What to eat with raw veggies???

Hi all!
I'm struggling with learning to like raw veggies. I want to snack on them but I'm not a fan of just the veggies. Dips seem to have a lot of calories. Any suggestions as to what y'all dip or dress raw veggies with?? Thanks!

Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited September 2016
    If you don't like raw veggies, instead of trying to disguse the taste of them why not either:
    • Cook them?
    • Find something else to eat instead?
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I find that I like some veggies better than others. For instance I absolutely LOATHE raw carrots - though I like them well enough if they are cooked. I agree with @StealthHealth - try different things, you may find something you do like :)

    You can try dipping things in Hummus - it's not normally too high in calories. You can also find some pretty low cal salad dressings which make decent dips or just make your own with some lite sour cream or yogurt.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Ummm. . other raw veggies? }:-)

    Seriously, there are some raw veggies (tomatoes, scallions, yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions) that I can eat with no dressing or sauce of any kind.

    There are some that I really don't like raw by themselves as a snack (carrots and broccoli florets come to mind) but that I can eat just fine mixed in a salad or lightly sauteed.

    Then there are others (cauliflower florets, celery, raw yellow squash or zucchini ) that need a little something for me to be satisfied. I like these with basalmic vinegar, Bolthouse Farms yogurt-based dressings, and Tajin (dry chile/lime seasoning--particularly the low sodium version)
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    siracha and wasabi - yum
  • futureicon
    futureicon Posts: 348 Member
    Hummus!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    graltney wrote: »
    Hi all!
    I'm struggling with learning to like raw veggies. I want to snack on them but I'm not a fan of just the veggies. Dips seem to have a lot of calories. Any suggestions as to what y'all dip or dress raw veggies with?? Thanks!

    I'm not big on raw veggies save for cucumber and tomatoes...there's nothing wrong with cooking your veggies and also finding something else to snack on. I eat around 4-6 servings of veggies daily...mostly cooked.

    I like cucumber with humus or blue cheese dressing...and often just a little salt. I like tomatoes with a little salt.
  • graltney
    graltney Posts: 2 Member
    Ok! thanks for the helpful advice. I should have said that I need something to grab quickly while at work or just needing a snack during the day that doesn't need to be prepared. In between patients, I don't have a lot of time, so it has to be a quick-grab kind of snack. I LOVE cooked veggies but that doesn't work for a quick-grab snack. I guess I was thinking veggies because of their bulk (fills you up) and low calorie.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    Koldnomore wrote: »
    I find that I like some veggies better than others. For instance I absolutely LOATHE raw carrots - though I like them well enough if they are cooked. I agree with @StealthHealth - try different things, you may find something you do like :)

    You can try dipping things in Hummus - it's not normally too high in calories. You can also find some pretty low cal salad dressings which make decent dips or just make your own with some lite sour cream or yogurt.

    I loathe baby carrots, but can eat the regular whole kind.

    "Baby carrots" are a marketing term (at least in the USA). They are actually waste carrots that can't be sold whole because of their shape, so the carrot industry whittles them down -- and once they take off the skin, that carrot will mold/rot, so they bathe the carrots in chlorine bleach or something else that's foul you can taste.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    hummus!!! there are so many kinds to choose from the varieties are endless, or you can make your own for less oil and calories.
  • I will add my support to the hummus love. My favorite is this beet kind I get at the farmers market, but there are tons of options in stores. I use a cookie scoop that measures 2 tbsp to measure it out since that's generally the recommended serving size.
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
    hummus fo sho
    bolthouse arms makes lots of lower cal salad dressings if youre into that
    tzatziki
  • fposte2016
    fposte2016 Posts: 130 Member
    Along with hummus, white bean dip or pea dip, etc. (I mash the pulses with salt, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs like mint w peas or rosemary w white beans, then keep in the fridge about a week or so).
  • dietcepheus
    dietcepheus Posts: 26 Member
    edited September 2016
    PennWalker wrote: »
    I loathe baby carrots, but can eat the regular whole kind.

    "Baby carrots" are a marketing term (at least in the USA). They are actually waste carrots that can't be sold whole because of their shape, so the carrot industry whittles them down -- and once they take off the skin, that carrot will mold/rot, so they bathe the carrots in chlorine bleach or something else that's foul you can taste.

