Check out my progress on Sneaky Veggies
It seems that we veggie lovers are a rare breed these days. Because nobody likes to eat their greens, companies like Kraft are sneaking them into processed foods. Yep, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, mac & cheese now boasts “hidden” cauliflower, representing an effort to increase American kids’ vegetable intake.
Sneaking nutritious foods into apparent junk foods is hardly a new trend—the past decade has seen the publication of several cookbooks instructing mothers how to hide beans into brownies, not to mention the introduction of several products like Kraft’s cruciferous-laced pasta. I have mixed feelings about this idea of nutrition deception.
From a public health perspective, dehydrated veggies incorporated into crappy food are better than none at all, right? However, from a personal perspective, I want my (unborn) children (and niece!) to love and appreciate vegetables for what they are—to know the singular pleasure of a perfectly ripe tomato, the verdant aroma of summer basil, and maybe someday the delight of fresh broccoli too:) I understand that my view on the matter is completely biased, as I do not yet have children and have not had to handle whiny protests at the dinner table. Nonetheless, I disagree with the notion that we should teach our children that vegetables are something to cause disdain, such that they need to be hidden within the foods we eat.
What do you think about veggie-fortified foods? Are they a boon or a curse to optimal health?
Here’s how I made my veggie quota today…
Before class, I made a modified version of my Banana-Coconut Breakfast Pudding. I used slightly larger proportions and added raspberries on top.
After class (and an impromptu trip to Whole Foods), I came home to prepare an Ellie recipe, Green Bean and Walnut Salad.
My tweaks:
-I used whole grain mustard instead of regular Dijon.
-I added chickpeas for protein.
This salad was another ho-hum creation. It wasn’t bad, just not terribly innovative. Next.
On the plane ride home a few days ago, I finally got the chance to delve into the most recent issue of Clean Eating. I noticed a recipe for a “Summer Vegetable Frittata,” and it reminded me how delicious my first one was. I improvised another version using whatever I had on hand. The end result was pretty fantastic. I won’t lie—I ate the whole thing.
Alright, I need to relax. I think Morning Glory is next on the Netflix queue. Be back soon!
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
oooh healthy mac n cheese?! yes please!
BroccoliHut Reply:
July 8th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Ha! I should have known that you would be into it. If you try it, lemme know what you think! (I bet Greta will like it if you don’t).
Morning Glory is such a cute movie!! the green bean salad looks yummy! to bad its only a ho hum haha
Mmm I love mac and cheese!
I think they are totally a marketing ploy.
As Americans are becoming at least subconsiously cognizant of how messed up our SAD diet is sales plummet.
Ad a hip tagline and suddenly …. “It’s all Good!”
Cinnamon Toast crunch made “with Whole Grains” and the mac and cheese made with ….1% fake cauliflower and 100% nasty preservatives.
It angers me, but it is what it is. I don’t have kids. I admit I should shut my mouth and every bit counts …make the bean brownies. But in cases like this? Totally marketing. The company doesn’t care about anything but $$$
I have mixed feelings about this, too… see, the way I see it is that if you’re constantly hiding the vegetables, then the kids don’t even know they’re eating them. So what happens when they grow up into adults and they have no one to “hide their vegetables”? They’re just not going to eat any, because they not used to it/don’t know how. Then we have an even bigger problem of unhealthy and uneducated adults, who won’t even know or bother to hide vegetables for their kids… and I just think its the start of a bad cycle! These things are great… but they should be eaten in ADDITION to vegetables… not as the primary source of vegetables.
While powdered, processed veggies are better than none, I want my (unborn) children to grow up eating real, whole, nutritiously packed veggies – and love them!
I might be in fantasy land thinking my kids are going to be eating broccoli and cauliflower but if you introduce it at a young age (and cook it to delicious perfection) what is there not to love?
Kids want to be treated like adults and act just like “grown ups” – hopefully if they see mommy loving her veggies, they’ll follow suit
I definitely don’t think it’s good to sneak the veggies in. The number one thing is to teach the kids that vegetables can be tasty on their own. If you are gonna hide the veggies, at least make them fresh! The idea of the processing it is kind of weird as it is and I doubt very much of the real nutritional value remains.
I think people need to make more of an effort to get their children and themselves to eat fresh vegetables it’s much better for them.
My son loves vegetables and will eat any that I cook. I think it is about making sure they eat the same foods as you and not get sucked into making them separate meals because they won’t eat it.
If you model good eating habits your children will follow suit.
I agree with you: I would much rather have kids eat real veggies instead of powdered ones in processed foods. I’m all about “real food” these days and couldn’t push it more
I hate how that’s what our society is pushing towards– powdered veggies in frozen and packaged foods! Yikes. I’d say if you’re hiding veggies into foods using real food and making it yourself, then that’s fine.
I’ve got a long plane ride this upcoming week so I’ll be catching up on CE as well
As you well know, we ALWAYS had a tossed salad with every dinner when you were little and usually a vegetable. You and your sisters had your favorites but I don’t remember a big fight over making you eat them. I think kids should be exposed to the real thing.and expected to try them. Our rule was eat your age–if you were 5, you had to eat at least 5 peas or whatever. I do recall your nutritionist grandmother “hiding” extra nutrients in her cooking by throwing in extra dried milk or wheat germ when she cooked.
BroccoliHut Reply:
July 10th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Aha! So THAT’s how I developed a taste for wheat germ…
Your frittata looks delicious!
As for veggie-fortified foods, I don’t think you should “trick” kids into eating vegetables. My mom always made us at least have one bite of broccoli/spinach/whatever…even if we didn’t finish it all. Over time, I developed a taste for veggies without even realizing it! That said, I guess I really don’t see too much of a problem with adding extra nutrients to otherwise unhealthy foods, as long as kids are getting vitamins from whole fruits and veggies too.
I’m in agreement with everyone else. I don’t like that the marketing makes it seem like it’s normal and ok for kids to refuse to eat vegetables. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with adding “hidden” nutrition to recipes, the focus should be on introducing children to a wide variety of foods, not just the bland crap they’re supposed to like. And dehydrated veggies? Blech.
I could write an epic response on feeding children, but I shall refrain from going off on a tangent. Ultimately, parents need to lead by example – they need to show their children that they too enjoy eating the fruits and vegetables and whole grains that they want them to try and enjoy. They need to give their kids ample time to warm up to trying them – it can take up to 15 exposures to a new food before the kid will try it. And they have to not cave into their children’s requests. Lay out whatever is for dinner – let’s say there is a protein, a side vegetable, milk to drink, salad, and bread. Let your child choose whatever they want from that – even if all they eat is bread. But do not prepare anything else. They will not go hungry, and chances are they won’t eat only bread forever. Parents are responsible for providing the right foods, but ultimately children are responsible for trying them. Force feeding never works.
Also, we have a great resource here for families about feeding their children well: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/