Huge Problem With Veggies Lately!

theletup

So, I've always had a pretty tough time doing greens ever since I was a little kit (probably one of the factors for my poor health I'm sure). I literally couldn't even eat broccoli or leafy greens at all without gagging. So I started out by getting spinach/spring mix salad and trying light ranch to build up some sort of tolerance to the taste. Got to the point that I kicked the ranch and had been eating broccoli and leafy green salads regularly.

Well about a week ago I made a green smoothie (actually did for a few days and although I didn't "enjoy" it, it was tolerable and a great way to start the day). So I usually work out about an hour after breakfast and last monday I pushed it so hard that I threw up after my workout. Green smoothie and all out the nose. CANNOT stomach greens now!! I back to only being able to hand bell peppers & onions (which I love and eat every day). I know that I need some green in my life though. Maybe TMI but since I haven't been able to eat greens anymore with my 50/30/20 diet my digestion is completely irregular and my normally linear weight loss has stalled.

Does anyone have any ideas or alternatives. I was thinking of trying the green smoothies again. How much greens is enough for one day. Could I cram them all into one meal and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day?

NaomiJFoster

The green-smoothie thing has always sounded gag-inducing to me, ha ha. I don't blame you for losing it. Though I know it's really a very healthy way to get veggies.

What about non-green veggies? Tomatoes? Carrots? Cauliflower? Yellow, red, orange peppers? The more colors in your daily food, the more vitamins you get.

I've recently been putting raw baby spinach leaves on turkey or roast beef sandwiches. It adds a lot of crunch and freshness, but the flavor doesn't overpower anything.

My dinner tonight was raw carrots, celery, cherry-tomatoes, and chicken slices dipped in hummus. It was yummy. Peppers of all colors are reallly good in hummus too.

Or spaghetti sauce. You can puree lots of different veggies and add it to spaghetti sauce and it will be barely detectable.

My digestive tract is pretty sensitive too. I've become obsessive about fiber. For the fiber aspect of veggies, you should try to spread it out. And it doesn't have to all come from veggies. Fruits and whole grains are also very high in fiber. You should aim for a minimum of 20 grams of fiber a day. Personally, I like to aim for between 25 and 30, it just works better for me, if you know what I mean.

Google search "My Plate". It's the new diagram that has replaced the Food Pyramid. That should give you a good picture of how your ratios of veggies, fruits, grains, proteins, and dairy should be each day.

billsica

I hate to say it, but your just going to have to suck it up and learn to embrace veggies.

I wish I had a way to get you used to veggies except for just stuffing them slowly into your mouth till you learn to love them.

poor example, but I loved coffee with tons of cream and sugar. I kicked the cream slowly, then kicked the sugar. Now i mostly drink it black. It took a long time.

Maybe take an hour and go to a decent grocery (like Wegmans if you have one). Go though all the produce and pick up some of each stuff, try it out, maybe SOMETHING won't be so bad.

nearptr

Many vegetables, notably broccoli, take on a profoundly different character when cooked. I microwave about 3/4 pound of broccoli in the microwave until tender, in its own moisture, about 8.5 minutes in a loosely covered bowl. It's delicious. I don't much care for it raw...

Brussels sprouts may very well be my favorite food; I would never eat them raw, that's just foul...

nc805397

I tried brussel sprouts for the first time today. I expected to absolutely hate them but they were actually not that bad.

phyllisbobbitt

:flowerforyou: WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS Take organic carrots, brussell sprouts, red beets, apples & kale. juice it up & the sweetness of the carrots & apples covers up the taste of the rest but you have all your vitamins in one glass & it is actually very good! try it & let me know how it is!

jofjltncb6

I tried brussel sprouts for the first time today. I expected to absolutely hate them but they were actually not that bad.

Halved and sauteed in a little bacon grease and seasoned with thyme and they are absolutely delicious.

JustPeachy044

Good recommendations here. Also, don't do any veggies before you work out. Have them AFTER. i used to do fruit and veggie smoothie before I worked out and urped horribly. Now I just do a banana and/or a straight up protein drink before the workout and have a fruit/yogurt/spinach smoothie about 30 minutes after. Mix a handful of raw spinach with some frozen berries, greek yogurt, and skim/almond/coconut/other milk of choice. Add more protein with protein powder if you like. Sip at your leisure.

theletup

Good recommendations here. Also, don't do any veggies before you work out. Have them AFTER. i used to do fruit and veggie smoothie before I worked out and urped horribly. Now I just do a banana and/or a straight up protein drink before the workout and have a fruit/yogurt/spinach smoothie about 30 minutes after. Mix a handful of raw spinach with some frozen berries, greek yogurt, and skim/almond/coconut/other milk of choice. Add more protein with protein powder if you like. Sip at your leisure.

