Vegetables: to hide or not to hide?

To hide or not to hide? That’s the big question when it comes to getting your kids to eat vegetables and it’s been putting parents at a crossroad for decades. Is it best to sneak the vegetables into foods like smoothies, baked goods, or sauces? Or should we serve vegetables, so they are clear in plain site on their plate? The truth is, there is pros and cons to both strategies.  

There’s no denying it, mealtimes are a little easier when you channel your inner James Bond to deceptively sneak veggies into meals. It can provide you with an opportunity to ensure your kids (and grown-ups) are getting a somewhat adequate nutritional intake for the day. It can also be a great way to introduce new vegetables to your kids, especially the ones that refuse anything new just by looking at it. And not to mention, it can most definitely relive some stress at mealtimes for you! While these are all great, they can sometimes only be short-term benefits.  

The thing is, getting kids to eat vegetables without knowing they are eating vegetables doesn’t teach them to enjoy vegetables for what they are, or form healthy eating habits. It can demonise vegetables, and honestly, vegetables get a bad rep as it is. And don’t even get us started about the melt downs or food aversions that can happen if you’re found out! 

So, we suggest considering a combined approach. It’s okay to add extra vegetables to bulk up meals. We find this works especially well for bolognese sauces and smoothies. But it’s also important to try to offer whole, visible veggies regularly too. You may even choose to offer hidden veggies and visible veggies within the same meal. For example, if you are serving homemade burgers for dinner, you may serve hidden veggies (like grated zucchini and carrot) in the burger patties as well as visible veggies like salad and tomato in the burger once constructed. This can be a great strategy to offer variety and introduce your kids to new types of vegetables. 

When you do choose to hide vegetables there’s no need to lie about it. Having an honest and open discussion about what’s in meals is key to helping your kids develop a healthy relationship with food, even vegetables. So, if your child asks, “what’s in this?” to a meal with hidden vegetables, try to respond in an honest way and don’t be afraid to tell them what’s in it. For example, “You are enjoying the meatballs. There’s actually Zucchini in them, do you remember what a Zucchini looks like?” 

The bottom line; trying to expose your kids to vegetables regularly and fearlessly, by hiding and making them clearly visible can give them the best opportunity to be comfortable and accepting of them.