When it comes to vegetables it’s pretty clear that many Americans simply don’t get enough. If you’re over 50, you get 10-25% of the recommended two and one-half cups a day. Under 50? The number sinks down to a lowly 5%.

Knowing what we know about the role of a healthy diet in the prevention of a host of diseases – everything from diabetes to heart disease, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol – we still don’t seem to embrace the edamame or cuddle the cauliflower.

The thought is that perhaps we would eat more veggies if we had more time. Usually prep takes more time than throwing a burger on the grill. We may need to spend more time in the market too because fresh vegetables don’t keep very long.

Canned vegetables are high in sodium and usually don’t call to me in terms of flavor. Frozen can be a good option, and addresses the problem of shelf life quite nicely.

To entice us, we had convenience prepped vegetables appear in the produce aisles. Pre-sliced and diced carrots, celery, squash, even containers with what you might need to whip up a pot of soup. True, the cost per pound was much higher, but saving labor is often where it’s at when there’s no “stay-at-home” homemaker to plan, prepare and serve meals.

Now, there’s a “brand new bag” in the grocery store, and it’s full of pureed squash, spinach or carrots. Green Giant calls them “Veggie Blend-Ins” and there’s a cute little video on the web site with Jessica Seinfeld endorsing the products as a way to pump up the good stuff in your diet – especially when it comes to children who supposedly are naturally averse to green things. This was never a problem in my house, and with most health-aware families I know. My belief is that the “problem” rests with the grown-ups who anticipate that children don’t trust vegetables…but that’s a subject for another day.

Basically, we’re talking about baby food for adults here. And, grant you, I think I may try them if only out of curiosity.

They are 100% vegetables, no additives, preservatives, GMO-free, gluten free, and shelf stable until you open the pouch. I can see myself following some of the suggested usages – like adding carrot puree to a smoothee, or squash to mac and cheese. But you see, I really LOVE vegetables. I would try it simply to see what it does for the finished product, not because I don’t already eat enough veggies to put a rabbit to shame.

Here’s a few issues I have with the Blend-In concept:

They are expensive – Checking on-line showed the cost for a box of nine 4oz packages was around $14. That comes out to .39 cents per ounce or a whopping $6.22 per pound! That’s some of the most expensive veggies you’ll ever eat. Don’t know what you paid for a bag of carrots, or a butternut squash the last time you bought them , but it certainly wasn’t that.

– Checking on-line showed the cost for a box of nine 4oz packages was around $14. That comes out to .39 cents per ounce or a whopping $6.22 per pound! That’s some of the most expensive veggies you’ll ever eat. Don’t know what you paid for a bag of carrots, or a butternut squash the last time you bought them , but it certainly wasn’t that. Making your own purees is relatively easy – When my kids were small I made my own baby food. It was pretty much a no-brainer. I would think this is similar and you could probably freeze zip-lok bags of the stuff for quite a while.

– When my kids were small I made my own baby food. It was pretty much a no-brainer. I would think this is similar and you could probably freeze zip-lok bags of the stuff for quite a while. What’s wrong with the “real deal”? – The pre-made purees could be a good news for those with dietary limitations, who have difficulty swallowing or food consistency. For the rest of us, fresh, natural produce is tasty, beautiful and abundant.

– The pre-made purees could be a good news for those with dietary limitations, who have difficulty swallowing or food consistency. For the rest of us, fresh, natural produce is tasty, beautiful and abundant. Creating a “Health Halo” around foods that really aren’t – In the New York Times article “Stealth Vegetables”, Michael Moss reports that Green Giant urges folks to add a packet of spinach puree to their Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix (a Green Giant product). When all is said and done this adds a whopping 1 teaspoon of Spinach to each brownie. Not only am I underwhelmed by this, but I also share the author’s concern that it might encourage the consumption of something which should be limited under the guise of “good for you!”.

So, what are your thoughts on convenience veggies? Would you try/buy this product? How might you use them? Any downsides/advantages you’d like to add to my list?

I’m going to go make a smoothee now. Bye till next week.

Peace – Judi England, RN, LMT, Kripalu Yoga Instructor – yogajudi@aol.com – 5/7/2014