I don't like Vegetables!

chelsea94renee

I'm trying to come up with new and exciting things to eat, but I don't like Vegetables. I want to like them, I do, but I'm one of those people who can tell if there's a small bit of onion in her burger. The only vegetables I'll currently eat are green peas, green beans, salad but only with dressing. Any tips on liking more vegetables? Have any of you been here before?

TavistockToad

So don't eat them. Just eat in a deficit if you want to lose weight?

cabwj

Maybe try different methods of cooking them? My son likes many more veggies than he used to since he started oven roasting them. Also, try some different seasonings on them. I'm fortunate that I love them all, except okra.

missmagnoliablossom

Fellow veggie-hater here. I too can tell if a piece of lettuce has ever shared molecules with my food.

I've recently tried salted edamame - so far it doesn't set off my alarm bells.

Also, do you like tomato sauce? If so, you could try sneaking more cooked tomatoes in your food.

It's a struggle. But also true is what @TavistockToad said above - CICO is what counts for weight loss. As for being an adult and eating our vegetables, well, we're trying.

estherdragonbat

Hide them. Pureed soups, sauces. Experiment with herbs and flavorings. The poster above me is correct that you can lose weight without them, but I find that for me personally, more vegetables help fill me up so I don't get hungry as fast. If you're in the same boat, incorporating them is probably a good thing.

It could be that you haven't had them prepared in a way you'd like. Growing up, 90% of the cooked vegetables we got were boiled to mush and served with a dollop of butter/margarine and salt. Trying my first butternut squash casserole was an epiphany. "Wait... there are other ways to eat this stuff? Whoa."

How are you with stuff like canned diced tomatoes/tomato puree etc?

Gondowolf

Maybe a psychologist,because the things we love to eat are decided in our early life and are hardly changed after.Maybe because you are afraid of change or something. ( P.S. don't think im making fun of you i have the same problem and i still don't like some veggies but i must eat them for fitness goals )

lemurcat12

I think it's worth learning to like vegetables, and would recommend experimenting with a wide variety of them and trying new cooking methods. A good vegetable cookbook like Greene on Greens (not just greens) or Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love or any of the millions of farmer's market or seasonal cooking themed ones (I like lots of photos, as that tends to get me excited to try something), can help. Or a good website (there are many others) is 101cookbooks.com.

You don't need vegetables to lose weight, but I am someone who thinks they are important for nutrition and people can learn to like them (and often don't because they haven't had them cooked the most appealing and easy to like ways).

SusanMFindlay

Try them raw. Try them roasted. Try them pureed in soup.

Each week, pick *one* vegetable. Ideally, one that seems at least somewhat appealing. (So, probably don't start with brussels sprouts - as much as I think they're lovely.) Maybe carrots as a first choice? Over the course of the week, try them at least three different ways. So, with carrots, you could try raw carrot sticks (dunking them in hummus or guacamole or even ranch dressing if that's what it takes), roasted carrots and lightly steamed/sauteed. As a general rule of thumb, it can take up to ten attempts to learn to like something. Most people went through it with coffee and at least one type of alcoholic beverage (most of which are acquired tastes) because, socially, it was worth it to them. You just have to decide that acquiring the taste for a few vegetables is worth it to you. And don't expect to like every single one. The goal is to find a handful that you like and can eat in rotation. Peas, green beans and salad is a good start.

Does your distaste for vegetables extend to things like tomato sauce? Tomatoes? If you completely puree them, you can "hide" a variety of vegetables in a good tomato sauce. Especially if there's ground beef in there too.

What is it you specifically don't like about vegetables? If it's the texture, pureeing may be the answer (or eating raw). If it's the bitterness, focus on vegetables that aren't bitter - like squashes, carrots, etc. (I don't find most veggies bitter, but some people are more genetically disposed to than others.)

zyxst

Just eat what you like.

chelsea94renee

It's both taste & texture. I don't mind tomato sauce, but I don't like tomatoes in any form, whole, diced, sliced, cooked, nada!!

estherdragonbat

Try adding more pureed vegetables to the tomato sauce? Steamed/boiled/roasted red pepper might work. Or carrot.

