Husband doesn't like fruits and veggies

JenRedesigned

I am in need of suggestions. Ive googled this topic and have come up with..."Too Bad, eat the stuff anyways!"
This is My answer too, but my husband is THE pickiest and most unhealthy eater I have ever met! Ok... He eats a few peas or green beans when I fix them, but that's it. And they're covered in salt! He says he doesn't like the flavor or texture of them.

Lately he has expressed the desire to lose weight, but what diet changes can I make for him?

Joanna_1111

That stinks! Maybe try other healthy choices such as increasing water or eating nuts instead of sweets? You could try one of the cookbooks that sneaks veggies in recipes...

SweGuy

Well.. Thats a hard nut to crack...

dreanance

You can't change for him, he can decide to try to like them... or not.

MrsM1ggins

So he has tried *every* fruit and veg and doesn't like any of them? Sounds like he's just gotten used to saying "I don't like that" and/or smothering it in salt.

If he was a child you'd make him try it a few times (without salt) before removing it from his diet...

tuneses

I have the same issue but hubby doesnt need to lose weight. Basically we've agreed that I'll make my "fancy" dinners 3 times a week and he will fend for himself and make his own dinner. That doesnt really happen but I usually make him dinner along the lines of what i'm having with the kids. Like if i'm making chicken i'll make a separate one for him and make him a baked potato or whatever. If i'm making spaghetti then he'll have regular noodles and I'll have wheat. It's not the best solution but he wont eat better and i cant and wont make him.

Ezwoldo

So he is a self confessed salad dodger, well it's quite easy let him know that he either changes his eating habbits or he just get bigger. There is no magic cure for losing weght and unless you eat better it don't happen.

VeganInTraining

Look for recipes that disguise them. I have started putting Zuccini in my spaghetti sauce, suddenly, my husband realizes he likes zuccini. Next I'm trying to see how he likes mashed cauliflower....I also have found that if I steam the crap out of them then he goes for it, but each time I cook them a little less. I know steaming them takes the nutrients out, but if you then throw the water into a pot for rice, you get the nutrients back because it goes into the rice.

graysmom2005

Tell him to put on his big boy underwear and start figuring out what he likes.

There are sooooo many different fruits and veggies with different textures and so many way to eat/cook them. Maybe he'd like roasting? My kids LOVE roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Just some Olive oil, salt and pepper. He just needs to experiment. I think that's a big blanket statement and probably an excuse not to eat more healthy. I can't imagine what a diet without them would look like. Good luck! He's lucky to have a caring wife!

calikimi

My sister was having the same problem, but with her son... he wouldn't eat ANY veggies! She got this book by Jerry Seinfelds wife, Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptivley Delicious. It's a bunch of different ways to hide veggies in other foods! It worked out great too, until one day he watched her make dinner. As long as its disguised as something else maybe he wont mind it so much?

Kym1610

I am not sure you can do much about the texture but you could make a vegetable satay for instance, or make him a healthy dipping sauce. I use natural greek style yogurt, some garlic and lemon juice when I get a little sick of veggies.

If you check my blog I have a pumpkin, chickpea, cauliflower satay receipe in there... ooops forgot the link

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Kym1610/view/my-tried-and-true-reciepes-119373

VeganInTraining

I have the same issue but hubby doesnt need to lose weight. Basically we've agreed that I'll make my "fancy" dinners 3 times a week and he will fend for himself and make his own dinner. That doesnt really happen but I usually make him dinner along the lines of what i'm having with the kids. Like if i'm making chicken i'll make a separate one for him and make him a baked potato or whatever. If i'm making spaghetti then he'll have regular noodles and I'll have wheat. It's not the best solution but he wont eat better and i cant and wont make him.

wow, you're more loving than me (and we've only been married a month LOL) My husband has realized that he can either eat what I cook or fend for himself. Once or twice a week I make something that's a little less healthy than I normally eat and suits his tastes.

Oh and as far as the salt goes, I got my hubby using hot sauce now rather than salt. Still sodium but not as much

jillybeanruns

You can't do anything for him. If he doesn't want to eat it, he won't. And it shouldn't be on you to make him. If he wants to "diet" (terrible word btw), then he'll come around in time and realize he has to eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, healthy fats and lean protein.

GorillaNJ

Tell him to put on his big boy underwear and start figuring out what he likes.

There are sooooo many different fruits and veggies with different textures and so many way to eat/cook them. Maybe he'd like roasting? My kids LOVE roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Just some Olive oil, salt and pepper. He just needs to experiment. I think that's a big blanket statement and probably an excuse not to eat more healthy. I can't imagine what a diet without them would look like. Good luck! He's lucky to have a caring wife!

