Most people have heard of the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, Deceptively Delicious. I have a copy and think it is loaded with great recipes and ideas. I have even cooked, served and eaten them. The cover says “simple secrets to get your kids eating good food”. I have to agree it might work for the moment but what does it teach? As a mom or parent, you might sleep well that evening because your child ate carrots in the meatballs or cauliflower in the macaroni and cheese.
When I cooked with the recipes in the book I felt uncomfortable about the process. I felt as if I was being deceptive to my children. Interesting enough that adjective is in the title of the book. I realized very soon there was something wrong with the picture! The book suggests I cook meals and hide vegetables for my child to eat well. As secretive as I can be, my child picks up on everything! I need to give my child more credit than I typically give her. She is very smart, sometimes I think smarter than adults including myself.
Maybe my feelings would be different, if the recipes were routine. A standard meal in the menu rotation would not have any attention and my child would not pick up on any deception. Usually something new such as a recipe does get attention no matter how hard I try to hide it…just the facts.
If we hide healthy food in a meal, what are we really saying? Are we teaching our kids it is OK to hide food? Are we teaching them there must be something wrong with carrots, broccoli, butternut squash, etc because we have to hide it to eat it? Are we shaming wonderful, flavorful, beautiful food? Are we teaching our children to be deceptive or lie? Are we disrespecting food? This is up to you as a parent to decide. I would answer YES to all of the questions.
I am not against the book or the idea of adding pureed veggies/fruit to recipes completely. Read my recipe post for my Mac & Cheese. You will read I suggest adding cauliflower to lower fat and calories but not to hide cauliflower. I have taken valuable tips and ideas from the book. I just added a step. If I am going to cook carrots in my macaroni and cheese (which I do not), I will also serve carrots as a side. This is how we take away the deception and add teaching with a sense of peace.
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Great post!
Love this idea! It is such a popular idea these days.. and I think you hit the nail on the head.
I think that’s fine if your child is a normal eater. I don’t see a reason to hide veggies in food if the child will eat them. My (grown) daughter was ( and still is) a very picky eater.. to this day she wont eat vegetables and hardly any fruit. Hiding them in food is perfectly acceptable in this type of situation. As the mother of a child who is one of the most picky eaters I have ever come across…when your child will not eat any vegetables and you are extremely worried about your childs health, you do what is needed.
When I cook for my kids, I occassionally grate carrot and zucchini and add some big pieces and finely chop things like celery and mushrooms and some chunky pieces into spaghetti bolognaise cause it makes it easier for me to cook. I dont hide any vegetables with my kids, i put it right on their plates so they can see them and if they choose to, eat them. My son who is 3 and a half, wont eat any orange or green vegetables at the moment, but he loves corn, and loves my vegetable filled pasta bolognaise, and he can even see the tomatos, carrots, zucchini, etc.. If the vegetables continue to gets hidden, the kids wont learn to eat their vegetables as they are. They’ll grow into fussy adults.
Great post! I don’t think hiding veggie and fruits should be replaced with offering them consistently – however, if these recipes are used to make meals more nutritious, why not? No need to be deceptive, unless it’s your last resort
I agree with Christa, and with what you said earlier in your Mac & Cheese post. If the goal is to increase texture, vitamins, fiber, or to lower fat, etc then I am all for adding veggies. But I totally agree that it’s a slippery slope if parents think that “that’s how my child eats their veggies” b/c at the end of the day, most young children wouldn’t *know* they’re eating veggies. (Which is a blessing and a curse, depending upon who you ask, right?!) I think it’s really important to expose children to a variety of colors, textures and preparations of both fruits and vegetables. In our home, I use the “rainbow plate” mantra, meaning that as I am preparing a meal for my kids I try to get as many different colors on there as I can. When they were young, they’d count the colors and ooh and ahh. Now they just eat them!!
I had to laugh because parents of days past (and I’m 51 and can say this!) were the great teachers. They did things they wish they hadn’t too (as we all have done growing up and having kids) and my mom thought my gagging reflex to mashed potatoes was something I was making up. I love my green vegetables. So she had an idea and followed through on it. She died my mashed potaotes GREEN and I ate them all up, no gag reflex. I’m sorry to have to say this to young moms but today you really have to fight hard against an unhealthy America! It was easier for me, it was easier for my mom and her mom (well that was the Depression)… So ladies, don’t get hung up on what you need to do to get your kids to eat veggies, it’s MOST important to get them to eat them… and more importantly, eat what you expect them to eat. I’d worry more about mom’s and dad’s who hide their junk food in their room rather than hiding veggies in food. This is experience speaking.
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I have the other book, The Sneaky Chef, which is the same concept. I personally use it occasionally, but don’t hide it from my son, who is 2. My husband is another story. He’s the one I hide it from. My son loves fruits and vegetables and we always have fruits and veggies in their whole form. But the way I look at the whole sneaking ingredients in thing is that it doesn’t hurt to have EXTRA vegetables. I don’t use it as a substitute for the veggies on the plate, but as an addition.
Thank you for your feedback. I agree with all the points. This is actually a controversial topic in the field of Dietetics. I think I get more upset when we try to “sell” the idea of “hiding” veggies in food. It is the word “hiding” that bothers me so much. Maybe if the word “enhanced” was used and parents are also encouraged to serve the veggies as a side as well, I would be less passionate about the subject.
I really love your comments and I thank you again for taking the time to share your opinions. I value everyones’ opinion as it is a way I can learn from other parents and guardians.
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