criord

I used to hate them too. I gradually started to like them because I was determined to for health reasons and now I LOVE vegetables. The biggest successes for me was to try them when I was HUNGRY- first time I liked broccoli I was famished and ordered a stir fry at a restaurant and it smelled so yummy and the bits I liked were so good I tried a piece and VOILA now I love broccoli. I suggest trying different veggies when you are at a restaurant when someone who knows how to cook well makes them for you. Also you can now get some Green Giant frozen veggies - cauliflower tots and broccoli cheddar tots, mashed cauliflower and riced cauliflower - you can try those. The cauliflower tots are maybe a good place to start because they are "mild". Try all sorts of vegetables many times, cooked different ways. I love cooked cauliflower but raw? nope. Don't like raw broccoli either but barely cooked in a stir-fry? love it! Asparagus- canned? no freaking way. Roasted to crisp-tender with a bit of oil and salt? oh yeah. Baked sweet potato with butter? yum. And if its a mental block, try one of those V-8 fruit and veggie drinks, they mostly take like a fruit juice and might get you to start getting past an aversion. Just a few thoughts...

WickAndArtoo

Sneak them into smoothies is my best advice... also the more you eat them the more you will like them... half the battle is keeping an open mind, if you vehemently believe and say you hate them you are actively convincing yourself of that.

If you really want to start eating vegetables to get the great nutrients and low calorie benefits you will, if it's not important enough to you, you won't. The only person who can make that happen is you!

I recommend RAW bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers because they are all sweet and less "vegetable-y" tasting. Also if you like ranch dressing you can make it with Greek yogurt and a powdered ranch packet so it's guilt free and high protein!

mspris2u

I agree on the roasted veggies! I would NEVER have eaten brussels sprouts boiled (as served when I was a kid) but roasted with some garlic salt? I eat them straight off the pan like candy!

peleroja

TavistockToad wrote: »

So don't eat them. Just eat in a deficit if you want to lose weight?

This is true, purely for weight loss the only thing that matters is eating fewer calories than your body expends. However, vegetables have a lot of important micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that contribute to good health and, more pertinent to weight loss in particular, they tend to be high in fibre and are a great way to get bulk into your meals without adding a lot of calories (I eat a salad in a bowl the size of my torso pretty much every day for less than 500 calories.)

OP, have you tried preparing vegetables in a bunch of different styles? If you normally steam them, roast them. If you normally try them raw, steam them. Add low-calorie flavouring like soy sauce, sriracha, balsamic vinegar, fresh or dried herbs, garlic, or lemon. My husband will eat just about anything if I roast it and top with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, a few flakes of Parmesan or Asiago, and a tiny drizzle of good white truffle oil, for example, or we both love to toss steamed vegetables in a little sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chili. We go very light on the oil and cheese but pick strong flavours that still add a lot of punch in small quantities. I also make a kind of mock tabbouleh with cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, or whatever else I have in the fridge chopped small with lots of fresh mint, cilantro, lemon, and a little feta and a scoop of quinoa. Can you tell we like lemon?

My favourite way to dress a salad (usually of leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, carrot, celery, and chicken or tuna) is with the juice of a whole lemon and a 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and salt. If you like creamy dressings or a lot of dressing, you can either cut back on the dressing or cut it with something lower-calorie (like plain yogurt or mustard or red wine vinegar if it's a vinaigrette). If you toss the salad really well (I use a lid and shake like crazy) you can use a small amount of the calorie dense stuff and still get tons of taste. Pickled stuff is great for this too and I will toss pickled jalapenos or diced dill pickles in lots of salads to get some more flavour in.

Packerjohn

TavistockToad wrote: »

So don't eat them. Just eat in a deficit if you want to lose weight?

Not good advice from an overall health perspective.

marieamethyst

I also dislike almost all vegetables. I make myself eat a side of them a few times a week, and just eat them quickly before eating the rest of the meal. Otherwise I just eat the things I like within my calorie goal, and take a multivitamin every day.

(Sorry I don't have any tips, but you're not alone!)

robthephotog

As others have said. Try different cooking methods. Seasonings. Etc. I'll eat anything, but I don't like celery. The stuff is awful. If I have to, I'll eat it, but I try not to. So everyone has things they may or may not like.

I know some may say well just don't eat them, but you'll be missing quite a few nutrients and fiber from your diet that you need.

Baby steps could be cover them in cheese, or cook using bacon, or puree them and add to potatoes, etc etc

missmagnoliablossom

chelsea94renee wrote: »

It's both taste & texture. I don't mind tomato sauce, but I don't like tomatoes in any form, whole, diced, sliced, cooked, nada!!