Definitely learned this the hard way ha ha. I already have a pretty weak stomach and P90X chest and back always make me a little queezy afterward. Just couldn't hold it down that day.

I REALLY appreciate everyone's help here. I guess my first post kind of made it sound like I wanted to try and avoid veggies but that's not what I meant. I'm doing my 100% best to eat the perfect daily nutrition and know that I'm definitely going to have to suck it up and learn to love them. I think maybe I just don't know how to properly prepare and pick the right veggies.

So what's everyone's favorite vegetables and how do you prepare them?

NaomiJFoster

I'm picky. Some veggies can only be raw (carrots, tomatoes, peppers, spinach). Some can only be cooked (broccoli, cauliflower). Some can go either way (green beans, peas).

When I cook veggies, I just steam them in the microwave. I usually get bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, green bean, and peas. Pour some in a bowl, frozen. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave to 2 more minutes. Salt and pepper on top. I'm simple.

Raw veggies, I just eat as is, put them in a salad, or use as scoops for hummus.

Tomato goes on sandwiches, and the rest of the tomato gets chowed raw as a side dish.

Tomatoes are my absolute favorite thing in the world. Steamed broccoli is second. Raw sugar snap peas. Steamed cauliflower. Steamed green beans with slivered almonds.

eylia

I've been raised by a vegetarian, so I never really realised they were something I COULD dislike. My dad however is a meat eater through and through but he always hides/enjoys vegetables in a Bolognese style sauce. Try sautéing some onion with beef mince, adding some diced zucchini, carrot and broccoli pieces once its browned a little. My family's method is to then add a can of tomato soup, but that's just us-tomato paste, diced tomatoes, crushed, whatever floats your boat. Sprinkle in some cayenne pepper for a bit of heat, let it simmer for a bit. It's comfort food nice with pasta or even rice, so I wouldn't say every night, but the way I make it, it's about 3/4 vegetables and only 1/4 meat (which is mostly to add flavour).

But perhaps you'll find it easier to eat them if they're part of the dish rather than a 'side' to your usual things. Casseroles, stirfries, curries...things that mean they're cooked until soft and blend in with sauces and meat and such. Once you find a few ways you enjoy them, you can add more and try your favourites in different dishes and ways.

kcoftx

This reminds me of a time this recent year when my middle school kid (boy) had a hankering for a specific dish but he asked a little bit too late. I was preparing spaghetti bake. They absolutely love this dish but that particular day, someone mentioned another dish and he uncharacteristically asked for it. I told him I would be glad to make that for the next night but today I've already started making spaghetti. He looked around the kitchen. There was not a noodle in sight or even a pot of tomato based sauce. He pointed out the obvious that I have not started cooking spaghetti. I pointed to the big pile of veggies I just cut up and said what do you think this is for. Until that moment they had no clue that I add the following to their spaghetti:

Eggplant
Squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Onion
Olives
Mushrooms

All of it is diced in small pieces. I cook it with olive oil and add it to my sauce.

(Spaghetti Bake is a dish that alternates layers of cooked noodles, sauce (mine contains cooked meat), and mozerella cheese placed in the oven at 350 until the cheese is firm and melted).

I've learned to hide veggies.

Another suggestion is to join veggie challenges here and to challenge yourself to one new veggie per week. Cook it in multiple ways. Sometimes I find they my resistance has more to do with not really knowing how to prepare them well.

AZKristi

If you don't like green smoothies, why not just eat the veggies whole as you described? You've already learned to get these down without adding Ranch and without gagging. Making these things into a smoothie doesn't add any nutrients or make the whole veggies any healthier than they already are.

Broccoli has been my favorite veggie since I was about three and I LOVE spinach salads. That being said, I don't think I could choke down a smoothie based on either vegetable. Texture is very important to me. When i eat broccoli, I expect that texture. When I eat spinach, I expect a different texture. When I drink something with the texture of a smoothie, I expect a fruity flavor. If I got a hint of broccoli in there I'd probably blow chunks too. That doesn't mean I don't love broccoli - it just means that context matters.

hattie491145

Soup

theletup

If you don't like green smoothies, why not just eat the veggies whole as you described? You've already learned to get these down without adding Ranch and without gagging. Making these things into a smoothie doesn't add any nutrients or make the whole veggies any healthier than they already are.

