[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
Tasty, light, compotes represent a low-calorie dessert, rich in fiber and vitamins, and practical.
Indeed, whether for children or as a snack for older children, compote is practical: you can take it anywhere, it does not require peeling fruit or putting crumbs everywhere…
So practical, but are they good for your health?
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
What is a compote?
A compote is mixed cooked fruit so it contains fiber, fructose (sugar naturally present in fruit), vitamins (mainly vitamin C) and minerals.
So compote contributes to the proper functioning of our intestinal transit, for example.
And, whether organic or classic, the compote also meets rigorous regulations and must therefore contain no preservatives, colorings or artificial flavors.
Can they replace fruit?
Fresh fruits also provide fiber, fructose, vitamin C and minerals: it is precisely for these contributions that we recommend eating 2 to 3 per day.
But, unfortunately, compotes provide much more sugar than fruit, that’s the problem! And not natural sugar, but sugar added by manufacturers to accentuate flavors or mask others.
And they contain fewer vitamins, because these are partly destroyed by cooking (fortunately some manufacturers add ascorbic acid which is in fact vitamin C).
As for fibers, naturally contained in fruits, they are also less present in compotes, since they tend to lose their properties when cooked and/or mixed. In addition, as the texture is mixed, we don’t chew and therefore a compote is much less sticky, we would tend to eat more as a result!
What about fruit purees? What is the difference ?
“Fruit purees” are only pureed fruit, without any other addition! It is in fact the equivalent of “compotes without added sugar”.
It’s mixed cooked fruit and that’s it! With possibly ascorbic acid, in other words added Vitamin C.
Trick : You can also buy baby compotes, they obviously have no added sugar!
Are low-sugar compotes better than “normal” compote?
When you see “compote” written without anything else, it means that you will find fruit but also added sugar.
And when it says “reduced”, it means that the compote contains 30% less sugar compared to traditional compotes of the same brand, but there is a catch!
And yes! You may end up with low-fat compotes that contain more sugar than non-low-fat compotes!
- To summarize, the best thing is to take fruit purees or compotes without added sugar and, even better, make your own compotes!
- Real child’s play, the homemade compote made with fresh, seasonal products will be more economical for you.
To do this, you just have to choose your fruits (almost all fruits are suitable for compote), wash them, peel them if necessary, put them in a saucepan with water (not too much) , cook over low heat until the fruits soften, and mash them using a fork or a potato masher for example (avoid the blender which tends to crush everything mercilessly), and All that remains is to serve chilled!
If you want, you can flavor your compote with lemon zest, vanilla or cinnamon in particular.
Your homemade compotes can be personalized as desired and will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator, so share them with your children and treat yourself…naturally!
Trick : Avoid peeling some of your fruits before crushing them. Remember that all the vitamins and minerals are in the skin of plants!
Are compotes in bottles worth compotes in jars?
The compotes in a bottle are practical, nothing to say about that but:
- Already with a spoon, a compote is swallowed quickly but here, in a bottle, it’s 2 seconds tops! Not even time to savor. So, it doesn’t bother you!
- Compote gourds are often misused as snacks.
My advice : avoid adding fruit juice because then it will explode the fructose meter, natural sugar of fruits, of course, but sugar all the same, which will be transformed, in excess, in the form of fats in your body (triglycerides ) - And then, in terms of ecology, with all this plastic, it’s really average…
To conclude, of course, in terms of calories, it is better to eat a small pot of compote than a slice of chocolate cake, however, for your health and your figure, be careful not to overdo it just because it is fruit.
TO SUM UP:
- Compotes are less thick than fruit and are sweet
- Prefer fruit purees and compotes without added sugar
- Beware of the trap of low-sugar compotes!
- Don’t hesitate to make your own compote