Sneaking vegetables into kid favorites like macaroni and cheese, pizza and even chocolate brownies is become quite popular. But it’s also the source of much debate, with naysayers claiming it only reinforces the belief that vegetables are yucky.
We all want to do right by our children. It’s easy to get defensive when we feel as though others are questioning our parenting choices. Perhaps that’s why there are such strong opinions on both sides of the vegetable debate.
It’s essential children know what they are eating, why it’s great for their body and where it came from. They are naturally full of curiosity when they are young which means it’s the perfect time to encourage them to explore fruits and vegetables! It’s important for children to know what vegetables look, feel and taste like.
That being said, adding vegetable purees to dishes as a way of enhancing their nutritional value is a great idea! Instead of using the sneaking or hiding approach, just look at these purees as a normal part of a recipe. Use it as an opportunity to teach your kids about food and cooking.
But does sneaking vegetables reinforce the idea that vegetables are yucky? It really comes down to one fact, unless we know all the circumstances it’s really not our place to judge how another parent decides to feed their child.
For parents with children who have sensory and problem feeding issues using vegetable purees might be the only way to ensure their children are getting important nutrients into their diet. Parents with very picky eaters are sometimes so desperate and concerned they are just happy to know their child ate something nutritious whether they knew it or not.
If you “sneak” vegetables into your children’s diet be sure to keep introducing colorful whole fruits and vegetables to your children too, even if they just look at them at first! Take your kids to a farmers’ market and connect with people that grow their food.
If you can garden with your child, that’s even better! If you don’t have a lot of space, you can grow things in pots on your deck or even a little herb garden on your windowsill. Anything to spark a connection between your child and the food they eat!
Whether you sneak vegetables or don’t, we can all agree that parenting is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences. If we all extend a little more kindness and less judgment to our fellow parents, it would be easy to see we all want to have healthy and happy children…sometimes we just take different paths to get there!
Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day.
3 Comments
Well said Kia! I love this blog! As a Speech Pathologist and Feeding Therapist I encourage parents to not sneak veggies into foods because in your brownie example, the child is ‘learning’ that mom gets very excited when I eat her brownies, soooo their thought process is… All brownies are good for me and I should eat more of them. This is how our picky eaters get into sugar related addictions and diabetic issues. But you are so right- we should not don’t judge parents, but guide them on paths to slowly transition fresh fruits and veggies into their child’s diet through exposure. Your amazing Rainbow Chart is exactly the type of educational tool parents need to educate their children about healthy eating. Keep up the informative and exciting blogs Kia they are so needed!
Dawn Winkelmann Torres, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Pathologist/Feeding Therapist
http://www.SpectrumSpeech.com
I don’t think that sneaking veggies dishes is wrong. Children have a very sensitive pallet and by sneaking them in we are introducing new flavours to them gradually. It takes many exposures to a new flavour and texture for a child to accept a new item. If we sneak cauliflower into the mac and cheese, a safe food, and then gradually increase the size of the cauliflower they will more willing start eating cauliflower cause it is now a safe food.
I have one great eater and one that is very picky. I completely sneak in veggies. However I also present the main veggies on her plate as well. You have to get the vitamins in there no matter what