Is it World War III if you put something green on your kid’s plate? Afraid your child is throwing away the carrot and celery sticks you packed in his school lunch? Skip the fight and grab your blender.
A new study found that when kid’s meals were doctored up with pureed veggies, the kids doubled their vegetable intake. They also enjoyed the meals just as much and ate the same amount of the veggie-filled meal. Even more interesting was that on days when kids ate the meals with the hidden vegetables, they ate 140 fewer calories throughout the day. So, when they were getting more vegetables, they were more satiated and snacked less — a very important discovery with the rising rates of childhood obesity.
You can easily puree vegetables and incorporate them into meals at home. You may want to start small and experiment with the right levels and kinds of veg puree. You can easily add puree into sauces, ground meats, smoothies, baked goods and casseroles.
And even if you do start sneaking vegetables in, be sure to still offer and encourage your kids to eat vegetables in their whole form.
