I’m not sure of a better way to word this, but I’m trying to make sure my toddler is getting enough vegetables in his diet. We offer them as a normal vegetable e.g., steamed, roasted, grilled. Sometimes he eats them, but most of the time it’s a no.
There are a lot of recipes for muffins and pancakes that use grated sweet potatoes, beets, zucchini, etc. and I’m wondering if vegetables this way count and are still a good source of nutrition. I’m making an effort to go with recipes that are lower in sugar if that makes a difference.
Dietitian here and mom to picky eaters. It counts. Try to focus on the big picture: you are introducing new foods to him that he is exploring at his own pace. How you introduce that to him is for nobody to judge. Mine will only consume fruit and vegetables in a smoothie or if I purée the vegetables to make a pasta sauce. You do you and what works for y’all.
The goal is repeated exposure. Yes, even if he won’t go near it, the fact that you’re exposing him is a good thing. My child will not eat any of the veg & fruit we pack in the lunchbox. We only add a few little pieces. It doesn’t get wasted because it comes back and I eat it. Before he wouldn’t even sit at the same table with us if he saw certain foods — particularly vegetables. The fact that he finishes the rest of his lunch and allows some small pieces of fruit & veg by him at school is already a huge step.
We teach them not to throw out or make offensive remarks when served perfectly edible food and that “no thank you” is fine to say. So mealtime is also a wonderful time to teach table manners as you probably know.
I’m not focusing on the bites, I’m focusing on the exposure. It took time for me to get to that place but I can relate to the worry I hear in fellow parents.
There’s also no shame in adding a supplement to kid’s diet.
Keep at it. You’re doing great! Love seeing parents try different things with their kids.
Roasting & steaming are the methods that retain the most nutrients, baking is going to be the same as roasting. Grilling is a little further behind (but not by much) and boiling is pretty far back (unless you use the water to then prepare something like rice).
The water soluble & heat sensitive vitamins really don’t like boiling, losses can be as high as 50%.
Mine also hates vegetables, but doesn’t like baked goods either much! I hide the vegetables in blended soups or sauces, might also be worth trying. I know it’s better for them to get used to whole veg and I do try but at least this way something gets into her.
Yep, a serving of zucchini in a muffin is still a serving of zucchini. It’ll contribute the same calories and nutrients as if it were cooked on its own. It’s an awesome way to get some extra veggies in (assuming the rest of the muffin isn’t overloaded with sugar).
If they’re eating meat, egg, dairy (if they can), fruit and veg. Don’t overthink it so much.
It’s about minimising the negative and maximising the positive.
The fact you’re baking for them is more than enough. You’re doing a good job by just trying to do good for them.
As for the “no” they’ll likely find low nutrient veg like zucchini or cucumbers unappealing. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, etc will probably appeal better.
It’s also worth noting that normal homemade pancakes are nutrient dense. There’s not much of a need to jump onto sweet potato pancakes, etc. Eggs and dairy in pancakes are amazing for the health of a growing child, especially the essential fats and proteins. Regular white flour (or oats) and a natural sweetener (like banana or honey) will be fine. Here’s a recipe below that ive seen work fine:
Blended Oats (60grams) (or flour, i usually use spelt in that case)
Half a large banana
1 Egg
Equal parts milk( 60ml)
Pinch of salt and honey
Baking powder (or fluff the eggs prior)
Serve with berries if you wish.
Pan fry like normal. Can be serve 2 kids, or one kid over 2 days. A full serving for when they’re older.
Yes, great question and nice work!
As you suspect, it’s only takeaway is just about keeping the sugars/flour low - I put smashed vegetables in my baked (flourless) oats every day and I can still taste the greens but it’s nutrition in a form I crave. I imagine you can keep the recipe pretty low in flour because of your choice of veg, so that sounds like a great move.
If he resists the vegetables, he’s literally just following his instincts. See if he does the same with eggs, fish, sausage etc. he will never resist it because thats what nourishes him.
Feed ur kid proper food! :-)