Yumi’s Curried Pumpkin & Spinach Veggie Bites | Chewsday Review
Pumpkin, spinach, and a hint of curry—these veggie bites have a lot going on in a small package. But do they 'squash' our expectations? Let’s spice things up and take a closer look.
- Pumpkin (35%), Chickpeas, Sweet Potato, Canola Oil, Besan Flour, Spinach (5%), Potato Starch, Onion, Garlic, Salt, Yeast Extract, Parsley, Curry Powder, Vegetable Gum (460, 466), Pepper, Oregano (0.1%).
- At first glance, this ingredient list looks promising. These veggie bites contain 40% pumpkin and spinach, with chickpeas and sweet potato sitting high up in the ingredients list too.
- Allergens: none.
- May contain: lupin, sesame, tree nuts.
- Whole chickpeas are a choking risk for young children, so veggie bites and falafels containing chickpeas are a more suitable way to offer chickpeas to babies and young toddlers.
- Sodium is 280mg per 100g which is within my recommendations and lower than other options, like Yumi’s Classic Falafels. Per serve (3-4 balls) is 210mg of sodium, which is about a 1/4 of a toddler’s recommended maximum intake.
- The saturated fat is quite low (0.6g per 200g). This is because canola oil is a mostly unsaturated fat source, and these don’t contain any other higher saturated fat ingredients, like butter, cheese, or other oils.
- At almost $30 per kg, they do seem quite costly. However, at $6.60 per bag, the convenience of a low-sodium heat-and-serve veggie bite is a great option. Wildly Good Veggie Strips are slightly more expensive ($32.50 per kg) and it seems both Coles and Woolies have stopped making their own homebrand falafels and veggie bites. Woolworth do have a make-your-own falafel mix (slightly less convenient) for $22.50 per kg.
- “Always gluten free”. Correct, but remember being gluten free doesn’t automatically mean something is better for you (unless you have coeliac disease or gluten intolerance/sensitivity).
- “Deliciously vegan”. As expected from a veggie bite.
- “Preservative free”. Australia regulates the use of safe preservatives, so a product being preservative-free doesn’t always make it better.
- Overall, these offer a lower sodium alternative compared to similar products, such as Yumi’s Classic Falafels.
- They are a convenient and enjoyable way to offer chickpeas to your family and come in some other flavours too.
- A similar homemade version (with no added salt) is available to members of Family Mealtimes. Try Dr Gemma’s falafel-ish recipe here.
The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.
