SHOULD WE HIDE
THE VEGETABLES IN
KIDS’ FOOD?
Kids couldn’t care less about eating nutrient-rich vegetables, but, asks
dietitian and nutritionist Skye Swaney, could ‘hiding the vegies’ actually
be detrimental in the longer term?
e’re often told that kids need to eat around five serves of
vegetables each day, equivalent to two-and-a-half cups,
but this can seem laughable to the parent of a child who
flatly refuses to even look at a vegetable. The saying
‘easier said than done’ has never been truer.
Vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and many
phytonutrients (nutrients naturally present in plants) that are vital to
kids’ growing bodies. They may also help protect against chronic
diseases such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers
later in life. Research, however, shows that only 9% of 4-8-year-olds
in Australia – and only 5% of 9-13-year-olds – eat the recommended
daily serve of vegetables.
We know how important vegetables are in a child’s diet, but kids
couldn’t care less. Dealing with a child who shuns vegetables can be
stressful, so it’s no wonder many parents resort to ‘hiding the vegies’
in meals and snacks. In fact, such is the desperation of parents that
it’s given rise to a variety of best-selling books on this very topic!
W
18 | NETWORK SUMMER 2019
The problem with hiding
vegetables
Pureeing vegetables to hide in a meal
can certainly be a great way to boost the
vegetable content of your usual dishes,
such as spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne and
cottage pie. Unfortunately, it’s a short-
term solution, and one that you may end
up paying for later. The issue with hiding
vegetables is that children don’t learn that
they’re a normal part of a meal. Nor do they
get to learn about the taste and textures of
vegetables and the different ways in which
they can be cooked, so it ultimately denies
them the chance to explore whether they