Kraft sneaks veggies into its Mac & Cheese
Kraft is adding pulverized dried cauliflower to its Macaroni & Cheese and parents are buying it.
I’ve never been a proponent of hiding vegetables in kids’ foods so they don’t know they’re in there. I’m not a sneaky chef. I don’t understand how a parent who hides vegetables in food can expect children to choose vegetables on their own when they’re older.
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Comments
I purchased this as an alternative to just enriched flour pasta mac and cheese, because my step son eats with his eyes and my daughter refuses veggies. My husband was the first to speak up and said this version was creamier and i noticed a small taste difference but was happy the kids were loving the mac & cheese with no idea it was different and a healthier option. This is not a substitute in our hosehold but yes, if "sneaking" a veggie in for a healthy choice just to get part of the.... More
as with EVERYTHING in life (alcohol, tv, sugar, etc) if you use COMMON SENSE then you will be fine. I think anyone with common sense would see that you cant substitute mac-n-cheese for fresh vegetables (which should be a variety of colors, types, etc, and not just plain cauliflower all the time).
I think this new 'veggie mac n cheese' is an alright idea. It doesnt taste quite as good, but if i had to choose a dinner:
A) normal mac and cheese, side of veggies, drink
OR
B).... More
Oh, get over it. Take what you can get...
I have a three year old who doesn't eat much of what we offer for dinner, which means she doesn't eat dinner quite often because we don't then offer her something else. Mac n cheese is one thing she will eat, so this is a good way to offer her a more nutritious version of it. She will still be offered the veggies, but this gives us a little edge - NOT a substitute for veggies.
You obviously don't know what you are talking about! Do you even have children? If you do, then I guess your's eat all their veggies all of the time, right?? I have 5 kids...3 love vegetables and 2 dislike them greatly. I offer all of my kids vegetables everyday but do not force the two that don't care for them to eat them. I have been buying this mac and cheese since it came out because I feel something is better than nothing as far as veggies are concerned. My 7 year old that doesn't like.... More
I am not a fan of the "sneak veggies" in, but then again if choosing a box mac and cheese, I would choose that version over the older version if all the other nutrition information looked about the same or better. It wouldn't be a sneaking, but rather making a healthier choice.
I do the same with pasta in general, I will choose the higher fiber and/or higher protein choices because it makes more sense for my family.
I give this to my 9 year old son as a substitute for original Mac and Cheese. I also told him there were veggies in it and he was excited about the healthier alternative
I agree with you, robin! sounds sneaky to me and it probably has to do with money not nutrition
I recently went on a grain and sugar free diet and had to give up a lot of the packaged convenience foods I'd previously eaten when I didn't have time to prepare a real meal. As long as they haven't saturated the sauce with sugar this means I can occasionally have mac&cheese again.
As others have pointed out, why are you making the assumption that this is targeted at kids? A lot of people are cutting breads and pasta from their diet and this reformulation of their noodles allows.... More
I don't see "FOR KIDS" anywhere on that package. There's no blurb that says "Fool your kids!" or "Give this to your kids instead of vegetables!" either.
On top of that, I'm a 40-year-old who happens to like eating macaroni & cheese from time to time, and I rather like the idea of it being something a bit more wholesome than just flour-based pasta. Not for kids, but FOR MYSELF.
Your whole article is written with a very condescending tone. It's as if you feel that you were.... More
You were smart enough to understand that this isn't a substitution for vegetables. Why don't you think anyone else is smart enough to realize it? Are you that much smarter than the rest of us?
Get over yourself. This is a fine alternative to regular mac n cheese, and a welcome option in my opinion.
I sneak veggies into my kids food, but I also offer them on the side, I just know 'one' of them won't eat the veggies on the side...Ive never tried the 'veggie' pasta though. I usually grate fresh zucchini into foods(almost anything will taste good with zucchini) or I blend up broccoli into spaghetti sauce..things like that!! adding carrots to fruit smoothies works well too....okay, there's my two bits :)
Anything that reduces the processed-flour carb load in foods that kids consume by the bucketload is, IMHO, a good thing. Cauliflower is low in carbohydrates, and therefore will not contribute to childhood obesity in nearly the same way the cauliflower-free Mac & Cheese would. I predict you'll be seeing a lot more substitutions like this in the coming months and years as the processed food industry slowly starts to admit that what they have been selling is a leading contributor to the.... More
Excess calories are what contribute to obesity. Sorry, but changing out wheat carbs for veggie carbs is not going to change the caloric content of the food. Carbohydrates and protein both contain 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram. If the veggie version of the mac and cheese contains the same amount of fat as the regular mac and cheese the calories will be the same. Portion control and lower fat options would lower the amount of calories.... More
Ecomainegirl,
Calorie counting turns out to be not as valid as you might think, as the type of calories consumed play a huge role in the body's response, including insulin surges (which in turn lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity).
The carbs in cauliflower are low-glycemic and don't have an adverse effect on your blood sugar and insulin response, while the carbs in processed wheat are just terrible for your body.
Might I suggest some analytical.... More
I was a very picky child, and Kraft mac & cheese was one of my main food sources. I'd eat certain veggies (and all fruits), but to my parents' dismay / despite their best efforts, that list was short. I've grown out of it and am now an adult who eats as many veggies as possible. Sounds like you're frustrated with parents who don't even try to serve their kids vegetables and just opt for "sneaking" them in so they don't have to deal with the argument ... but I think this is a totally OK.... More
