Eating vegetables necessary?

Kawaii618

I'm having a hard time including vegetables in my daily diet. I try to force myself to eat it but I just can't, and the veggies I do enjoy are the fattening ones like potatoes and corn. Any advice, anything I can try to make veggies taste good. TIA

ummlovelovesyou

I'm not a big veggie person either. Spices are good.

I like broccoli with a little bit of shredded cheese and salt on top.
You can try asparagus satueed with butter and garlic.

Or you can make a vegetable stir fry with some kind of asian sauce tossed in.

How about dipping things? Carrots in ranch? Celery in PB? I know some things accompanied by the veggies are fatty, but I'm like you and can't just eat veggies by themselves EVERYDAY.

Goal_Seeker_1988

Veggies are so good for you. I don't eat as much as I should

I do however, like them juiced or frozen and steamed in the microwave. I just don't eat them as often as I should.

I don't know how important they are in diet but I am sure they play a roll.

amandavictoria80

VEGGIES ARE VERY IMPORTANT!!!! They are responsible for most of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs.

The best thing to happen to me and vegetables is Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce! It has practically nothing in it.
I had a really hard time eating veggies too as I am also one that preferred corn and potatoes. By the way, corn and potatoes are both good for you! But I know that you are referring to the greens.

I make a stir fry using the Buffalo Wing Sauce with chicken, broccoli and corn and it is AWESOME! I actually LOVE broccoli now.

A veggie I would also suggest trying are sugar snap peas. Very sweet and yummy either raw or cooked. Also, do you like coleslaw? I make coleslaw just using calorie wise ranch salad dressing. It is packed with nutrients.

If you still find it too hard, what about V8 juice? You could at least chug a few of those a day. I would recommend real veggies but if you can't, at least it's something. V8 has a low sodium now.

dogsetmoi

I'm a vegetarian, so I LOVE veggies, but I didn't always. I used to hate anything green! Something that helped me was trying lots of different kinds, and preparing them in yummy ways. Steamed veggies aren't nearly as appetizing as crunchy browned roasted ones! Things like cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, etc, all take very well to roasting. Preheat oven to 400-425d (F), cut up veggies, toss in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put on a baking sheet. I use non stick pan liners or parchment paper sometimes, too. Roast until browned, tossing occasionally with tongs or a spatula to get good, even browning. The time will vary.

I love skinny asparagus this way, tossed in olive oil, a bit of sesame oil, and soy sauce, then sprinkled with sesame seeds...they get super crispy and delicious. They only take a few minutes to roast, too--so watch carefully.

Also, green smoothies are a great way to boost intake, and you can mask the flavors. I've only just started making these, and they're great...I can get a days worth of veggies in a few glasses of smoothie. Google for recipes.

dogsetmoi

Oh and I second Amandavictoria--sugar snap peas rock! I eat them fresh steamed and dipped in thai peanut sauce on a regular basis. Delicious!

sunnykt

I guess it's just a matter of getting use to them. Since they are probably the most vital part of anyone's diet. Nutritionists disagree about everything apart from veggies being super awesome- low carb, low calories and high in vitamins and other awesome stuff. What's not to love? The taste you just need to get used to, and that starts with banishing your fear, embracing proper cooking and embracing spices.

Sneak veggies into your normal meals- spagetti bowl with heaps of veggies, or veggies as pasta, or adding grated zucchini to your omelette with garlic and chili (spices and flavouring is the key when it comes to veggies) or adding grated vegetables (even) to your cakes. Treat yourself the way you would treat a five year old child who refuses to eat their veggies- Google 'how to sneak vegetable into child/ children's meal' or 'secret vegetables kids' or something along those lines...

Good luck! I veggies.

IvoryParchment

Asian stir fry (in a nonstick wok, without all the fat) and Indian masalas (curries) are great. Get a recipe book that shows you how to use authentic ingredients instead of "curry powder," which is nothing like what real curries taste like.

Japanese restaurant salad dressing is low fat and delicious:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/402918-japanese-carrot-ginger-salad-dressing

IvoryParchment

Oh, and don't forget that tomato sauce for pasta is a vegetable, too. I've never tried spaghetti squash, but some people substitute that for some or all of the pasta, making it very low cal.

missxchelly

Veggies are good for helping you stay fuller longer, too (=

Missjulesdid

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt, pepper and garlic powder to a plastic bag and shake your veggies in it and then roast in a very hot oven.

Make some homemade chili and then about a half an hour before it's done, add some green beans, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Seriously, the veggies just taste like chili. Also chili has a lot of tomatoes in it which though botanically speaking are a berry, nutritionally speaking they're a vegetable.

Raw veggies and dip in hummus or cottage cheese. If you can't handle straight cottage cheese, you can mix in a bit of powdered ranch mix.

babaganoush spread on a pita or lavish bread then add some left over roasted vegetables and two fried falafel

Soups are a great way to get a lot of vegetables. onions, leeks, greens (like chard, kale and spinach), carrots and cabbage all taste fabulous in soup.

One thing to remember about vegetables is just like fattening things really add up without noticing, vegetables can really add up too. A tomato slice here, and some onions there etc over the course of a day can add up to one whole serving of vegetable. You don't have to sit down to a huge plate of broccoli in order to get your vegetables in.

madisonsteelex

I'm having a hard time including vegetables in my daily diet. I try to force myself to eat it but I just can't, and the veggies I do enjoy are the fattening ones like potatoes and corn. Any advice, anything I can try to make veggies taste good. TIA

I sautee most of my veggies with garlic

yum yum yum!

HMonsterX

It depends on what your goal is.

If your goal is just to get healthier, then no, they aren't "necessary". Just make sure you take vitamin/mineral supplements. However, if you want to get 100% healthy, then yes, they are.

I don't eat, and never have ate, vegetables, other than potatoes, and I've never been fitter or healthier.

amandavictoria80

Thanks. Totally going to look up recipes for veggie smoothies. I make smoothies everyday so it would be very beneficial for me.

Kawaii618

Thanks! I will try these and especially the smoothies. I just want to add vegetables as part of changing my bad eating habits and get those vitamins and minerals in. I like adding spinach to my fruit smoothies and love how the fruits mask the taste.