156. Is it okay to sneak veggies in what my kids eat?

Veggies & Virtue

Is it okay to sneak healthy things into our kid's food?

Whether it be in healthy muffins or a meatball, I know firsthand how tempting it is. We feel like our best option is often to sneak healthy foods in the foods our kids do willingly eat, all in the name of "getting" our kids to eat the foods that they otherwise won't.

But is this best practice? Or does this backfire?

Fellow moms may feel it is innocent enough and the benefits of sneaking healthy foods outweigh the cons of getting caught.

That's why in this episode, I shed some light on what I advise as a feeding expert. I don't share this from a soapbox but rather from the trenches of feeding fussy eaters myself -- three for three, I understand this predicament firsthand with my own!

However, if we are going to raise up the next generation to value health and fuel their bodies accordingly, it is important for us to really look at the short-term impact of "getting" our kids to eat healthy foods versus the long-term implications of fostering intrinsic motivation towards eating healthy foods.

Want more support on how to build trust in the feeding relationship? Whether it be your child sneaking “forbidden foods” from you, or you are feeling the need to save a secret stash of “forbidden foods” until after bedtime (so your kids don't see), these posts can shed some light on how to handle such secrecy:

• Did you catch your kid with candy wrappers? How to handle hard situation (advice from a dietitian mom)
• Should you hide unhealthy snacks from your kids (like candy)?
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