15 month old - canned veggies (no added salt) good or bad?

[rocketgirl96]

I have been keeping him away from canned veggies because I thought they were bad for you and had artificial stuff in them. But my husband says that our 15 month old might eat more veggies if we gave him canned since they are softer, especially the green beans. I said no because it is not good for him like fresh/frozen, that there are chemicals and stuff in them. But he said the ingredients don't list anything other than grean beans and water - like baby food. So, what is the concensus? Are canned veggies acceptable to give to a toddler?

Thanks,
Christine

[Llyra]

The issue with canned vegetables is not so much what's IN them-- most contain only the vegetables, water, and some salt. (A few do contain chemical agents to preserve color or texture.) The real issue with canned stuff is what's NOT in them. The canning process involves subjecting the food to very high heat under pressure, which can destroy the more delicate vitamins and antioxidants. Furthermore, canned vegetables have often been stored, even before you buy them, for a long time, which is also not helping to preserve nutritional value. A child fed canned veggies is missing out on many of the most important nutritional benefits of eating vegetables in the first place. And finally, the taste and texture of canned foods is different from that of fresh, and kids develop a taste for what they're used to, so that it might be hard to get them to eat fresh stuff later on if they're accustomed to canned.

I think it's fine to use canned vegetables, sometimes, for little ones. I don't think a steady diet of them is a good idea.

There are also sometimes issues with the cans themselves, with leaching of toxins from the materials used to make and seal the cans. I don't know too much about that, but I'm sure somebody else here does.

[mamatoablessing]

Originally Posted by Llyra

The issue with canned vegetables is not so much what's IN them-- most contain only the vegetables, water, and some salt. (A few do contain chemical agents to preserve color or texture.) The real issue with canned stuff is what's NOT in them. The canning process involves subjecting the food to very high heat under pressure, which can destroy the more delicate vitamins and antioxidants. Furthermore, canned vegetables have often been stored, even before you buy them, for a long time, which is also not helping to preserve nutritional value. A child fed canned veggies is missing out on many of the most important nutritional benefits of eating vegetables in the first place. And finally, the taste and texture of canned foods is different from that of fresh, and kids develop a taste for what they're used to, so that it might be hard to get them to eat fresh stuff later on if they're accustomed to canned.

I think it's fine to use canned vegetables, sometimes, for little ones. I don't think a steady diet of them is a good idea.

There are also sometimes issues with the cans themselves, with leaching of toxins from the materials used to make and seal the cans. I don't know too much about that, but I'm sure somebody else here does.

Great response! ITA with everything Llyra has written.

I think frozen veggies are better than canned, but not as good as fresh. When my 1st DD was starting solids, I always fed her frozen veggies, as I was pretty clueless about cooking fresh ones. I have since learned a lot about preparing fresh veggies and really, it's not any harder than steaming frozen ones. It did take some practice for me to learn what spices, herbs, sauces, etc. went well with what veggies and what the best cooking method for a particular veggie was. But I'm so glad I learned because my kids are veggie freaks now!

[RunnerDuck]

Mine love canned green beans. They are a great and easy finger food. They also do well with frozen, though. I mostly give frozen, but canned is IMO great to have on hand for fast, fast, fast - throw the baby in the high chair with some green beans while you work on something better, good for when baby is hungry and angry. I don't think canned is bad, but I do think frozen is better. (It's not too inconvenient if you make up a batch at a time and keep it in the fridge but on the fly you need to heat it just right, then cool it down, etc... )

As for fresh vs. frozen I have actually read frozen may be better because it's frozen immediately, not stored and shipped... they're probably pretty neck in neck. Fresh tastes better in some cases... but nutritionally I think they're pretty close.

[Raene]

I'd add to that with the risk of the cans leaching, as they're now finding out, it doesn't seem worth it.

My daughter absolutely LOVED frozen peas when she was younger...great finger food and nice to have in the summer. That's one idea I have instead of canned stuff.

[RunnerDuck]

Originally Posted by Raene

I'd add to that with the risk of the cans leaching, as they're now finding out, it doesn't seem worth it.

My daughter absolutely LOVED frozen peas when she was younger...great finger food and nice to have in the summer. That's one idea I have instead of canned stuff.

OK so since you mention them being great in the summer - did you give them to her frozen??

(Mine love peas and carrots, and the mixed veggies - but I always cook them first!)

[Raene]

Originally Posted by RunnerDuck

OK so since you mention them being great in the summer - did you give them to her frozen??

(Mine love peas and carrots, and the mixed veggies - but I always cook them first!)

Yeah, frozen! She loved em that way. She eats them cooked too, but it's a fun treat to have them frozen.