There is something I really need to get off my chest. There is something that REALLY bothers me. REALLY BOTHERS ME! REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BOTHERS ME! Ok, sorry, let me tell you what it is:
I keep seeing commericals on TV for processed foods like a certain brand of canned ravioli and certain brands of jarred spaghetti sauce to name a few. These commercials are claiming that these foods have a full serving of vegetables in each can or jar. That is all fine and good but let's not forget that these are highly processed foods, that probably have very little nutritional value despite the claims to the contrary. But that is not what bothers me, well it bothers me, but that is not what drives me crazy. What drives me crazy is that while these commercials are touting a full serving of vegetables, they are also sending a message that parents should be secretive about giving their kids vegetables. These commercials are very similar, the one that pops into my head (and the one I just saw on TV that began this rant) is a scene of a mom and little boy in a grocery store. The boy is offered a sample of a certain canned ravioli product and the lady working the sample stand begins to tell the mom about the vegetables in the product. The mom goes to extremes to make sure that her son does not hear about the product containing vegetables. And there are several others like this one out there as well. It makes me very upset that this is the mindset in our culture. There is nothing wrong with kids eating vegetables and kids WILL eat vegetables. Yes, I "hide" veggies in my food, but not to be deceptive as my family knows they are in there, it is to ADD nutrition. I am against being deceptive because I firmly believe that kids need to learn healthy eating habits. Not only would I NEVER serve my son a canned ravioli product, I certainly would never lie to him about ingredients that are in it. I realize that children go through food phases, but that is no reason to LIE and be deceitful with your children about eating things that are good for them! This is why we have an obesity problem in this country!
So here is what I ask those processed food companies - DO NOT ADVERTISE THAT VEGETABLE DECEPTION IS OK! Let's teach our kids good eating habits, let's teach our kids that they need to eat whole foods and that it IS ok to eat their vegetables!
That is all for now. Rant over. I feel a little better. Thanks for listening.
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6 comments:
Bravo!! *standing and applauding*
This very thing went through my head the day I was watching Oprah who had on Jessica Seinfeld promoting her cook book about how she "hides" veggies in the foods she gives her kids.
You are so right, kids need to learn that veggies are not only good for them but can taste good too.
Thank you for posting this.
Deb
Totally agree! It is so not okay to deceive children into eating veggies and fruits! They are so incredibly good for them and do taste awesome. I have always been open with my two girls, ages almost 4 and 2 yrs....both will ask for fruits and veggies before anything else! I am so glad that I started early with being open about the goodness of these great foods! Thanks for this awesome post!
Love your post! I cannot agree more. Why do some people think its ok to lie to kids about eating healthy! In my home we make sure to tell our kids how eating to much junk can make you sick and unhealthy, because of our honesty, both my kids-age 3 & 5-LOVE fruits and veggies!
Yay! Totally agree. The only hiding I do is putting veggies in a sauce that calls for it. You can still see the veggies. And guess what, my kids eat it because it tastes good. I'm so sick of all this deceptive-ness with food. Hiding veggies, deceptive labels on boxes.
We've been really diligent with Georgia about making sure that there's always a veggie and/or fruit on her plate at dinner, and that she sees us eating veggies too. Yes, we also add pureed veggies to things like mac and cheese, use it instead of eggs for breading, etc. but I also make sure to tell her when I serve her. I want her to realize that especially awesome taste in her food is healthy and good for her! I love this post.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments. It makes me feel really good that there are other parents out there who feel the same way about this topic.
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