Hiding Vegetables in Kids Foods Increases Intake

July 26, 2011

Contributor

Getting children to eat their vegetables can be a hard sell and at times be like World War III at the dinner table, with both sides at a stand off.  But with childhood obesity rates on the rise, and children not eating the recommended amount of vegetables, it’s important for parents to hold their ground. And it might be that a different strategy and arsenal needs to be deployed – parents may have to sneak the veggies in by any means necessary.

According to a recent study by Penn State, preschool children ate twice as many vegetables and consumed 11 per cent fewer calories when the vegetables were pureed and added to the children’s favourite foods. The team enhanced standard recipes – pasta with a tomato-based sauce, chicken noodle casserole for dinner and zucchini bread for breakfast- reducing the calories by 15 and 25 per cent.

“We incorporated several vegetables into the dishes, including broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes and squash,” said Maureen Spill, a post-doctoral fellow in nutritional sciences and the study’s lead author. “We were pleased to find that the children found the vegetable-enhanced versions to be equally acceptable to the standard recipes.”

The children ate the same amount as they would in the standard recipe, and their daily veggie intake nearly doubled while the calories decreased.

There are some that argue that the vegetables shouldn’t be hidden as it sends the wrong message that vegetables are not eaten and it’s all right not to like or include them in the daily diet.  But Barbara Rolls, holder of the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutritional Sciences doesn’t agree.

“Regarding children, some people argue that hiding vegetables in foods is deceptive and that doing so suggests that whole vegetables are not acceptable,” said Rolls. “But I don’t agree. Parents modify recipes all the time. For example, it is well-accepted that applesauce can be used to replace oil in cake batter.”

Parents have to choose their fight, and sometimes they have to lose the battle to win the war. Perhaps, adding a little pureed broccoli to the mix, will get a nutritionally healthy child, and more peace at the dinner table.

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