^^^ exactly!

Once he decides to be serious about being more healthy he will learn to love veggies... right now my favorites are grilled zucchini or summer squash.

onevision

How about soups? I'm not a big fan of fruits or veggies, so I bought a soup maker and chuck all the green stuff in there. 30 minutes later I'm getting my 5 a day.

I also moved from porridge oats for breakfast to having a smoothie with oats, blueberries, banana and some protein powder. Best tasting breakfast ever.

floatylight

How about blending a load of veggies and making a soup, which you could add chicken too to make it a bit more meaty and manly. Call it Chicken Broth, but really it's Vegetable and Chicken Soup. Should be easy to make a hearty meal with very little fat / calories. I make this and add lentils too.


You could also use this blended veg to make sauces and gravy to add to meatier dinners, so he's still getting the goodnes, bulk and fibre etc from the veg but without the glaringly obvious veg on the plate.

FTIM2015

try cooking them in different ways. roast carrots are really tasty, and the tiny baby ones are really sweet. If you do mash potato use carrot and parsnip in it as they taste sweet. Butternut squash is tasty

Rompa_87

How about telling him to man up and either eat up or shut up?

He is old enough now to cook for himself if he doesn't like what you make.

hosegirl

My husband doesn't like veggies and he will eat some fruits. I put the veggies in a stir fry and he will eat them. You try some of the fruit and veggie drinks- V8, Fusion. Not sure how they taste but at least you will know he is getting some veggies. I can understand the texture thing. Our daughter wouldn't eat certain vegtables. Unitl we asked she said that they feel weird on her tongue. After checking with the pediatrician. He confirmed that the senses for everyone is different and she indeed maybe experiencing a problem with the textures. But for the most part she will eat veggies but just certains ones. have you tried fresh cucumbers, squash? My husband will eat those while in season. If that doesn't work a viatmin will help him get the nutrients his body needs if he ate the veggies.

CARNAT22

I agree with posters that say your hubby is an adult so he really should get a grip and at least try to find a few veggies / salad stuffs / fruit that he likes.

He can of course still lose weight without increasing the amount of veggies he eats but personally salad and veggies are the biggest part of my daily food intake these days so I'd be lost without them.

You could always try very thinly dicing things like peppers / courgettes and adding them to sauces.

Have you tried adding a little sweet & sour sauce to veggies [along with some pan-fried chicken] and serving with some noodles. He may find eating veggies easier if they are in some kind of sauce?

Try serving up a little side salad with dinner, again if is a meal with sauce he may find eating salad easier with a little sauce? Or you could try some low fat dressing?

My Mum pandered to us kids being fussy eaters when we were younger and it was a nightmare - for her!!

As I am the main chef at home the rule is if the OH does not like what is served he either cooks something different for himself or eats cereal for dinner!! Surprisingly he always eats what he is served :noway:

ajbeans

Haven't read the whole thing, so forgive me if I'm repeating.

I have gone from not being able to eat any raw veggies to now being able to eat and enjoy salad. I used to literally get sick when I bit into a raw veggie due to the texture. But now I'm eating lots of raw veggies, and loving them. I've done it by just continually trying. Have him try the veggies prepared in different ways. I found that I loved almost every vegetable roasted with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. I also started putting finely chopped carrots in celery (and sometimes onions) in everything I could think of: meatloaf, lasagna, casseroles, potato salad, or anything that could be mixed up to kind of "hide" those veggies. After a while, I looked for minimally-offensive veggies to put on my sandwiches like a couple of leaves of baby spinach. Then when I got used to that, I'd put on a few more. Then I added tomato slices. Then I tried shredded lettuce. If I found I couldn't stomach it one day, I'd just eat as much as I could and then pick them off, and try again the next time. And now, like I said, I'm eating salads almost every day. There are rules -- I have to have something dry and crunchy like sliced almonds or crispy onions, because I still have texture issues with just the leaves, and if I have chicken or tuna in the salad it's better. But I'm eating them, and that's the important part.

But at the end of the day, HE has to want it. You can give him suggestions and help him, but if he doesn't want to learn to like fruits and veggies, he won't be open to it.

leix

i use to say id never eat, touch fruit, vegetables, water the lot now i lvoe most of them.
My otherhalf isn veg eater but has no option at times, ive made him some veg curries that said enjoy.

cherrycake26

I think disguise is your best option, I grate veg into a spag bol, love to cook it long and slow, makes fab sauce with minimal meat content, low low low on cals. Served with baked potato can be a man meal. Agree with others soups are good too. Roasted mediterranean veg roasted with a spray of oil is good in soup, flavour really full. have used same soupy mixture to casserole chicken in, served with basmati and wild rice was yummy.