Broccoli has been my favorite veggie since I was about three and I LOVE spinach salads. That being said, I don't think I could choke down a smoothie based on either vegetable. Texture is very important to me. When i eat broccoli, I expect that texture. When I eat spinach, I expect a different texture. When I drink something with the texture of a smoothie, I expect a fruity flavor. If I got a hint of broccoli in there I'd probably blow chunks too. That doesn't mean I don't love broccoli - it just means that context matters.

It was actually easier for me to drink the greens than to physically chew them up into tiny pieces. I mixed in kale, spinach, and spring mix salad with 1/2 granny smith apple and 1/2 an orange. Actually wasn't too bad at all. I usually feel like gagging during the LONG chewing process of greens ha ha.. I can't keep them in my mouth long enough to chew them. It's not that I thought blending them up would somehow change their chemistry. I threw up because I worked out to the point to where I literally couldn't have kept any kind of food down. As a result of throwing up it's all I can think about every time I look at green veggies now.

I'm trying to learn how to sustain this as my lifestyle. I don't see myself drinking a green smoothie with every meal for the rest of my life ha ha. So I need to learn how to enjoy veggies.

Thanks for the support!

JustPeachy044

As I think I already stated, I love veggies. I have learned that how you eat them is a matter of personal preference. Me, personally, I gag if veggies are cooked soft. Asparagus, in my opinion, is downright disgusting if soft and mushy, and it makes me gag. But fresh or lightly steamed, I can't get enough. You may have to experiment with different veggies to find which ones you like and the way you like them best.

The poster that said she "hides" veggies, good idea. I will grate carrots and put them in hamburger patties or chili. Spinach is great layered into a lasagna. You can dice things up very small and put them in lots of casseroles and soups!

I have two favorite ways to eat veggies. One is stir fried with some olive oil...broccoli, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, green beans, etc. Just can't get enough. My other favorite is broiled, again with some olive oil. I cut up the veggies noted above, or just do green beans, garlic, and onion cleaned up and tossed with olive oil. Stick under the broiler and stir every 5-10 minutes so they don't burn.

Have you tried kale chips? Allrecipes.com has some good recipes. This makes kale crunchy and differently delicious, almost like eating a potato chip.

Kudos to you for making a commitment to eating healthy and looking for ways to like vegetables!

Tedebearduff

So, I've always had a pretty tough time doing greens ever since I was a little kit (probably one of the factors for my poor health I'm sure). I literally couldn't even eat broccoli or leafy greens at all without gagging. So I started out by getting spinach/spring mix salad and trying light ranch to build up some sort of tolerance to the taste. Got to the point that I kicked the ranch and had been eating broccoli and leafy green salads regularly.

Well about a week ago I made a green smoothie (actually did for a few days and although I didn't "enjoy" it, it was tolerable and a great way to start the day). So I usually work out about an hour after breakfast and last monday I pushed it so hard that I threw up after my workout. Green smoothie and all out the nose. CANNOT stomach greens now!! I back to only being able to hand bell peppers & onions (which I love and eat every day). I know that I need some green in my life though. Maybe TMI but since I haven't been able to eat greens anymore with my 50/30/20 diet my digestion is completely irregular and my normally linear weight loss has stalled.

Does anyone have any ideas or alternatives. I was thinking of trying the green smoothies again. How much greens is enough for one day. Could I cram them all into one meal and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day?

There is a supplament called Greens + try it out it doesn't taste amazing but if you are worried about getting your greens in and trying to do it in smoothie form this would work great for you.

