Sneaking Veggies is Bad News

Apparently “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has made its way into the bellies of our children and the coffers of our food making behemoths. It’s become de rigueur to hide vegetables in kids’ meals. All the big brands are doing it. Home cooks are doing it. I blame Jessica Seinfeld.

Adding nourishment to food like chopping some zucchini to add to spaghetti sauce or using black beans in brownies is different than SNEAKING vegetables into food so kids will eat it, unbeknownst to them. This tactic is a short-term solution to the puckered nose head turning icks that all children squeal at the table. However, this tactic, while providing nourishment for the here and now, is not sustainable. How will children learn to make good choices and understand the importance of food and nutrition? How will we change the long-term impact of short-term decisions?As I see it, we are raising grown ups, not children.

My sons went through a phase of bucking out of the car seat, and it took two adults and a lot of elbows to get them strapped in. Despite the tantrum and whine fest, we didn’t cave. Being buckled in is a matter of safety. I believe the same principal applies to food. We need to teach kids how to eat healthy and to discern the difference between good and poor choices. God forbid we raise children who think brownies are healthy because the ones they ate their whole lives were bakes full of black beans and apple sauce! Since when did vegetables become villains?

Look, we all want our children to eat healthy and be well. This is an incontrovertible truth of parenting. There are a host of children who prefer unhealthy options to colorful healthy ones. But children are not born predisposed to liking fake cheese, plain noodles, dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, fruit punch, and french fries. We help create our children’s palates by exposing them to a variety of food. Sure, there’s something to be said for preferences, but the battle over food is more about power and control than about taste and flavor. My sons were never exposed to that traditional kid’s menu fare that is mostly devoid of nutrients, so they never developed a hankering for it. I happen to have organic mac and cheese in my pantry and a frozen pizza in my freezer. But I also have fresh fennel, spinach, kiwi, peaches, and blueberries in my fridge.

My goal is to teach my sons to appreciate food. I want them to be curious and and explore the world of food. Food is about so much more than fuel in our bodies and simple caloric intake. Food is a peek into other cultures, an expression of love, a taste bud scrap book, and adventure. I want my sons to view food as a pleasure, not as a battle. If we continue to sneak food into processed, packaged food, how will this generation of children ever learn to develop healthy eating habits? We already have childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes affecting children in this country at an alarming rate. These ailments won’t improve if we never equip our children to make healthy food choices. We owe it to our youth to teach them about nutrition, not just assume the worst and hide pulverized cauliflower in processed macaroni and cheese. It is a massive disservice to our children to sneak bits of healthy fare onto their plates while never teaching them the ramifications of their food choices.

I’m not saying we need to ban all unhealthy food. I eat my share of ice cream and don’t think a piece of fruit counts as dessert. Sometimes a cold beer and plate of fried pickle chips soothe the soul. But for the most part, my family eats healthy food. My sons will snack on carrots and cherry tomatoes after school. And yes, they have been known to eat a tin of sardines with hot sauce. I realize this is not normal, even for most adults. They were simply raised this way. But let me tell you, Lady Luck did not give my sons their palates. Equal doses of exposure, cooking, and parenting did. I have always fed my sons regular food since they could eat table food. There was that one time I gave Bird some dal that was a tad too spicy and he wailed. I still regret that. He did go on to eat the rest of our Indian meal and has grown to love spicy food. I cook one meal for our family. There are no short order cooks here, and there is no such thing as “kid friendly” food. We eat people friendly food.

My sons are excellent eaters, and I do not take this for granted. Mac Daddy and I expose them to new food, new cuisines, and new experiences. We let them pick different fruits and vegetables at the store and try new things together. We talk about food – where it comes from, what our bodies need, what labels tell us, why we eat certain things and not others, how to cook, etc. My sons know all about protein and fat and calories and sodium and vitamins because we teach them about nutrition. My sons are also eager to try new kinds of food from different countries, making our trip to Italy last summer an absolute culinary thrill. They don’t balk at a plate of vegetables, but they have been known to bypass fruit cocktail and mini corn dogs in favor of roasted goose, green beans, and salad at a dinner party with friends.

Being sneaky doesn’t pay. Well, it does pay the food giants, but at a tremendous cost to our kids.

We might as well feed our children marzipan candy shaped like vegetables and call it a day.