Let's Celebrate Fruits and Veggies - Not "Celebrities"!
I'm happy for her success and I can't argue (too much) with her mission (more on her methods later), but I have to admit that when I saw Jerry Seinfeld's wife on Oprah peddling her cookbook on sneaking fruits and vegetables into kid-friendly foods, I had to shake my head. It's another example of a celebrity-type person getting the big book deal and getting on all the top shows. This is a book I've seen done before, to some degree, by registered dietitians. They might not have had the snappy title nor the celebrity tie-in, but by golly, they've been making seemingly normal recipes with butternut squash and pureed spinach.
I'm not surprised her book is selling like gangbusters because that's just the way this business works (publishing and media). The media LOVES having celebrities on their shows and publishers love selling books. Perhaps at the root of all of this is our (Joe Public's) fascination with "celebrity." Are we more likely to "tune in" when we hear about a celebrity's book?
All I can tell you is registered dietitians have been trying to get on some of these shows for years. We're just trying to get the word out about the books and cookbooks that we feel passionately about, that we've spent years researching and writing. But a famous comedian's wife writes one book and she gets the golden call. Jerry Seinfeld was quoted in a New York Times article: "Let's be realistic - my wife isn't in this for the money or the publicity." Ah Jerry, but my guess is the publisher is. And I don't blame them really; they are in the business of selling books after all, just as television shows are in the business of bringing in the most viewers.
But when it comes to the topic of "deception" or "celebration" regarding produce - whether it's better to hide produce in your child's food or teach them to embrace the zucchini and celebrate the apple...I guess I fall more on the latter side. I'm not against adding vegetables to favorite foods; I just add it in small chunks so you can still recognize it as broccoli, for example.
If you make a habit of hiding the butternut squash and the spinach, your children are still going to look at those two items when they see them and scream, "Yyyyuuuck!" Perhaps at the end of the day, you haven't taught them to love healthful foods; you've just taught them that they can be deceived.
Related Topics: <Technorati Tags: cookbooks, fruits, vegetables, children, healthy diet, celebrity
I'm not surprised her book is selling like gangbusters because that's just the way this business works (publishing and media). The media LOVES having celebrities on their shows and publishers love selling books. Perhaps at the root of all of this is our (Joe Public's) fascination with "celebrity." Are we more likely to "tune in" when we hear about a celebrity's book?
All I can tell you is registered dietitians have been trying to get on some of these shows for years. We're just trying to get the word out about the books and cookbooks that we feel passionately about, that we've spent years researching and writing. But a famous comedian's wife writes one book and she gets the golden call. Jerry Seinfeld was quoted in a New York Times article: "Let's be realistic - my wife isn't in this for the money or the publicity." Ah Jerry, but my guess is the publisher is. And I don't blame them really; they are in the business of selling books after all, just as television shows are in the business of bringing in the most viewers.
Photo Credit: Jim Champion
If you make a habit of hiding the butternut squash and the spinach, your children are still going to look at those two items when they see them and scream, "Yyyyuuuck!" Perhaps at the end of the day, you haven't taught them to love healthful foods; you've just taught them that they can be deceived.
Related Topics: <Technorati Tags: cookbooks, fruits, vegetables, children, healthy diet, celebrity
4 Comments:
If you had taken the time to read the book or listen to the author speak, you would know that she makes a point of saying that she serves the whole vegetables as well as the pureed versions she added to their favorite foods. She was quite careful to point out the importance of doing so.
Do you by chance, know of any quality online food services? I am starting to order all my food online because of various reasons. (Health being one of them) So far I have found 2 services, Fresh Dining (an LA company) and Celebrity Foods, but you have to call them so they can talk to you about your need. I would really like any suggestions that you may have, so I can widen my list of quality places online where I can order healthy food from.
Thank you and have a great night or day…depending on when you read this. LOL!!!!
I think that you have a valid point but I also think that having this book become popular (even if it is from a celebrity) is a great thing. I can understand how frustrating it would be for professionals who are experts in the field to see their hard work overlooked because someone with connections had the same idea. However, if we are trying to be all ethical and honest in saying "we are doing it for the health of the children" and really expect no financial gain, I feel that that is a little naive. Yes, I do agree that Jerry Seinfield's comment saying that his wife is not in it for the money might be a bunch of fluff, but I have to say, no you think the professionals writing these books are not looking for financial gain? I'm sure that these professionals would like to make a name for themselves as researchers by coming out with a book that details there findings, but when it comes to publishing books, a lot of times success of an author is seen through the success in sales... money is going to always be a goal. As for the actual content of Mrs. Seinfield's book, hey... kids do need proper nutrition no matter what so if it means hiding it in a cookie made from eggplants, then why not?
I have looked at this book - with a bunch of other moms. We saw nothing we didn't know before. It's just pureeing foods to hide them and sometimes in quantities so small we wondered if it actually made any difference. I agree with Elaine - let them eat recognizable veggies and fruits. If you eat them (modeling good nutrition) they will eat them.
As for the celebrity aspect - why should I trust Jerry Seinfeld's wife for nutrition advice? I trust Jerry to make me laugh but that's his area of expertise! The notion of celebrities dispensing advice on topics in which they aren't qualified experts is way overblown in our culture. I'm sure Jerry's wife is a nice lady and a loving mom, but she's not a dietician.
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