Becoming less picky...?

theskinnyvixen

I don't know if this is the right forum for this, so I apologize if it's not. Long story short, I'm an extremely picky eater when it comes to vegetables. I'm fine with fruits and most other foods, but I've never really eaten veggies in my entire life. I want to be healthy, so clearly that's something that has to change. I like potatoes (and sweet potatoes), but I don't really consider them a vegetable. I also like raw spinach, but not cooked spinach. I can deal with raw carrots sometimes. Peppers and onions I'm generally okay with (depends on how they're cooked). Everything else? Nope.

I think it's more of a sensory thing than a taste thing, because I haven't tasted most of them. The smell of the veggies really off put me and can even be enough to make me gag.

Texture is another major issue for me. Lettuce doesn't really have much flavor, so salads shouldn't be an issue, but they are because of the texture of lettuce. This is just one of the many texture issues I have. The taste doesn't bother me at all, but the texture of it does.

Any tips on beginning to eat veggies without absolutely torturing myself would be lovely. I want to be healthy, but it's kind of impossible with my aversion to lots of healthy foods.

AwesomeSquirrel

I would suggest that you try a new vegetable each week, and if possible try it in 2 or 3 different ways (totally possible from being 1 pack if there is only 1 of you). For example you might find a lot of vegetables palatable in a blended soup if you have issues with texture. I know the blender stick is my best friend for soups!!

Eg.
Portobello mushrooms:
1. fried with scrambled eggs.
2. In a risotto
3. With tomato sauce, ham and mozzarella as pizza

Cauliflower:
1. Roasted in a salad
2. Boiled and blended with cream cheese as "mash"
3. Parboiled and baked with cheese sauce in the oven.

Butternut squash:
1. Boiled as mash
2. Fried with red onion, chickpeas and chorizo as hash
3. Blended as a soup with coconut milk and chill

Cheery Tomtato:
1. Cold, halved, in a salad
2. On the grill on kebabs
3. Roasted in the oven with salmon and new potatoes

Beetroot:
1. In a salad with goats cheese
2. Grated, in muffins
3. Pureed as a side dish.

Kale:
1. Roasted/baked as kale chips
2. Massaged in lemon as a salad
3. In a soup such as Caldo Verde

Safety_Princess

Take some tips from the Sneaky Chef! If you google it, there are a bunch of recipes -- with the aim to "sneak" vegetables into things that kids typically like to eat. So they eat veggies without even realizing it. Could work for you, too! Good luck

NerdyAdventurer

Take some tips from the Sneaky Chef! If you google it, there are a bunch of recipes -- with the aim to "sneak" vegetables into things that kids typically like to eat. So they eat veggies without even realizing it. Could work for you, too! Good luck

This

I used to hate zucchini and eggplant but I`ve gotten to really like them after getting used to them in other foods.

melnorwich

I'd suggest that you eat a lot of the ones that you currently enjoy and gradually expand your range, but not force yourself on things that you really dont like after trying them 2-3 times. Lettuce can be ripped up (into really tiny pieces if you like). i like cucumber and peppers chopped into small chunks and celery cut into half cm slices. I also make a lot of smoothies. Fruit ones with spinach and veggies ones with peppers, avocado, beetroot, carrot and apples (and lots of water to make them easier to drink).

FitFroglet

It's worth understanding what texture(s) you don't get on with. A friend of mine can't cope with anything 'slimy' . This doesn't rule out all veg though. carrots can be eaten raw or baked, squash baked/roasted is fine, she'll eat most raw veg. Steamed veg is a better bet for her than boiled too.

AwesomeSquirrel makes a great point about trying the same veg several different ways, in fact, if texture is the major problem, this is likely going to be key to finding ways that you enjoy to eat veg.

If the smell of veg is off-putting I'd recommend not overcooking veg. (or make a curry and add a few vegetables!)

The great thing about vegetables is they are so varied - there are sweet, bitter, peppery and even meaty veg in every texture you can think of - there's bound to be a few you like

Best of luck!

akbp77

Everything you said is exactly how I feel about fruit.

I'm a picky eater too, and there are veggies I'm still not thrilled about. I just try to sneak those into my other meals. Maybe cooked and added to a soup, or baked in a casserole, or added to a spinach salad. It becomes easier when the taste/texture is somewhat masked by the other contents of the meal. I don't really care for green smoothies, but that might be a good way for you to get past the texture, too.