Keto_T

I love veggies but trying to eat them without a lot of fat (bacon grease, country ham, etc) is hard for me. I still saute' them in bacon grease, i just account for it now. I also use olive oil. If we're making a taco soup or chili then I throw veggies into it to 1) get more veggies in and 2) to lower the calorie count and 3) to stretch it a little further.

mcmcmcshane

A lot of people are at different "stages" in their weight loss missions, so here are a few things that worked for me as I went:
--When I first started, I had no idea how to cook healthy food so I'd get Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice/Smart Ones/etc.. a lot of those are high in preservatives but the sauces on the veggies make them taste pretty decent.
--Later, I stopped eating pre-packaged veggies with sauce & switched to things like Steamers where, to my knowledge, it's just a bag of frozen veggies. I would still melt some cheese on broccoli or add some lite soy sauce to a cauliflower/broccoli mix or an Asian Medley.
--I still love lite soy sauce over freshly steamed veggies or Lite Raspberry & Walnut (or Cranberry Walnut - I think it's made by Newman's Own) salad dressing over a bed of lettuce. I am trying to made my salads with half iceberg lettuce/half spinach but I am still stretching to replace my regular lettuce w/spinach
--A few people I work with say they throw spinach in the blender when they make their morning shakes. I'm considering this as they say that while spinach dyes everything green, once blended, you can't taste it. Maybe that's the route to go!

Either way, good luck!

2hobbit1

If you want to try a veggie smoothie in the morning try using canned pumpkin as the veg instead of greens. I make a morning hot beverage - I use ginger breakfast tea - plus some fiber one cereal, some Libby's pure pumpkin, a scoop of banana protein powder plus pumpkin pie spice. and buzz in the blender. Sometimes I add a pinch of cayenne pepper - Tastes like hot pumpkin pie and will have around 20gm protein plus 20gm fiber dopending on how much "solids" you add.

As for other ways to cook veggies - toss any chunked vegg with italian dressing - sprinkle on Mccormicks tuscan or sicilian spice blend and roasts in the oven till fork tender - I use what ever is in season - so you can mix it up - carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, pumpkin, etc in the fall/winter. i finish with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese for the last 5-10 minutes.
summer veggies don't take as long to cook peppers of all colors, eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes asparagus etc are all treated this way - they can be served hot or cold and go well in pasta salads, soups etc.

If you want to try roasted broccoli, cauliflower or Brussel sprouts try par-cooking them first and then using broiler to brown them - they do not get bitter if the broiler time is short - less than 10 minutes.

Hiding veggies is good as well and adds a ton of flavor to your dishes. I make a large batch of freezer sofrito - just pulse in your blender and then freeze flat in a ziplock bag so you can break off chunks to add to foods. I use a mix of garlic, red bell peppers, sweet onions, cubanelle peppers, fresh cilantro, seeded tomatoes and if you want hot peppers to taste. You can use other mixes as well depending on your preferred flavor profile. I make large batches when the produce is in season so flavor and price are the best. I use it in everything - soups, stews, breads, grains, pasta sauce, meatloaf, burgers etc. Since it is frozen fresh there is no added salt and all the flavor goes in you dish - win - win!

Stick with it - you will get over the smoothie barf and gag - try a different color veg and a different flavor in your smoothie, try warm vs cold, it will help with the mental connection/aversion from the prior experience!

Been there - done that! It can be done!

Julicat6

I veggies. I like raw spinach on my sandwiches instead of lettuce. Spinach sauteed in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic, then scrambled in eggs with a little feta cheese is one of my favorite after work breakfasts(I work 7p-7a) I agree with Hobbit. Pumpkin smoothies are awesome, never tried it hot though. My 11 yr old niece likes it when I steam cauliflower and puree it, then add it to mac n cheese. She likes it better than regular actually. I also add frozen chopped spinach to almost anything tomato based, soups, pasta, etc. I also like broccoli slaw with a sweet fruity vinaigrette. Just keep trying different things until you find some ways to prepare and eat veggies that you like. Good luck.

Firefox7275

Does anyone have any ideas or alternatives. I was thinking of trying the green smoothies again. How much greens is enough for one day. Could I cram them all into one meal and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day?

You should be eating nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day from the full rainbow of colours - blue/ purple, red, green, yellow/ orange - so perhaps two greens to get a balance but dropping to one won't kill you for a while, greens are not innately more healthy than other bright/ dark colours.

What don't you like about the green smoothies? Are you only having greens in them no other produce? Two servings of mixed berries completely disguises a serving of green beans and avocado in the blend. Today I had spinach, banana, canned pumpkin and peanut butter, can't taste the spinach whatsoever. Some recipes here that are meant to be good
http://www.marmaladeandmileposts.com/archives/category/food/sane/smoothies

Soups are another good option, if you use frozen veggies you don't need much cooking at all so don't kill the nutrients, can also be blended into tomato pasta sauce.