I don't like veggies so how do I eat healthy?

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  • Treesy72
    Treesy72 Posts: 230
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    I guess you just have to decide what you want, really. If you want to progress, choose to enjoy vegetables. Start out with some cooked things, maybe beans, carrots, pumpkin....then you need to progress to salad.

    absolutely none of the foods you listed are in my house...except chicken...and mine is skinless boneless chicken breast, usually poached to make sure I get all the fat out of it...

    my biggest suggestion is to get rid of the rubbish food and start looking at what you will gain, not what you have to give up...

    your choice, sweet....good luck!



    ^^^^^ This ALL the way :-) Good Luck!
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
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    It will take 2-4 months for your tastebuds and body to fully adapt to liking/preferring the taste of veggies. You're body will adapt - but it will take some time. Stick with it. You'll be surprised in 4 months how a red pepper tastes like candy. Or a fresh tomato. Organic tastes better pretty much always.

    Go paleo. Strive to work your way to eating 100g of carbs, no more and watch the pounds melt away. (As long as you kick the wheat!)

    We enjoy all the butter, grass-fed beef, and nitrate-free bacon we can stuff ourselves with. As long as you're 100g carbs or less you can drench those veggies in KerryGold butter.

    Buy a blood glucose monitor and start testing. By making a game of trying to get your blood sugar down (from the carbs) you'll distract your brain with the desire (and dopamine) of trying to achieve something other than just weight loss which can be slow and unrewarding.

    Gaming your food for immediate results on your blood sugar is more rewarding and gets you to the same goal with more dopamine hits along the way. And the bottom line is that while you may wish to slim down for looks, it's making sure you're not headed towards diabetes that really matters. A few extra pounds may hurt your ego, but diabetes will kill you (slowly) and cost you lots of $$$$.
    Yeesh.
    100g of carbs? Maybe it's just because I'm a distance runner, but that seems absurdly low for somebody who is not doing pre-contest prep.
    And when did she ever mention anything about her blood sugar or being pre-diabetic? If she has normal blood sugar, which she totally could have, despite the fact that she's eating carbs (since, after all, carbs actually are not the root of all evil and generally will not single-handedly destroy your body), telling her to lower her blood sugar is actually horrible advice.

    OP, I say try to find new veggies or new ways to prepare them that make them more tolerable to you. I agree with those who say to stick with it for a couple months and see how it is after then. However, I also feel that you should (at least until you find some things you like), just get over it and force yourself to eat some veggies. While they're not entirely necessary in a healthy diet, veggies can provide you with nutrients that it's harder to get elsewhere, and they can fill you up a lot easier than your packaged mac and cheese.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Bad vegetables? What do you mean?
    First, stop telling yourself you don't like vegetables. (If you haven't already read it, read Dr. Seuses' Green Eggs and Ham.)
    You already eat some vegetables. Corn, rice, etc. Yes, they are the starchier ones, but they still count.
    As others have suggested, different preparations may be more to your liking. You can also "sneak" in many vegetables. Do you like tomato sauce? How about chunky tomato sauce? Add mushrooms, onions, zucchini, artichokes, cooked carrots. Do you like omelets? You can add vegetables. Check out frittadas. Also, if you like spaghetti, try using spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Put lettuce, tomato and/or spinach on burgers and sandwiches. Mac & cheese can be really good and more filling with some added vegetables mixed in -- depending on what you like, try red peppers, spinach, zucchini and/or carrots.
    For the vegetables you try, check out different combinations. Spices can be good. Instead of a heavy or starchy gravy, try a lighter broth on your rice. You probably don't want to eat too much cheese, but some parmesian sprinkled on top can be good.
    If you like hamburgers or meatloaf, use vegetables instead of egg or bread to make it moist. Cooked carrots and onions are great. Some people like mushrooms.
    I don't like what some people call salad, but if you add enough good stuff to it, it's great. Not just lettuce... in fact, unless you like it, leave iceberg lettuce out entirely... ick! Try mixed greens or baby spinach. They have more flavor. Try a variety of vegetables: radishes, cold peas, corn, hearts of palm, beets. I like adding baby corn, olives, artichoke hearts, pimentos,. Other additions to use more sparingly: eggs, sliced meat, cheese, croutons, marinated dried tomatoes, pesto.
    Do you like coleslaw?
    If you like spicy food, try kim chee.
    Take a look at vegetarian meal suggestions. It greatly expands your choices and horizons, if you stop thinking of meat as the center of every meal.
    Good luck and enjoy finding new foods you can enjoy!
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
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    Hello all. Everywhere I read, to eat healthy it talks about eating veggies, salads, etc. I don't like the majority of vegetables and the ones I do are not considered good veggies. I don't like salads either. So, how is it possible for me to find a healthy eating habit with that said? I don't want to force myself to eat something that I don't like because I know I won't stick to it. Please help.

