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DEL.ICIO.USDo batter-dipped green beans count as a vegetable?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I went to a school food vendor show yesterday in Cobb County. Makers of barbecue and whole-grain French toast, chocolate-chip cookies and trans-fat-free biscuits, were handing out free samples of their food and talking with children, parents and school lunch administrators about what made their product special.
Many of the vendors talked about working to reduce sodium levels, or adding more whole grains to products. I munched on delicious 100 percent whole wheat cinnamon rolls and talked with a pork processor who’s experimenting with a lower-sodium barbecue. I saw turkey sausage and chicken egg rolls, fizzy juice and water drinks that are low in sugar and high in juice content, and other steps toward meeting tougher nutritional standards. I wondered where the fruit and vegetables were in this array of corn dogs, pizza and chicken nuggets.
Then I saw the batter-coated green beans. A sign at the booth noted that they could be fried or baked.
They were soggy and salty, and tasted nothing like green beans. Yet, according to a story that colleague Dianne Stepp wrote in today’s AJC, kids loved them.
Some adults view this type of product as a good way to get kids to eat vegetables. I looked at the sodium content - 620 milligrams per serving, about 26 percent of an entire day’s allotment - and checked again to make sure I was reading it correctly. It’s higher than some entrees I saw.
Green beans are so bland, that even many kids who don’t like vegetables will eat them. Why is it necessary to disguise them under layers of salty, onion-battered breading?
Of course, it’s not just salt. This morning I’m testing a carrot souffle dry mix that lists sugar and flour as the primary ingredients and calls for a half-stick of butter, which works out to about a tablespoon a serving. The label promises that kids will love these carrots. I’m sure they will; they’re closer to carrot cake than a vegetable.
What does it take to get children to eat vegetables? Have you found a secret to convince picky kids to try an unfamiliar vegetable? Or does it really take a spoonful of sugar (or salt) to get the healthy stuff to go down? If you want to weigh in on what foods schools serve for lunch, feel free to leave your comments here, or check out the Get Schooled blog, which also addresses this topic today.
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Comments
By Amanda F
February 27, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
I believe that the best way to get children to eat food they do not deem appetizing is to start them eating it at a young age and frequently.
It’s kind of like teaching them to get up early in the morning for school, some hate it, but eventually, they figure it’s something they absolutely have to do, so they do it.
They should not be forced to “like” everything they have to do or taught that they will “like” everything they have to do in life. Inside children should be taught to “tolerate” and “appreciate” the neccessities of life, even those they do not enjoy.
By Rodney
February 27, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this
Isn’t deep-fried green beans basically tempura?
Years ago, I had an appetizer at 97 Estoria (in Cabbagetown) of deep-fried green beans. If I remember, they were cornmeal breaded and served with a horseradish dipping sauce.
And quite good, actually. Not soggy, but very crisp and seemed really light, too.
By Elizabeth Lee
February 27, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
Rodney, I thought of tempura when I saw the green beans. Then I tasted them.
They were just awful. Imagine canned green beans that have been batter-dipped.
Tempura, on the other hand, is usually pretty tasty, epecially if the breading stays crisp and the beans aren’t overcooked. I think that’s hard to do when you’re baking them, as these were; maybe they’re better fried, but then, schools are supposed to be moving away from deep fryers so they can serve healthier food to kids.
By Rodney
February 27, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
Eww - well, I imagine baking lends a “whole ‘nother” level of ick to them.
With tempura, you’re basically crisping up the batter (as were the ones I had at 97 Est.) so the beans are still quite crispy and only par-cooked.
Baking, especially to get a crisp outside, would probably take too long (unless you flash broiled them I guess) to crisp the batter that the beans would steam the entire time.
Yeah, I can imagine that’d be pretty awful. Especially when you’re a kid and you don’t wanna eat beans anyway.
I’m all for healthy kids, but if these beans are like you say they’re gonna have a hard time pushing them.
By FCM
February 27, 2008 5:10 PM | Link to this
Well my eldest informs me that fried pickles or corn are great…..fortunately she isn’t at the local that served them often.
For the most part mine will eat their veggies. I have always attributed this to my giving them the ‘bitter’ veggies and oatmeal as first foods (yes, sometimes the veggies were mixed in the oatmeal)…The pediatrician did the speil about bananas and apples as first foods…and I said, is there a reason it couldn’t be green beans or peas? The Dr said “we actually perfer they start with that but so many parents want to start with fruit!”
Other parents have said that they started with fruit and no issues later. So we need a gov’t grant to do a study I suppose…
I further believe exposing them to as many varieties of veggies (or fruits) while they are toddlers helps. Eventually mine stopped eating mushrooms or asparagus…though one is coming back around to these…however, they know that eating healthy is a requirement.