How much vegetable is actually being consumed via that 'pasta sauce full of veggies'

[Metacapulto]

On here and in real life I hear lots people offering the solution of 'I make a pasta sauce with loads of veggies blended in, voila then you know your DC are at least getting a couple of their five a day in'. Genuine question how much actual vegetable nutrient do you think is going into a child eating that sauce. IME a lot of children leave quite a lot of sauce behind and only really eat what's actually costing the pasta. Surely it can't be much?

Disclaimer: this is not a comment AT ALL on fussy eaters and how to feed them. I'm lucky and have not super fussy DC but I'm not stupid enough to think this is anything other than about 10% my doing and 90% good fortune. I'm not criticising people doing it, it's obviously still a perfectly good supper but more musing on whether it really is packing the DC full of vegetables or rather just making us all feel better.

I would think a tablespoon maybe. So one portion. Not sure that it’s much better than just tomatoes.

I've learnt from expeience it depends on the type of pasta - some ruffly fusilli pasta and my DS will eat a good 3 spoonfulls of sauce, if the sauce doesnt stick to the pasta it runs onto the plate and he leaves half of it. I heat cook the sauce onto the pasta a bit too to make it stick better!

I guess it really depends how much pasta they eat. We slather it on so they would eat quite a bit if they ate a whole bowl full.

The sauce has mince in at our house. As well as hidden (ie blended) peppers, courgette, mushrooms, onions and of course tomatoes. The sauce will be thick, coats pasta and mince. I expect clear bowls (but can ask for extra if wanted). So all that is left is a smear around the bowl.

Therefore my guess - about 2 portions of veg in the sauce itself consumed. I also add something spiralized, making it 3 for the meal.

Isn't a portion the size of a persons fist? That can't be three fistfuls worth of veg?

I think it’s a small handful? So would be smaller than a fist. Plus it’s blitzed. Wouldn’t that make a difference? Broccoli is half air, surely?

Doesn't the blitzing make it only one portion, because it removes the fibre or something, like you are only supposed to get one portion a day from juice? Or are you only supposed to get one portion a day from juice because it's bad for your teeth, in which case that wouldn't apply to the sauce? I am confused.

And yes, in this house most of the sauce is left in the bowl so it would just be whatever sauce has made its way into the nooks and crannies of the pasta.

Also blended green vegetables in a tomato sauce is rank. Seems like a great way to put your child off tomato sauce for life. As for the pp who blends mushrooms - gross! Mushrooms are lovely but little grey dots of them through your pasta sauce

Grating veg into things can help. My DC have no problem with veg but I grate veg into lots of things, even in cake and oat fingers I grate courgette and carrot.

BevBrook I juice. With a proper cold press juicer it will remove the fibre. That's why you should eat fruit and only juice veg (green leafy here). Blitzing is different to juicing.

I find the advised fruit and veg portions much bigger than I'd have thought.
Just yesterday I had a supermarket fruit salad which was one portion.
Id guess the veggie tomato sauces were half, if that.
NOT a criticism, just wondering what we're supposed to eat, what we think we eat and what we actually do eat.

I have no idea how much, but better than the 0 my fussy one would consume otherwise

Mine eat veggies as long as they are not in a sauce. The youngest hates anything with a tomato sauce despite liking tomatoes. These threads fascinate me cos they are so far removed from my lot.

In answer to the question, the veg take up more than a 1/3 of the plateful at most meals - raw at lunch and cooked at dinner.

Isn't a child's portion smaller?

I find the advised fruit and veg portions much bigger than I'd have thought

On the contrary, I think they are quite small - it's 80 grammes to a portion.

For example what I see as an average sized apple or banana is usually around 2 portions (or if you aren't allowed to count it as two, because it's the same, half an apple or half a banana is a portion).

Better off just sticking with the KFC, really

I don't think that was the question howabout but good on you...

I've often mused on something similar.

Not to do with fussy eating children, but just in general.

I like to bulk out meals like bolognese with veg. Typically when cooking for a family of 4, I put in a pepper, a generous handful of mushrooms, and onion, maybe a courgette and/or a grated carrot or two, along with the mince and tomatoes. So what seems like loads of veg . But actually, when you divide it by the 4 of us (plus possibly a left over portion too), and look at 5-a day portion sizes, I don't reckon it counts for much more than 1 or maybe 2 of our 5 a day each.

Sorry, mine's not pureed in, just chopped and put in the sauce, so still has it's fibre.

Why would anyone leave the sauce in the bowl? It's the best bit!

Adding veg blended in does make the sauce taste weird imo, it’s just going to put some dc off tomato sauce.

I can’t see how adding veg blended in the sauce would get anymore veg really in to say a toddler or 5 year old than the tomatoes alone as at a young age they don’t eat vast portions. I guess with a teen or fussy adult it would be different

Dunno about pasta sauce but extra veg grated into the bolognaise sauce for a lasagne or into a cottage pie definitely results in more portions eaten.

Something in a carrot or sweet potato works well.

Well it's the fist of the person eating it surely, rather than the person preparing it. So a child's fistful is a tiny amount.

I always assume the nutrients 'cook out' into the sauce, so they're still getting good stuff even if they don't finish the sauce.

I like to bulk out meals like bolognese with veg

TBF, bolognese is supposed to have vegetables in it anyway. Anyone making bolognese out of just mince and tomatoes is doing it wrong.

Pasta shells scoop up more and some garlic bread at the end wipes the rest up.