A Not So Deceptive Rant

I may regret this but I am going to weigh in on the deceptively, sneaky process of adding pureed vegetables to kids food. I am going to add this disclaimer: I have not tried the recipes in either Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious or the Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. And I won't. Because I don't want spinach in my brownies!! That's gross... and short-sighted.

As we say in our book Whining and Dining, keeping your long-term goals in mind is the most important thing when feeding your kids. And every parent's long-term goal should be teaching their kids to make good choices for themselves. And puréeing cauliflower or beets or spinach and hiding them in dark brown or some other colour-appropriate food is not teaching kids to eat vegetables. It is allowing them to go on and eat the foods that they are comfortable with while you smile sanctimoniously in the background pleased that you shoved some pureed veggies down them without them noticing. And how much nutrients are they getting from a doubly-processed vegetable spread out throughout a recipe, I have no idea. But probably not enough to make it worth the time and effort and probably not enough to counteract the payback you are going to get when your child walks in and catches you adding spinach to their brownie.

We do advocate the hide-and-seek method on occasion. Our Meatloaf and the Pasta Red Sauce do have some extra "hidden" veggies in it. We throw in wheat germ and flax when we remember. But it is a tool that we employ on occasion. Not every meal has to be an occasion at hiding veggies in our kids' (or our) diet. Some foods are treats and are special because they are not remarkably nutritious and we make them on special occasions to treat ourselves and our kids.

The recipes that I looked in Deceptively Delicious at are full of reduced fat products. Eshun and I are not big fans of low-fat products or of margarine. We think it is better to experience the true taste of things in smaller amounts then the chemically, rubbery taste of low-fat items. And we both hate margarine, in all forms.

As for whether Jessica Seinfeld wrote, cooked or ate any of the recipes, I do not know and I do not care. I just wish I was on Oprah.

Comments

[Katie]

I said almost the exact same thing to my coworker who asked me if I'd checked out the Jessica Seinfeld book. My kids eat vegetables, and I want them to enjoy eating vegetables ... and lots of other stuff too!

[Debbie]

Well said, Emma!!!!
Kudos to you!!!