Hidden veggies in meals such as spaghetti Bolognese or snacks like smoothies or muffins is a popular strategy for picky eaters, but does it work to expand your child's diet?

One of the most common questions I get asked about hiding food in meals like pasta sauces, meatballs and healthy snacks like smoothies and muffins. “Should I hide veggies in my child's meals?” "Will it help them like new foods?”

There are some pros and cons to the hidden vegetable strategy, but it's not a food strategy that can be used alone.

The disadvantages of hiding food in the meals of picky eaters

If you find yourself hiding zucchini in a Bolognese sauce, cauliflower in rice or sweet potato in brownies, you're not alone. While it can help in the short term to boost the nutrient intake of the meals for the whole family, it does come with its disadvantages.

In children with extreme picky eating behaviour or sensory issues, hiding ingredients can lead to mealtime meltdowns. This is because children with heightened sensitivities are likely to notice even the smallest notice. What may not taste different to us can smell or taste incredibly different for your child. It also may visually look different or the texture may not be the same.
This can activate your child's stress response and put them into a fight or flight state. As a result, they won't be willing to eat, may act out or have a tantrum and their digestive system won't be functioning optimally.
For children with fussy eating behaviour, eating food requires a great deal of trust. Trust takes time to build but can be taken away in an instant especially if they can taste the difference, spot a sneaky green veg in their meal or see you chopping up an ingredient during meal prep. Expanding the diet of a fussy eater and exposing them to a variety of foods is largely about fostering a safe environment and building the trust around healthy foods.
Hiding veggies or other ingredients in kids food also prevents a whole sensory experience. Your child doesn't know what a whole zucchini looks like, the texture of it in its raw state vs cooked or its smell. When we hide veggies under a thick creamy sauce in macaroni and cheese, we stop giving our children an entire experience and reduce the exposure to real overall all.
Hidden veg, fruit, meat and other ingredients in family-friendly recipes can help to increase your child's consumption of these foods but reduce the overall exposure of these unfamiliar foods. Short term, this can be beneficial but long term it's not going to increase your picky eater's willingness to try new foods or expand their taste buds for different flavours.
Finally, hiding foods can demonise a particular ingredient, creating a negative association. This is particularly the case with vegetables. Hiding veggies or other ingredients tells your child these foods can't be enjoyed in their whole, natural form because they don't taste great. This is on a similar wavelength as labelling foods "healthy foods", "treat foods" or "junk foods".

The advantages of hiding food in the meals of picky eaters

There are a few advantages of hiding food particularly when it comes to family main meals.

Hiding real food ingredients into meals can be a short-term strategy to correct nutritional deficiencies that could be exacerbated by a limited diet or causing the fussy eating issues. This is the same for some supplements that are needed therapeutically for the short-term.
Parents and other family members who have a more adventurous approach to food, particularly trying new foods can also benefit as they're able to enjoy a greater variety of produce. It can also mean mealtimes are less stressful for all involved.

Tips for hiding food while increasing exposure

Hiding ingredients in dishes, in my opinion, should be used solely to increase the nutrient density of a meal or to add flavour. It's not an effective feeding strategy alone to expand the diets of fussy eaters and shouldn't replace the exposure of the ingredients in their whole form. Here are some tips to help you still provide nourishing food while fostering healthy eating behaviour.

Serve the hidden ingredients in their whole form alongside the meal. For example, veggie sticks on a platter with a dip and the main meal featuring your hidden veggie pasta sauce.
Make family shared style meals such as Mexican inspired tacos. Again, you might have an avocado, chickpea dip but also serve the avocado in slices so they can see the whole food form.
Ask them to help you in the kitchen to do the meal prep. Your child may beg that you don't put an ingredient in the meal, which of course you can choose to leave out, but they will be getting the benefit of seeing the food. As mentioned, this is a great way to break down the fear surrounding new foods or those that they are learning to like.

Hiding food for fussy eaters

Hidden veggies in meals such as spaghetti Bolognese or snacks like smoothies or muffins is a popular strategy for picky eaters, but does it work to expand your child's diet?

The disadvantages of hiding food in the meals of picky eaters

The advantages of hiding food in the meals of picky eaters

Tips for hiding food while increasing exposure