Keep trying to slowly work them in. Five years ago, I would have been grossed out at the sight of a cooked tomato. Now I can eat small pieces. I can even eat spinach in some forms, haha!

hilhilbean

I'm the same way. Not a fan at all. I can get a juice down, though (I learned through just juicing that I really really really do NOT like carrots). I use a food chopper and finely chop up spinach or kale to put in other foods and smoothies, though. I've gradually increased how much I put in. Major, MAJOR baby steps.

P.S. I'm super impressed you like peas. I only like green beans (but only if they have a seasoning on them that's only made in Illinois) and corn. Aaaand that's it.

RAinWA

Lots of good suggestions! I would also try them in soups - lots of different recipes to try and odds are good you will like a few of them.

My husband is picky about vegetables and I have found pureeing them in soups and sauces works sometimes. But mostly I just fix him the ones he will eat and make all the ones I like for me.

Tacklewasher

Meh. I don't like most so I just pick the ones I like and eat them. Pretty much raw peas, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and the odd salad. Cooked I only really like peppers. I'm far too old to be fussed with learning to like new things. And I'd rather focus on hitting my calorie goals.

kshama2001

chelsea94renee wrote: »

It's both taste & texture. I don't mind tomato sauce, but I don't like tomatoes in any form, whole, diced, sliced, cooked, nada!!

I like lots of vegetables, and am an avid gardener, but the only way I like tomatoes is canned sauce or when they are canned and petite diced.

Try other veggies in new forms. Lots of people rave about roasting vegetables, and now is a good time of year to try that. (Assuming you are sufficiently north of the equator.)

I like kale and eat it many ways but it is the least kale-like in a smoothie. Many leafy greens work well in smoothies. The only way I like Swiss chard raw is in a smoothie or if they are baby greens with other greens in a salad.

I find canned cream corn to be vile but like cream and corn so make my own creamed corn.

Like we say in yoga, 80 postures; 1,000 variations

Do try getting a nicely illustrated vegetable cookbook from the library and have fun experimenting.

brznhabits

Good advice above. I'll add...

Sometimes I only like certain vegetables with specific food combinations. For example, I'm not a huge broccoli fan but I do love steamed broccoli with Farro. It's the flavor and crunch combo.

Also, to expand on some of the above, I find that quality matters. I eat almost 0 veggies out of the can. I disliked quite a few veggies until I tried them fresh (cooked), and as others mentioned, cooked well.

That said, you don't have to like everything, I still can't do brussel sprouts

briskioh

Fellow veggie hater.

I've recently realized that I really like zuccini when I sautee it with lemon. Also, riced cauliflower. You can season it however you like.

chelsea94renee

I appreciate all of the advice given! In the coming weeks I'm gonna try all different kinds, prepared different ways hopefully I'll find a few new favorites. I ate a mushroom tonight, didn't like the texture! But they were whole, maybe I'll try them cut in smaller portions next time! You all are awesome

Theo166

My trick is to sauce em' up.

I buy mixed frozen veggies from Coscto. They are good and I don't have to learn to pick and store veggies. Just steam and use.

Tonight I'm just adding spaghetti sauce on top. They are also good with a curry or just to add some bulk to any soup you already have.

dragon_girl26

Gondowolf wrote: »

Maybe a psychologist,because the things we love to eat are decided in our early life and are hardly changed after.Maybe because you are afraid of change or something. ( P.S. don't think im making fun of you i have the same problem and i still don't like some veggies but i must eat them for fitness goals )

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I've discovered that my taste buds matured over time, and things I hated as a kid, I now eat all the time. I'm not alone in this assessment either.
I think the preparation really is everything. Try hiding them, roasting them, etc...you may find a way to eat certain vegetables in a way that you really enjoy. If not, as another poster saud, sauce em up.

jgnatca

A sense of adventure really helps. I still don't like mushrooms.

ogtmama

As we told our kids, you need to taste something 25 times before your tastebuds get used to it and you can learn to like it...so really just keep trying.

P.S. I don't know whether it's true or not but they both like Brussels sprouts now...so long as they're cooked in bacon

JeanieWww

I'm not overly fond of them either, but I have found a few ways to sneak more in. I do like salsa (even though I can't stand onions, tomatoes or peppers, weird, I know). I don't like cooked spinach, but tossing some fresh raw leaves in a salad or on a sandwich is good. You can sneak a little avacado into your ranch dressing, and wont taste it, but gets you a few more good nutrients. I recently started using spaghetti squash instead of noodles. I will admit i was quite hesitant to try this, but WOW, I prefer it now. I do think that how you cook it counts. I find eating raw vegetables is much tastier than cooked ones.