It’s the latest hot trend in child nutrition — deceit. Cookbook authors Missy Chase Lapine and Jessica Seinfeld call it “loving deception” to sneak vegetables and fruit into foods that children actually like while others call it stealth health or furtive nutrition.
But is it OK to be dishonest with your children about what you are feeding them, even if it is for the good of their health? Or is it just teaching them that lying is acceptable? Comment below.
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS
|
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate: Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy | Professional Products | Professional Products Support | About Thomson Reuters | Careers
International Editions: Africa | Arabic | Argentina | Brazil | Canada | Chinese Simplified | Chinese Traditional | France | Germany | India | Italy | Japan | Latin America | Mexico | Russia | Spain | United Kingdom | United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Trackback
12 comments so far
I do not have children and so cannot directly relate to this, but in general, I think that lying is wrong. From the story, I am not sure exactly what form the lying or dishonesty takes.
- Posted by AnnetteWhy not include healthy foods in your recipes, and if the kids like it say something like, “Wasn’t that a good way to eat broccoli?” Or fruit, or whatever. That way you are not lying, and the kids learn that even healthy foods can taste good.
- Posted by JudyI take great pride in preparing and educating my children on nutritious food. At 9 and 5 years old it is takes time and patience. I work a full time job and we sit down to dinner every night with a home cooked meal. Often times they are involved with the preparations as well. I don’t understand the “why” you would have to lie to your children about eating healthy foods. My children are concerned about what they put in their bodies and so am I!
- Posted by CathiBy the way…we love both the afore mentioned books! Purple rules!!!
- Posted by CathiI think the best way is less “lazy” way. Which is to Educate them, and not Lie at all. Lying is for spies and businesses, not kids.
- Posted by AndreusI think it’s never OK to lie to children, even about Santa Claus. (Well, come to think of it, perhaps it serves to teach them the important lesson to disrespect authority.) And I seldom lie to grown-ups either!
- Posted by AbeI think lying to your children about what they are eating is counterproductive to teaching them good eating habits. Children should be given choices from groups of healthy foods, showing what a balanced meal consists of while giving them the opportunity to have some control over what they eat. If we choose to lie to them we are pretending that a meal doen’t need to consist of healthy components. As adults they will choose foods based on what has become their eating habits, only the foods they choose will no longer contain hidden nutritious ingredients. Lying merely sets children up to make poor choices as adults and perpetuates poor nutrition.
- Posted by Kristy JohnsonInstead of tricking your children into eating healthy food, you should work with your children to educate them about having a healthy lifestyle. Teaching your kids about how eating healthy food will benefit them in the future and in the present ensures that they learn the right way to feed their bodies. Disguising healthy food with unhealthy food teaches kids it is OK to eat poorly and they never learn about proper nutrition.
- Posted by Matt BlankI have part-time stepchildren. I think it may depend on the child’s age and what is said, how it is said. If it’s the only way to get them to eat healthy food then ok. I can’t get my stepchildren to eat fruit or vegetables. I don’t think lying will get them too though. They seem to have a lot of control. (too much in my opinion because quite often it leads to more work for me as if I need more)
- Posted by MichelleIn my opinion, the very question is absurd but a fitting punishment for narcissistic baby boomers who were spoiled rotten and are now reaping the rewards via their own spoiled children.
When our kids were small, my wife and I didn’t have enough extra money to waste food. We found that children will generally eat what they are served unless you make a big deal about it. Everyone likes or dislikes different things, so there is no need to force a child to eat spinach if they don’t like it, etc…But you can always find a suitable, nutritious replacement.
- Posted by StephenIn my house “special chicken” = fish, “special sausage” = all meat that isn’t sausage… (my kids like sausage and chicken). So long as you are consistent in the naming who says it’s lying?
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.
Bit harder to call spinach “chocolate”…
- Posted by Nic FultonNo, let them choose their own food. It works great, they will eat McDonalds everyday and continue to be healthy like every American. Wait… Maybe we should try to get them to eat more vegetables
- Posted by Anon