can imply that healthy sweets are suitable to be taken every day or regularly or in a larger quantity, and it would be a mistake,» warns the expert.
Frequently asked questions
Do healthy gummies make you less fat?
Compared to industrial ones, a homemade treat can have half the calories. «The ones we buy, whose data is documented, represent 300 calories per 100 grams. If we make them at home only with juice and gelatin, they will be fewer calories, perhaps up to half if nothing else is added,» explains Colomer, making it clear that fewer calories does not mean being healthy.
Are they suitable for small children?
When we talk about gummies for children, the danger is not exclusively that they have more or less nutrients; The problem is possible choking. This is explained by María Colomer, who points out: «If they are small in size, they can get stuck or pass into the respiratory tract. Therefore, the ideal is to wait until they are six years old.»
If we look at the amount of sugar, the recommendation is that, in the first three years of life, the less they drink, the better. “The reason is that we have an innate taste for sweet things which, like very salty things, causes us to have a different eating behavior, making us eat more as a general rule,” explains the expert.
Can you make homemade gummies?
There are hundreds of recipes for so-called healthy gummies on the internet. We asked María Colomer how a dietician-nutritionist would make homemade sweets. “I would put very few ingredients: natural juices from a very good fruit that was at its optimal sweetness and gelatin or agar agar,” he points out, making it clear that it would not be his first option. To celebrate, defends the expert, there are nutritious options:
«Balls of dried fruit, cereals and nuts, fresh fruit with dark chocolate as a lollipop, orange with dark chocolate baked in strips… Adults tend to think that they are not going to like all this, but we should not restrict their discovery. The best thing is to give it to them and let them decide if they like it or not,» he concludes.
The ALDI Council
Try homemade sweets with natural juice and agar-agar for special occasions. Remember that fresh fruit is always the best option.
Maria Colomer. Dietitian-nutritionist from the University of Barcelona since 1997. He is a University Specialist in Nutritional Education and Physical Activity, Health and Sports Performance from the University of the Balearic Islands. She practices her profession in private medical practice and as an external advisor for collective catering companies, both for early childhood education centers, schools, children’s centers, nursing homes and hotels. She has extensive experience as a trainer in nutrition, dietetics and food safety for different groups. He has actively participated in activities and workshops of different companies in the food and restaurant industry for the prevention and well-being of their workers. He has collaborated in thirty publications in national and international conferences, and has participated in the preparation of 3 technical documents on the eating habits of the population of the Balearic Islands. Responsible for training of the Official College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of the Balearic Islands and Honorary Member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