    Here are a list of foods mostly eaten in my house: Hamburger meat, pork chops, chicken, mac-n-cheese, rice/gravy, corn, sweet peas, various boxed items, spaghetti, hot dogs.

    I'm really trying to make a lifestyle change and I've gotten my exercising down but I know my eating habits are keeping me from progressing more.

    Any help, tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated!


    You could throw some extra veggies into your spaghetti sauce, thats an easy way to them in. If you don't like "chunky" sauce, then cook and blend it so its smooth and chunkless, and you won't even know that they are in there.

    But honestly, keep tyring. Don't just say "I hate them all". There are lots of veggies out there, and lots of ways to prepare/eat them.

    You can steam them, eat them raw, make veggie burgers,, roast them (so yummy), have them with dip, make smoothies, eat them in soup...lots of options.

    6 months ago I wouldn't have put a veggie in my mouth willingly, unless it was a raw carrot stick. But I kept trying, and I made myself try them in different ways, and tastes do change. It just takes awhile sometimes. I will eat more veggies in more ways now then I would have in the past, but I did have to force myself to try them the first few times.
  • sharpeoplepc
    sharpeoplepc Posts: 84 Member
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    Maybe try the veggies cooked differently?

    I HATED Brussels Sprouts with a passion....now I love them as long as they are roasted, Not steamed or boiled...only roasted, Even the kids in my family eat the sprouts when I make them :) And they hate veggies like you seem to as well.

    This! I don't like brussels sprouts unless they have gravy on them!
  • Cocochickdeleted
    Cocochickdeleted Posts: 343 Member
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    Honestly, veggies are an acquired taste for many people. I used to avoid them like the plague, but now, I'm a vegetarian, and I actually crave veggies I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole a year ago. My recommendation would be to choose a vegetable (or two) and start preparing them in ways that may not be the healthiest, but that are palatable. For example, my mom used to bread and fry zucchini, and I'd eat it with ketchup to cover the taste. Now, I can eat them sauteed with tomatoes and onions and appreciate the taste. Your body really will thank you. Good luck!
  • jaclyndanette
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    I'm not a huge veggie eater either, but luckily I can eat lettuce, cucumbers, and green beans. However, my mother in law purees veggies and hides them into sauces or foods whenever I'm over. I can't taste the difference at all. I also was drinking V8 fusion for awhile - one glass has a serving of fruits and veggies. You can also try veggies with cheese or oil, like many people have suggested. I still don't love many veggies, but I try really hard to incorporate them into my daily life - usually by having 2-3 fruits and 2 veggies a day.
  • gbers
    gbers Posts: 54 Member
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    I have been eating a lot of soy products and vegetarian quick microwave entrees.
    They are made to taste like the real thing and are pretty close.
    Calorie-wise, you save a BUNDLE and can eat more during the day while still losing weight.
  • maspicantexfa
    maspicantexfa Posts: 73 Member
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    I don't like plain salad either, but with a light rasperry vinaigrette (watch the portion) or tomato salsa, it's tolerable.

    Also I thought I hated yellow squash and zucchini until the other day when I sliced them, tossed them in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grilled them 5 minutes on each side. Oh. My. God. It brought out the sweetness in the vegetables and I couldn't get enough! I had to weigh the portions and make sure I had no more than the amount I had allowed for the meal.

    If you just can't get past it, puree it and put it in spaghetti sauce. Jerry Seinfeld's wife has a cookbook with recipes on how to sneak vegetables into foods so kids will eat them.
  • MeganMac17
    MeganMac17 Posts: 90 Member
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    We had a cooking demo at work a few months ago, and the concept of the demo was sneaking veggies into your foods. I've never looked at Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious", but the chef at the class kept referencing it. I'm sure there are similar cookbooks out there as well. Best of luck to you in your journey to better health!

