To Sneak or Not to Sneak Vegetables

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Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy eating habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day.

Hiding vegetables in food has become quite popular; it also has become quite a highly charged topic, especially with moms. There are very strong opinions on both sides and I think the reason is when it comes to parenting, 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.

I think its 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! I think it's important for children to know what vegetables look, feel and taste like.

That being said, I do think adding vegetable purees to dishes as a way of enhancing their nutritional value is a great idea! I'm not fond of the sneaking and hiding aspect...I think we can just look at these purees as a normal part of a recipe. I personally wouldn't put vegetable purees into dessert type foods; I think it might cause confusion for children -- mom's cupcakes are okay to eat, but not the ones from the store. That's just my opinion though! 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.

I suggest if you "sneak" vegetables into your children's diet be sure to keep introducing colourful whole fruits and vegetables to your children too...even if they just look at them at first!

Parenting is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences; if we all extend a little more kindness and less judgment to our fellow parent I think it would be easy to see we all want to have healthy and happy children...we just take different paths to get there sometimes!

What are your thoughts on hiding vegetables? Looking forward to reading your comments!

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November 30, 2010
Note: This Perspectives Blog post is written by a Guest Blogger of DrGreene.com and is provided in order to offer a variety of thoughtful points of view. The opinions expressed on this Perspectives Blog post do not reflect the opinions of Dr. Greene or DrGreene.com. As such, Dr. Greene and DrGreene.com are not responsible for the accuracy of the information supplied. This post is used under Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0.
 
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Comments

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2010-12-03 16:32.

Hiding Vegetables

I don't think hiding vegetables is a great idea. I'm not saying that I would not hide some little things here and there. Raise your children in a way that they want to eat fruits and veggies...it's a lot easier than hiding them.
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2010-12-02 13:48.

Teach, don't sneak

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I'm not a fan of sneaking fruits or veggies into foods - it doesn't teach kids why they're important, and it sets them up to be suspicious about their food. Kids need to be exposed to foods many times, and sometimes in a variety of ways, before they'll embrace them and all too often, parents give up after one failed attempt. Getting creative makes a big difference and can go a long way. Kids can learn to like, and even love, fruits and vegetables. I've seen it with my own children and others.
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2010-12-02 12:29.

To Sneak or Not to Sneak

My kids love to bake and make smoothies with vegetables in them. For example, he likes to tell his friends that his brownies are BETTER than the store because they have spinach in them and make you stronger like a super hero. He is also delighted to add lettuce and celery to a fruit smoothie and has fun in finding new things in the Fridge to try. Sure, sometimes, he does not end up drinking it all and I end up with more ... but he is curious and wants to know about food and what it does for his body. I think it is really important for us parents to educate our children on what they are eating so that they can make better choices as adults. So, I agree - let's enhance their food and get as many fruits and veggies in them. Thanks for the great article Kia and to Dr.Greene for sharing it. Pam

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Excellent Balance

It definitely sounds like you've been doing a great job with your kids! Getting them involved in baking, cooking, making smoothies! I also really like that your son knows that you are enhancing your recipes with things like veggies. Great job!!!! I appreciate your comment!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2010-12-01 21:51.

Hide and Seek

What a great topic of discussion. I have been adding veggie purees or grated veggies to foods for years and also agree it's a great way to "enhance" the nutritional value of foods with extra veggies. Ok, so I'm being a bit sneaky about it, but for the good of my family! I love grated carrots in quesadillas and spaghetti sauce, pureed squash or cauliflower in mac 'n' cheese & grilled cheese, V8 juice as a "broth" for a quick soup. I have even gone as far as substituting a little of the water in my bread maker for veggie puree! A denser bread, but nice flavour with pumpkin or sweet potato. I am always sure to have veggies served on the side so that it is part of the meal as well and cut-up veggies are on hand for a healthy snack anytime. And if my 6 year old daughter's favourite pizza is spinach...how can I complain!

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Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Enhance

I think you've found a great balance of enhancing food while at the same time still providing your family with whole fruits and vegetables! Thank you so much for sharing your strategies...and congrats on the spinach pizza...clearly you're doing a great job!!!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 21:50.

Right On!

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I totally agree Kia. As a mom and nutritionist specializing in mom, baby and toddler nutrition I think children need to know what they are eating, where it comes from and why they are eating it. It doesn't have to be complex, but I think having an understanding of what, where and why helps motivate them to eat real food, without having to "hide" it. I strongly believe hiding vegetables will backfire in the end because one day your children will discover the fact you were hiding spinach in the brownies and then they will raise a caution flag at every meal wondering just what vegetables you are trying to hide now. Children need to be exposed to vegetables in their natural form. They need to create a positive relationship with their food not a game of hide and seek. Take the time to include them in the grocery shopping, let them decide which vegetables to eat with dinner, let them help wash, prepare and cook them or better yet plant a veggie garden, it is amazing what a child will eat when they have helped make it grow - involvement equals a much greater interest in eating the finished product. Kim

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Connecting Kids with Their Food!

