Veggie drinks for kids: is it 'dewicious' or devious?

Posted Jan 3rd 2006 7:58PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, Development

We got a tip this afternoon from Jamie, whose three-year-old daughter proclaimed the V8 V-Fusion fruit-and-veggie drinks "dewicious." Says Jamie, "I can't pay her to eat her peas, so this is another way I can bribe my way into improving her diet."

I've tried this too, buying "green juice," as I call it, from Trader Joe's and the local organic markets. My son loves it, as well. But every time I broach this subject, I remember Martin.

He's my friend Larissa's husband, and his mom hid vegetables in his food. When he discovered her deceit, he rebelled, and to this day (he's a daddy himself, now) he doesn't like many vegetables. Especially the long-ago hidden ones.

So what do you think: dewicious, or deception? Or does it matter as long as they get the protections of those luscious vitamins and minerals?

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Perhaps telling your child "I'm so glad you like it! It's very good for you and we can both be happy that you are drinking it" might help with the "hidden food" issue?

Posted at 9:35PM on Jan 3rd 2006 by MamaChristy

2. Are you hiding the vegetables, or lying to your kid about what the juice is? If not, why worry?

Posted at 9:40PM on Jan 3rd 2006 by Uly

3. I'm all for veggie drinks that taste yummy! My parents

never hid my vegetables even though I hated them. I sat at the table until I had "just one bite" for a few years and then my parents just gave up and let me eat carrot sticks for every meal. And I turned out just

like your friend - I still don't like vegetables! At least he got some of the good nutrition before getting wise to the scam.

On the bright side, it seems my daughter takes after her dad and loves her veggies. She'd be happy if thats all we ever gave her. Sometimes I catch myself saying weird things like "if you take a bite of macaroni you can have more peas". Her current favorites are "bock-ti" (brocoli, but just the stems) and "lie beans" (lima

beans).

Posted at 8:11AM on Jan 4th 2006 by Kate

4. My eldest despises vegetables, and will self-induce vomiting if the tinest floret of broccoli is so much as suggested to him. He only allows tomato sauce on pizza. However, my mother-in-law let him taste her V-8 once and he really loved it. Last year, in preschool, he wouldn't usually eat the hot lunch, so he had a V-8, cup of applesauce, and maybe a few bites of regular food. Three other kids in his class suddenly developed interests in V-8, and their moms called to thank us! Our peditrician says it's totally fine if he drinks the V-8 at this point, so I'm cool with it.

Incidentally, I only feel mildly guilty for not telling him exactly what's in V-8. He's caught on that it has vegetables, and that's lessened his interest somewhat, but still thinks of it as fairly special.

Posted at 2:30PM on Jan 4th 2006 by JT

5. My daughter is still fairly young but she has never know any other food except for bananas and all vegies. She has only ever been given vegi juice. She has never had cake or any type of sweet bread.

She gets some tuna and meat and pastas and i have so far been able to keep her away from the sugar.

get

Posted at 9:08PM on Jan 4th 2006 by AndreainJapan

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