Member Blogs

To Sneak or Not to Sneak...vegetables of course

Well believe it or not, it is that time of year—the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Month. Really,

there is a month long event, of sorts, dedicated to adding just one

more fruit or vegetable to your family’s diet. It is a noble cause;

many children (and adults) don’t get close to getting their suggested

daily intake of fruits and vegetables. The USDA recommends 5 servings.

Some new research state we should get more like 9 servings. However,

the average child is getting more like 2-3 servings. So that brings to

mind a debate among moms as to whether or not to sneak vegetables into

things like brownies or pancakes, and is that really okay? I have

friends and family that feel this is the only way to go, and other

friends that don’t.

I personally have a problem with it. I think if you are that desperate

that you have to put spinach in your brownies in order to get your

children to eat a vegetable, then you are probably dealing with a

bigger problem than poor daily nutrition. Again that is my personal

opinion.

To quote our family’s pediatrician on the topic, “parents should be

pursuing an honest relationship with their children and encouraging

their children to have an honest relationship with food.”

So let your kid have the brownie, really. It is okay. If you need

nutritional back-up or validation to let them have it, here you go:

dark chocolate and cocoa have antioxidant properties. There are eggs

and milk in that brownie too, adding protein and calcium. Also this is

a great opportunity to discuss moderation and the concept of

discretionary calories: the 10% of your daily caloric intake that can

be dedicated to the pursuit of sugary, fattening treats. This is my

favorite part of the day’s caloric intake by the way. I can’t put it

any better than Catherine Newman in her article Stealth-Vegetable Smackdown in the April edition of Wonder Time Magazine.

Now let me make one thing clear, I am not opposed to creative tactics

in the universal effort of getting our children to embrace eating

vegetables. I just believe we should be eating vegetables that look

like vegetables and smell like vegetables and taste like vegetables. So

eat them raw, steam them, sauté them, roast them, bake them, grill

them, puree them, use them to enhance the flavor of eggs, meatloaf,

meatballs, burgers, pastas, rice dishes, sauces, stew and soups, etc.

The folks at Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® have ten great ways to cook almost any vegetable.

Just don’t conceal them in chocolate, or bury them in sugary treats or

turn them into pancakes smothered with maple syrup, with the intention

of that being the sole way you introduce vegetables in your child’s

diet.

Here are some tried and true tips compiled from every parenting-type

magazine, pediatrician newsletter or pamphlet, and leading books on