Is it ok to lie to your kids to make them eat healthy food? The quick answer is: No.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between health food and junk food. This is especially true with the popularity of products made with “superfoods” such as kale and chia.
To encourage your child to eat something like a whole grain chocolate zucchini bread, it may be tempting to lie and tell them they are eating a “treat” or “junk food”.
It can also be tempting to “sneak” foods (such as vegetables) into other foods (like spaghetti sauce) but not tell your children it’s there. You feel like you’ve won (they’re eating spinach!), but you might not be coming out ahead.
Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t fudge the truth on what your kids are eating:
- It may teach them that it’s normal to only like a food if it’s a “junk” or “forbidden” food. Over time, they learn that if the chocolate dessert they were eating had whole grains in it, they wouldn’t like it. But since their caregiver said it was junky, then it must be good! This can set the tone to favor unhealthy food.
- As children get older and realize you weren’t entirely truthful, they can become suspicious or lose trust in what you feed them.
- Children lose the opportunity to try these “hidden” foods in their natural, unhidden forms, so they don’t have the chance to try them and like them! You will be more successful at raising healthy and adventurous eaters if they are exposed to ingredients like carrots and squash right there on their plates, instead of hidden in something else.
There is nothing wrong with putting vegetables in sauces and whole grains in baked goods. But if your kids ask, just tell the truth!
Do you agree that you should not lie to your kids about healthy food just to get them to eat it? Or do you think telling white lies is ok every now and then? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!