Could You Use a Little Deception in Your Diet?

Friends visited us over July 4th weekend and brought me a very interesting hostess gift: "Deceptively Delicious." For the uninitiated, this is the book by Jessica Seinfeld (wife of Jerry) where she touts the benefits of adding pureed veggies, fruits and even meats that kids won't eat to recipes they like. Kids don't detect the additions, and yet they get the nutritional benefits of eating those foods. Everyone's happy.

I have to admit that I was skeptical about the concept when I first heard of it a few years ago. I wanted my kids to learn to like these foods, not to be fooled into eating them unwittingly. I didn't like the idea of deceiving them. But the truth was, no matter how many times I introduced my elder daughter to butternut squash, carrots, red peppers and beets, she simply wouldn't eat them. How is that a win?

Having the book in hand, I read it cover to cover. Then I began to buy the dreaded produce, cook it and puree it. Finally, I made a recipe or two. While the sloppy joes with sweet potato and red pepper purees were a hit, my daughter wasn't so crazy about the creamy potato soup (even though the rest of the family were). Still, I'm ready to continue experimenting. What do I have to lose?

What keeps me wanting to stay this course is the idea that it certainly couldn't hurt ANY of us to sneak a few extra fruits and veggies into our meals. Even if my daughter eats only a few bites, that's a few bites of veggie-filled foods that she wouldn't otherwise have eaten, and the rest of us get to enjoy it, too. Since produce in just about any form (except for deep-fried or drenched in butter, cheese or cream sauce) is healthful, tossing a little yellow-squash puree into the buttered noodles is a good trick for everyone--even those who are in on the deception.

So read the book if you're interested, or just try adding a few extra handfuls of those all-important plant foods to your regular meals. Your body will thank you for it.