Ok, so I own the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and I've tried several of the recipes and they are delicious. But, the question is, does the short term goal of getting children to eat their veggies outweigh the long term goal of developing a healthy attitude toward food? And, will those deceived children remain picky eaters into adulthood because they have not been given the opportunity to try a variety of foods?
The very popular cookbooks for parents of picky eaters The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld aim to give children a well-balanced diet by hiding their fruits and vegetables in their favorite meals (think macaroni and cheese with beans and cauliflower or oatmeal cookies with zucchini and banana).
The benefit of this is that children will likely eat more fruits and vegetables without complaints, hassles and mealtime battles. The drawback is that the child does not learn to try or like a variety of foods and therefore when making choices on his own (and out in the real world where most food is not home-cooked with hidden vitamins and nutrients) the older child or adult may not make good decisions about food.
In general, deceiving children rarely works out, but as a parent of a picky eater, I straddle the fence on this one. I want my child to develop the taste for a healthy variety of foods, but I also want to know that he is getting the right nutrients for his growing body and mind.
Tell me what you think, deceptively delicious or just deceptive?
And, stay tuned for the next blog where I will give specific techniques on encouraging healthy eating.
The very popular cookbooks for parents of picky eaters The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld aim to give children a well-balanced diet by hiding their fruits and vegetables in their favorite meals (think macaroni and cheese with beans and cauliflower or oatmeal cookies with zucchini and banana).
The benefit of this is that children will likely eat more fruits and vegetables without complaints, hassles and mealtime battles. The drawback is that the child does not learn to try or like a variety of foods and therefore when making choices on his own (and out in the real world where most food is not home-cooked with hidden vitamins and nutrients) the older child or adult may not make good decisions about food.
In general, deceiving children rarely works out, but as a parent of a picky eater, I straddle the fence on this one. I want my child to develop the taste for a healthy variety of foods, but I also want to know that he is getting the right nutrients for his growing body and mind.
Tell me what you think, deceptively delicious or just deceptive?
And, stay tuned for the next blog where I will give specific techniques on encouraging healthy eating.
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