    In the UK, they are actually Chantenay carrots. Delicious pan-fried in butter.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    HUMMUS! It comes in a variety of flavors so you can mix-and-match different ones with each veggie. I personally like red peppers with garlic hummus. Also try Greek yogurt dips, might be higher in calories but also has more nutrition than sour cream based dip.
  • pneschich
    pneschich Posts: 325 Member
    Hummus. 50-80 cal for 2 tbsp
    Oikos has a new dip 25 cals for 2 tbsp
    I cut up bell peppers yellow ones
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Laughing cow light cream cheese wedges. Low fat Ranch. Greek Yogurt flavoured with a little celery salt or dill.
  • I'm also on team hummus here, if you get some little tubs then you can portion it out quite well (1tbsp is around 30 calories) to make it easier to keep track of/log. That's the same for any dip I guess though
  • MoonKat7
    MoonKat7 Posts: 358 Member
    graltney wrote: »
    Hi all!
    I'm struggling with learning to like raw veggies. I want to snack on them but I'm not a fan of just the veggies. Dips seem to have a lot of calories. Any suggestions as to what y'all dip or dress raw veggies with?? Thanks!

    Actually it's not advised to eat raw veggies as it's very hard to digest better to cook it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Hah. The new news is that carrots release more of their goodness when they are cooked but I don't see much benefit from cooking lettuce, celery, or cucumber.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Hah. The new news is that carrots release more of their goodness when they are cooked but I don't see much benefit from cooking lettuce, celery, or cucumber.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

    Not had time to read the link, sorry but wanted to add that the vitamins in some vegetables (K in Broccoli for example) need some fat to be adsorbed, so if you ate them without any other food you would get less vit k than if you added a little fat (like some butter?)
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,580 Member
    PennWalker wrote: »
    "Baby carrots" are a marketing term (at least in the USA). They are actually waste carrots that can't be sold whole because of their shape, so the carrot industry whittles them down -- and once they take off the skin, that carrot will mold/rot, so they bathe the carrots in chlorine bleach or something else that's foul you can taste.

    Pay attention to the packaging - these are often sold as "baby CUT carrots." *eyeroll*
  • Light ranch dressing
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    Cottage cheese!
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    graltney wrote: »
    Ok! thanks for the helpful advice. I should have said that I need something to grab quickly while at work or just needing a snack during the day that doesn't need to be prepared. In between patients, I don't have a lot of time, so it has to be a quick-grab kind of snack. I LOVE cooked veggies but that doesn't work for a quick-grab snack. I guess I was thinking veggies because of their bulk (fills you up) and low calorie.

    Cucumber slices and grape tomatoes are my favorite grab & go raw veggies. I can eat those plain or with a dash of salt & grind of fresh pepper.
    For low cal dips, I like Bolthouse yogurt dressings or Tzatziki sauce. And Laughing Cow wedges are great on celery. The Aldi knockoff versions are good and only 25 cal.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,170 Member
    I agree with @StealthHealth. I eat things I like that fit in my calorie goal. I do not waste calories on foods I don't like. I don't care if they ate healthy or good for me. There are plenty of things that are good for me and healthy. If you don't like raw veggies then don't eat them. Eat them prepared in a way you like.
  • BrokeBirkin
    BrokeBirkin Posts: 73 Member
    hummus, yogurt dips, balsamic reduction, anything oil based, (usually low calorie and high in good fats) or make your own. You say you like cooked veggies but can't eat them to go, why not? Cook some up, throw them in a bag or tupperware, pop one in your mouth while at work. The other day I went to the store and literally looked at the calories on the back of every dip and dressing I could find that looked good to me. It was eye opening how some were so high and how low others were. You could even try to just throw some type of seasoning on them.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    low calorie dressing, in reasonable amounts.
  • AndrianaCH
    AndrianaCH Posts: 2 Member
    Hummas, peanut butter, salad dressing, salt and pepper with a little parmesan cheese on top.... yum :)
  • dkginger
    dkginger Posts: 167 Member
    Apple slices or orange wedges travel well. My fave dip for veggies is ricotta cheese. Super low fat and calories and not loaded with sodium. Dress it up with seasonings.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Salt.

    If that's not cutting it, hummus is a good suggestion, but I love baba ganoush. Not only delicious, but a great use for extra eggplant!