Visible Veggies Or Sneaky Sprouts?

Following the story of Donald Trump’s ex chef sneaking cauliflower into the President’s mash last week (ha!), I was invited onto BBC Three Counties Radio to discuss whether it was ok to hide food in our kids’ meals...have a listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p082884x (I come in at 1:51:41)

My initial thoughts were:

- If we disguise or hide vegetables (or any food for that matter) into our kids’ meals, we lose their trust. Trust is essential for fostering a positive relationship with food. 

- Eventually our children need to see actual vegetables, so disguising them will not help long-term. If you are concerned from a nutritional point of view, don’t forget there are still lots of nutrients in other food groups too!

So...how do we get our kids to eat more vegetables?

- Temporarily forget about the actual eating of new food and focus on the other senses your child could use to explore, which all help to get them more comfortable around new food. Chopping, peeling or feeding a new vegetable to their younger sibling etc and build from there.

- Keep offering, exposure is key – and do it without judgment, bribery or comment. Viewing your child’s eating more long-term could help to get less frustrated at one particular meal as well.

- Make food look attractive and appealing. Not as a way to trick them, but to make it more manageable for them to handle and less overwhelming on the plate. That could mean chopping up carrots in smaller sizes or putting less on the plate, even get them to serve themselves from more deconstructed meals!

Photo credit: Sarah Legge Photography