Mum's 'unusual' tactic to make children eat veggies sparks debate – would you do the same?
- Replies 5
Not only is it beneficial for children's growth and development to begin eating veggies at a young age, but doing so also promotes healthy eating habits in the future.
Most of you would have dealt with this at some point, which is why we believe you folks will agree when we say that getting children to eat vegetables can be difficult.
Some kids like to try new foods right away; that's why they don't have any problems having greens on their plates. Others, though, may need to be exposed to them more than once, or have the veggies cooked differently, just to be able to appreciate them.
Unfortunately, there are also children out there who have food aversion tendencies, which causes them to be finicky eaters by nature. For example, they might only eat a small number of foods, eat in a certain way every time (like not letting foods touch each other), or become upset when it's time to eat.
This makes mealtime all the more challenging for parents and grandparents alike.
Because of this, some parents have been driven to adopt a more 'creative' approach to make sure their child has a well-rounded diet.
A mum's controversial approach to getting her toddler to eat vegetables has sparked heated discussion. Credit: TikTok/unlicensedtomom.
A mum's post on TikTok about the 'unusual' steps she takes to make sure her daughter eats her vegetables caused a lot of heated discussion on the video-sharing platform.
Her daughter with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a picky eater, so mum Ashley made a video of her making chocolate drops for her child to show how she gets her to 'eat' her vegetables.
She melts dark chocolate in a bowl and then stirs in the veggie powder that came in a package. After that, she puts the melted chocolate in a mould and waits for it to harden before giving it to her child.
She went on to say that her daughter had a healthy diet growing up, consisting of vegetables and tofu; yet, she was later found to be on the autism spectrum, which is associated with dietary sensitivities.
But the mum did not expect that her use of powdered vegetables would cause controversy, with many people saying they were full of chemicals and unhealthy for the child.
'Girl, this is sweet of you, but that's not gonna help...' one of the users said in the comments. Another person agreed and added, 'Not trying to criticise, but vegetable powders aren't nearly close to the nutritional value of real vegetables.'
Meanwhile, a third user said the powder isn't even enough to be considered 'vegetables', saying that those are only 'one per cent veggies'.
'How does this count as vegetables? Half of it is chemicals, and even then, it's not the same as an actual veg portion,' a fourth user commented.
Others, though, defended the mother, saying that because her child didn't like certain foods, Ashley was doing the most responsible thing she could in the situation.
'Thank you for being patient with her and trying!' said one user, who went on to share her own experience with ASD-related food issues. 'I mix my veggies into a sauce (completely pureed, no chunks), and you can also mix veggies into a dough to make pasta! Anything she's getting is better than nothing at all.'
A second one commended her efforts and praised her as well, saying, 'That's so amazing, I'm picky, and I love all these ingredients. I'm health conscious with my kids too. Great job!'
As a response to the unfavourable feedback, Ashley uploaded a second video on her TikTok account, revealing the ingredients that made up the veggie powder she used. It included carrots, peas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, and beets.
The mum also pointed to the jar's label, which stated that just one tablespoon was equivalent to half a cup of vegetables.
Even though her approach may have been a little bit 'unusual', it seems that Ashley's daughter is getting the nutrients she needs!
What are your thoughts? Would you consider using powdered vegetables to meet nutrition requirements? Let us know in the comments!
Most of you would have dealt with this at some point, which is why we believe you folks will agree when we say that getting children to eat vegetables can be difficult.
Some kids like to try new foods right away; that's why they don't have any problems having greens on their plates. Others, though, may need to be exposed to them more than once, or have the veggies cooked differently, just to be able to appreciate them.
Unfortunately, there are also children out there who have food aversion tendencies, which causes them to be finicky eaters by nature. For example, they might only eat a small number of foods, eat in a certain way every time (like not letting foods touch each other), or become upset when it's time to eat.
This makes mealtime all the more challenging for parents and grandparents alike.
Because of this, some parents have been driven to adopt a more 'creative' approach to make sure their child has a well-rounded diet.
A mum's controversial approach to getting her toddler to eat vegetables has sparked heated discussion. Credit: TikTok/unlicensedtomom.
A mum's post on TikTok about the 'unusual' steps she takes to make sure her daughter eats her vegetables caused a lot of heated discussion on the video-sharing platform.
Her daughter with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a picky eater, so mum Ashley made a video of her making chocolate drops for her child to show how she gets her to 'eat' her vegetables.
She melts dark chocolate in a bowl and then stirs in the veggie powder that came in a package. After that, she puts the melted chocolate in a mould and waits for it to harden before giving it to her child.
She went on to say that her daughter had a healthy diet growing up, consisting of vegetables and tofu; yet, she was later found to be on the autism spectrum, which is associated with dietary sensitivities.
But the mum did not expect that her use of powdered vegetables would cause controversy, with many people saying they were full of chemicals and unhealthy for the child.
'Girl, this is sweet of you, but that's not gonna help...' one of the users said in the comments. Another person agreed and added, 'Not trying to criticise, but vegetable powders aren't nearly close to the nutritional value of real vegetables.'
Meanwhile, a third user said the powder isn't even enough to be considered 'vegetables', saying that those are only 'one per cent veggies'.
'How does this count as vegetables? Half of it is chemicals, and even then, it's not the same as an actual veg portion,' a fourth user commented.
Others, though, defended the mother, saying that because her child didn't like certain foods, Ashley was doing the most responsible thing she could in the situation.
'Thank you for being patient with her and trying!' said one user, who went on to share her own experience with ASD-related food issues. 'I mix my veggies into a sauce (completely pureed, no chunks), and you can also mix veggies into a dough to make pasta! Anything she's getting is better than nothing at all.'
A second one commended her efforts and praised her as well, saying, 'That's so amazing, I'm picky, and I love all these ingredients. I'm health conscious with my kids too. Great job!'
As a response to the unfavourable feedback, Ashley uploaded a second video on her TikTok account, revealing the ingredients that made up the veggie powder she used. It included carrots, peas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, and beets.
The mum also pointed to the jar's label, which stated that just one tablespoon was equivalent to half a cup of vegetables.
Even though her approach may have been a little bit 'unusual', it seems that Ashley's daughter is getting the nutrients she needs!
What are your thoughts? Would you consider using powdered vegetables to meet nutrition requirements? Let us know in the comments!
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you do what you have to do when other things don’t work. I also had to par cook and blend up veggies and then put into a meat sauce for pasta, worked a treat.
