Hide and Go Eat

According to the KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, Kentucky’s childhood obesity rate is 35.3%, the 6th highest in the nation.

The director of a shelter contacted the Boyd County Nutrition Education Program Assistant expressing that parents were concerned about children did not like to eat vegetables.  During a program, ideas were discussed on increasing intake of vegetables for the children. Research proves that the more a child helps to prepare a meal/snack, the more likely the child will eat that item.  Child safety knives were provided so the children could practice knife skills with vegetables.  Recipes were introduced to the parents about how to “hide vegetables” in dishes their children liked. During the next week, parents “hid” mashed carrots in spaghetti sauce and mashed sweet potatoes in chili.  The parents (8) reported that the children ate these recipes without knowing the mashed vegetables were added.  One parent reported that her children thought the spaghetti  “was better that she had ever made” and another parent reported that the mashed sweet potato added to the chili add sweetness to the recipe which her children loved.