    http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/006176793X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344178073&sr=1-1&keywords=deceptively+delicious
  • lilgemforgets
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    I am just like you, i am fussy on veg. I do however eat quite alot of fruit, love sweet things like strawberries and raspberries. I also eat lots of melon. I like beansprouts too so often just have stirfried veg (beansprout, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms) with a little sauce and chicken.
  • Dlhigh
    Dlhigh Posts: 72 Member
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    I am not sure what your current diet consists of. I do know however, that when I started this journey, I had eaten my calories and was still "starving". I had to take a really good look at the kinds of things that I was putting in my body. That taught me to start making better food choices. As I weened out the "not good for you food", my body began "craving" the healthier choices. I felt better and had more energy and found that the "bad foods" left me with a "hungover" kind of feeling and some regret. Over time I think that you will find some creative way to add vegetables to your diet. You can start by grating some carrots, squash and other similar veggies and adding them to some of the things that you enjoy now. Be patient! Rome wasn't built in a day! :flowerforyou:
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Jessica Seinfeld wrote a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious that incorporates veggies into otherwise unhealthy foods (like brownies or mac-n-cheese). The idea is to get kids to eat more fruit and veg, but I bought it because my husband is like you, he hates all veggies (except broccoli).

    The only thing I don't like about the recipes is that they use a lot of butter-like substitutes and/or skim milk. I just use the real thing. I don't trust a chemist to make my food for me, I prefer mother nature.

    http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348
  • emzmc
    emzmc Posts: 85 Member
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    Same as you, hate veggies, hate salad ick! I am the worlds pickiest eater, since birth!
    I cant have a plain salad, its so boring and tastes like crap! I usually have a salad sandwhich, the bread masks the flavour. I use dressings, sauces, cheese ect.. I also hide my veggies in pasta sauces, omlettes, fried rices, juices, savoury bakes and in homemade pita pizzas.

    You just need to figure out what veggies you love and ones you hate.. then build a base around them and what you can make. Make sure you have a good multivitamin to suffice yourself as well.

    This.
  • movn4ward
    movn4ward Posts: 69 Member
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    Try making sauces out of veggies (blended soups too).
    As someone else suggested, try smoothies. You can chug and be done with if necessary.
    Whip them in potatoes.
    Experiment with different preparation methods.
    Have you tried to eat "cooked" vegetables raw, like broccoli, snow/sugar snap peas, spinach, etc?
    Chop/shred them up super small and put them in pasta, rice or other whole grain products.

    All methods I use to "trick" my family into eating vegetables so I don't have to hear whining. :)
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    We had a cooking demo at work a few months ago, and the concept of the demo was sneaking veggies into your foods. I've never looked at Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious", but the chef at the class kept referencing it. I'm sure there are similar cookbooks out there as well. Best of luck to you in your journey to better health!

    http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/006176793X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344178073&sr=1-1&keywords=deceptively+delicious

    Haha! I guess other veggie haters are using her book too!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I don't *like* shaving my legs. I like the results of it, though.

    I'm never going to say, "YUM! Broccoli!" but I'm going to have some now and then because I know it's good for me.
  • photojunkie28
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    I don't like ALL veges myself, but since starting my lifechange have certainly increased the number of them that I do.

    A vege will never be a cheeseburger and you have to live with that.

    Here is my advice: It takes about 30 days to change your tastebuds so you CAN learn to like or at the very least tollerate a few more healthy things. Experiment, have you tried some less common healthy foods and prepared them in different ways with different spices? Like spaghetti squash (my personal fav) It can make a world of difference if you put in the work. Start small with a stirfy of the couple veges you do like and add another one in with a protein and sauce of choice. It is work but u can do it!
  • AmandaInGA
    AmandaInGA Posts: 122 Member
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    Hello all. Everywhere I read, to eat healthy it talks about eating veggies, salads, etc. I don't like the majority of vegetables and the ones I do are not considered good veggies. I don't like salads either. So, how is it possible for me to find a healthy eating habit with that said? I don't want to force myself to eat something that I don't like because I know I won't stick to it. Please help.

    Here are a list of foods mostly eaten in my house: Hamburger meat, pork chops, chicken, mac-n-cheese, rice/gravy, corn, sweet peas, various boxed items, spaghetti, hot dogs.

    I'm really trying to make a lifestyle change and I've gotten my exercising down but I know my eating habits are keeping me from progressing more.

    Any help, tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated!

    one thing you can try is getting the chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce and putting it in the blender or using a stick blender to make it smooth. that way you are still having veggies, but you really don't have to see them. and then as time goes on, don't blend them as much so you will get used to eating them.
  • lsegatti
    lsegatti Posts: 77 Member
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    Think about some other textures and types of foods and set up a system that you will try one per week. Things like black olives, add a few mushrooms to your pasta dishes, celery and raw carrots with hummus or low fat dip. Work you way up to using peppers and fresh tomato into some dishes. Change is hard so take it slow but I think you are wise to try and move your foods more towards fresh~