Help ~ I don't like veggies :(

jennfer71
jennfer71 Posts: 38 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
I am looking for some tips or suggestions for healthy meal and snack options. My problem is that I DON"T LIKE VEGETABLES!! I find all kinds of wonderful and healthy recipies out there but they all are made up mostly from foods I just can't stomach. And yes, I have actually tried and tasted the veggies. I didn't just wrinkle up my nose at them like a finicky little kid. This is something that I actually struggle with because I am wanting to eat healthier.

I will eat tomato based items but to take a bite from an actual tomato will make me gag. Same with onions. I will season with onion but can't stand the smell of an onion or the flavor of a raw onion. I can handle carrots in soups and such but I am not about to pick up a carrot and munch on it. Everybody loves sweet corn....everybody but me! My mom and dad love acorn squash on the grill in the summer but the smell of it is disgusting to me. I pick the peas out of casseroles, pot pies, Chinese food, etc. I don't care how it is prepared or what kind of sauce you put on it, broccoli is not happening for me. Love the smell of cucumbers but not the taste. Radishes & cauliflower.... umm no thanks. Mushrooms & olives.... no way!

I do love all kinds of salad greens though. I will eat the finely shredded carrots and cabbage in a salad mix. I am fine with most beans but they are the ones that usually come canned in some not so healthy stuff. We do eat a lot of green beans too but need some variety. Oh yeah, and of course I like potatoes.

Any suggestions?? Really wanting to eat less processed foods but I am kind of at my wit's end for ideas. I would rather not eat than try to choke down something that I just can't stomach. :(

Replies

  • Swilson87
    Swilson87 Posts: 139
    I knew I had a twin in the world and I've found you. I HATE VEGGIES....
  • I made a pot of Minestrone last week that used Chicken Broth and tomato sauce as the base...then added sauteed carrots, beans, a bit of frozen spinach (along with some other veggies that will go unmentioned). It ended up being very tasty, very good for you, and very easy to customize according to what you actually like. You could also try a good chili recipe...I'm afraid you're not going to get very far without onions though. :) Especially if you saute them first they bring so much flavor to everything...
  • ablykins
    ablykins Posts: 200 Member
    My husband is in the same boat as you- just can't stand the texture and taste of most whole veggies. I invested in a Vitamix and blend almost all his veggies and sneak them into foods for the flavor and fiber but without the 'chunks'. For example, just today I made him black bean soup and used the Vitamix to liquify a whole pound of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots and mixed in in with the soup base. He didn't even notice, but got the benefit of veggies. For breakfast every morning I put collard greens and spinach into his protein shake and he loves it. I've found for him, if I blend the veggies in my Vitamix I can incorporate some kind of fresh vegetable into every meal!
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
    What about making vegetable or fruit purees and adding them to foods? Jessica Seinfeld has written cookbooks like this. You can get them at book stores, libraries, Amazon, etc. She wrote it to sneak veggies and fruits into her children's meals. I think one of her books is called the Sneaky Chef or something like that. That way you don't have to actually crunch on the fruit or veggie. Good luck!!
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    You could try what they do to little kids...puree some kind of veggies and mix it in to your spaghetti sauce...or just try cooking veggies different ways? I can't imagine life without them personally! :)
  • Ah yes, +1 to the above idea of basically pureeing the hell out of your veggies to sneak them into foods. We also grate zucchini and add it to our spaghetti sauce and our daughter is none the wiser.
  • abellante_0205
    abellante_0205 Posts: 368 Member
    how abt the drinks that taste like fruit? i think they are called v8 or something
  • ajostraat
    ajostraat Posts: 101
    Pot Roast - dump your potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, celery, etc... into the pot with your roast. Let them all cook together and what do you get? Beef flavored veggies! I had a roommate one time who also HATED vegetables, but she would eat these!

    Flavors/textures can all be disguised pending on how you prepare it. Spaghetti Squash anyone? I also found a good recipe for sweet potato biscuits on food.com.
  • BandMom2
    BandMom2 Posts: 64
    It sounds like maybe it is a texture thing? One thing I do is get my shredder out and grate all types of squash, mushrooms, etc. and add a little at a time to spaghetti sauce. This in turn can be used on noodles, in soups and in casseroles. If you really want to see in you are truely that turned off by veggies or if it is a mind thing, have a friend or someone fix a couple of meals for you one with the grated veggies and one without. Then let you guess which is which, you may be surprised. My family loves the sauce with squash better than the one without it, and I have yet to tell them what makes it different. Good luck......
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    My husband really hates veggies too. The way that I get him to eat them is to "hide" them in foods. For instance when I am making a red pasta sauce( tomato based) I take a hand grater and finely grate carrots into the sauce. I also will chop up green peppers smaller and add them to the sauce. I know my mother for years used to blend up mushrooms and add them to the sauce. There are easy ways to "hide" vegies.

    I also know with me it is more of a texture issue then it is a taste issue. Maybe you just need to experiment with cooking the veggies differently and with different seasonings. Also, you could always just make up for not liking vegetables with eating even more fruits to compensate for the lack of veggies.

    Hope this helps
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    you sound like i used to be... but i've amazed myself and learned to like (or at least be able to eat) lots of different veg now, though i still cannot tolerate green beans or any kind os squash. I've found it's all in the way they are prepared though.
    i had to keep trying different ways of preparing them before finding ways that worked.. and not all same method for each by any means *S* some i still will only eat raw, some i can only tolerate when prepared in one particular manner. Just don't give up *S* keep trying.

    (note.. most of this discovery for me has been since i turned 45 *L*.. so.. it's never too late!)

    it is possible to learn to be able to eat them.. just takes determination and keep trying *S*
  • jennfer71
    jennfer71 Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you for all of your suggestions. I think I will look into some type of food processor. I like the idea of adding to sauces & soup bases. Also want to try that idea of having somebody else prepare a with & without version of a recipe and doing the blind taste test.

    It is also important for me to try to get in more veggies so I don't present a double standard to my children. I want to be a better example of health for them! They are getting older and more aware now so they notice that Momma isn't eating the same things on her plate that are getting put on their plate.
This discussion has been closed.