Good luck in your efforts with him x

Countrymade

You could try making soup and adding to sauces but how about a smoothie.
The magic bullet has some recipes that you can put fruits and veggies in there and
can't taste the veggies. Good Luck.

KimmyEB

Look for recipes that disguise them. I have started putting Zuccini in my spaghetti sauce, suddenly, my husband realizes he likes zuccini. Next I'm trying to see how he likes mashed cauliflower....I also have found that if I steam the crap out of them then he goes for it, but each time I cook them a little less. I know steaming them takes the nutrients out, but if you then throw the water into a pot for rice, you get the nutrients back because it goes into the rice.

I honestly never thought of re-using the water from steamed veggies for rice!! That's an awesome idea...I'm gonna try that next time I make veggies and rice.

I agree with everyone who basically said "man up or shut up." Your husband is an adult...if he doesn't like what you cook and eat, then let him know that he's more than welcome to cook or go out and get his own food. There is absolutely NO reason whatsoever that you can't stick to whatever regimen you've started for yourself, all because someone else doesn't like it. Once he knows this (he knows it now, but it apparently hasn't sunken in yet ), I predict that your eating habits will wear off on him, and he'll even want to try new foods with you. That's what happened with my boyfriend...he hated morningstar farms veggie products, which I started eating about a month ago, and now he loves the "veggie corndogs" and even eats the "veggie chicken sandwiches" with me. When we first moved in together, he flat-out said "I hate vegetables, and I won't eat them." Now he's bringing veggies home with him from work, and we eat them all the time. I wish you the best of luck!!

sarahnicolexoxo

Your husband and mine should hang out!!! LOL. My husband is a very picky eater. He likes potatos of ANY kind, corn, fried zuchinni, raw spinach and broccoli if it's covered in cheese or buttered. As for fruit, he likes apples and grapes...that's pretty much it. He hates the texture of a lot of things. He was also a soda freak but, I got him out of that for the most part. You really have to disguise it or put it into something else so he doesn't notice it. I have been wanting to try mashed cauliflower.

emariec78

My dad hates fruit and has refused to eat it his whole life but was ordered on a diet by his doctor about a month ago. My stepmom told me she's had success getting him to eat fruit by adding to things he already likes, in small portions of course so its not overpowering. What he told me he didn't like about it was certain textures so for him its been about finding things that don't offend him that way, not the tastes. Basically he only likes fruits without seeds in them that have a relatively smooth texture. If you can figure out what it is that your husband really doesn't like about fruits and veggies you can probably find some good healthy foods that he will eat.

ColoradoRobin

Try baked sweet potatoes, or sweet potato fries. They are yummy and full of vitamins, and most people like the taste. I use an Alton Brown meatloaf recipe that is delicious and has pureed vegetables (peppers, onions, carrots) in it. You could add mushrooms as well, just puree them.

I find it hard to believe that there is nothing in the entire spectrum of fruits and vegetables that tastes good to him. It's mostly an attitude thing. So hide veggies in other things like you would for a fussy kid, or talk to him about your concerns for his health. He will either decide he wants to do it, or not. You can't make him give foods an honest try if he has already decided that all healthy food tastes bad.

VeggieMamaChristi

I use my food processor and shred up carrots, celery, onion, squash, zucchini, cabbage and whatever odd and end veggies we have around. I then toss this shred into EVERYTHING. A cup or two into any soup, chili, meatloaf (granted ours is made from soy), spaghetti sauce. I have found that the texture issue doesn't come into play when everything is shredded because shreds are too small to encounter the texture.

Spinach (frozen) is the only veggie I haven't been able to disguise much but that is due to the flavor not the texture. I have found that fresh spinach doesn't have the same flavor and can easily be added to soups, chilis and other foods.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

there's a book, I can't remember what it's called off the bat but do a little more research on it, it's basically about how to trick your kids into eating veggies buy hiding them so that you can't see them in the recipes. As far as fruit, I find that as long as you cut it people are more likely to eat it. If you pre cut put a little lemon on it to keep it from browning, or you can pick up an acid preserve to sprinkle on (in with the spices).

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I have found that fresh spinach doesn't have the same flavor and can easily be added to soups, chilis and other foods.

I do this, we go through tons of fresh spinach. I don't like it raw, but I throw a little into everything I make, it wilts down very nicely.