I couldn't agree with you more Kim! I think we need more people like yourself and Dr. Greene in the world! You are helping parents raise healthy kids and what could be more important than that?! It may take more time, energy and create more mess but I think getting little ones in the kitchen and in the garden is a great way to connect them with their food. It also is an opportunity to connect them with where their food comes from and why it's important to take care of the earth! So many wonderful opportunities arise when we involve kids!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 20:03.

Great post, thank-you!

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Thank-you for sharing your great perspective on this important topic! I know how hard it can be to get some children to eat healthily, and as I work with children and families every day, the subject of 'sneaking' in veggies comes up often. Based on my own experiences, I'm confident that leading by example is the best thing that a parent/caregiver can do for any child right from the start! If healthy (and colourful) foods are the only option on the table, then chances are that a child will end up eating them sooner or later. Besides, eating rainbows is so much fun!!

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Rainbows

I agree...eating rainbows is a lot of fun :) Leading by example is one of the best ways to encourage kids to eat their fruits and veggies!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 16:05.

Do the opposite of sneaking, hand over a vegetable.

Sneaking vegetables by your kids veggie-detecting eyes defeats the purpose of getting kids to eat nutritious food. Sure, your kid may have consumed one portion of vegetables, but what about tomorrow? Parenting is not only about today but about developing long term goals like helping your child to develop a positive relationship with nutritious food. Part of eating healthy is understanding what you are eating and its relationship to our body. Don't think a toddler doesn't get that concept. When your toddler is hungry you give her a potato chip and she feels satisfied. The next time she's hungry she will ask for more chips. If you swap out the chips for string beans, she'll crave the vegetable next time. Do the opposite of sneaking, celebrate vegetables and talk about why we eat them and how great they taste and how they make us grow strong. www.veggietoddler.blogspot.com

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Long Term Goal

I think you make a great point when you say that in the long run just hiding vegetables is not effective. I think when it comes to parenting we'd all be better off to keep long term goals in mind...what kind of person do we want our child to grow up to be. How can we shape and encourage them to be healthy eaters for example. Being a good role model, as you say, is very important...our children are always watching and learning from us! Having different eating rules for them doesn't work! I will be sure to visit you site! Thank you for commenting!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 10:50.

Good insite

I have 18 month old twins. They love their veggies and will happily eat spinach pizza, veggie soup, anything. Unfortunately, one will not each vegetables that are not pureed. It's a bit of a sensory problem. I put the pureed vegetables in things to make sure he's getting them, but I also offer the same vegetable, cut up. He may put it in his mouth sometimes (always spits it out) and I just hope that eventually he'll eat it that way. Even then, I will still add purees to foods, even desserts. But I won't lie about them being in there. Desserts are fine once in a while and even with vegetables in them, are still considered a treat, not a staple, but if I can make the treat have some nutitional value, then it can only help them.

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Sensory

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with your twins!! Sensory issues is a big part of picky eating...I myself am still very particular about the textures that I eat. I'm not fond of mushy things so for example I will eat lots of blueberries if they are frozen but I don't enjoy them raw. However when it comes to peas I will only eat them raw because I don't enjoy the mushy texture of cooked peas! Like I said in my article, I think that adding vegetable purees is a great way to enhance recipes and if that is coupled with kids still being exposed to whole fruits and vegetables at the same time...how can you go wrong! Great job!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 10:34.

Being sneaky...

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Thanks for raising this topic. I caught a lot of flack when I criticized Deceptively Delicious when it came out a couple of years ago. Since I teach children how to cook (www.whatscookingwithkids.com), I found it somewhat insulting (to kids) that people would completely bypass their involvement and hide ingredients in the food. Like you said, kids are curious. And studies (and my personal experience) have shown that kids who cook, eat better. So instead of hiding ingredients, how about cooking together and sharing your enthusiasm for those same ingredients? It takes a lot of patience, but it usually pays off - especially if you set a good example. I applaud all parents who care about their children's nutrition. But I prefer that they do it openly.

Reply

Kia Robertson's picture
Kia Robertson

Cooking With Kids

I agree with you that getting kids in the kitchen and connected with their food is fantastic!!! Kids are far more likely to eat foods that they help prepare! Teaching them cooking skills is a gift that they carry with them for the rest of their lives!
Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2010-11-30 10:29.

Great Idea!

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I totally agree with you! Getting in an extra serving of veggies (even if you have to sneak them) is a always a good idea; however it is more important that your children understand what fruits and veggies are, and how important they are for their health and nutrition!