I HATE VEGETABLES!!!
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EXACTLY. Don't give yourself excuses to not eat them. Learn to like them. Learn to love them. You need them. It's not negotiable!
If someone doesn't like them, they don't like them. You don't suddenly "Learn" to love them. There's no way that telling myself "You LOVE broccoli" will convince me that I love it. I do not. Never have and nothing anyone says or does will make me eat it.
Forcing yourself to eat things you don't like is why people FAIL at losing weight. You cut out every single thing you DO like and force yourself into a "I don't like these foods" exile. Not healthy and definitely not conducive to losing weight in a healthy way and keeping it off.
I eat what I like (which is very few veggies - asparagus, carrots (NEVER cooked), corn, sweet potatoes and.. well, that's about it) and don't worry about the rest. I'm not going to force myself to consume things I don't like. Sorry. But. No.0 -
Okay I didn't read the rest of this thread so some of this advice was already posted BUT
A lot of people have bad associations with vegetables from being forced to eat them when they were younger, and all around you there's this culture that says vegetables are a necessary evil and cake and cheeseburgers are treats that people enjoy. Challenge that idea and go in with a clear head. It may also help to try vegetables you've never had before!
Start with the ways to hide them - drink veggie juice (I like Naked), try carrot cake muffins or something, tricolor pasta.
People always try to encourage you to eat your veggies raw and without fatty dressing - screw that. Eat them how you like them.
Personally I love to chop up broccoli, cover it in butter and steam it until it's soft. You can even try mixing that into something else you're eating, like mashed potatoes or pasta or something. Fatty dressing and butter helps you absorb the nutrients in veggies, and the veggies themselves have so few calories so go all out!
Try your celery and carrots with peanut butter instead of ranch or something.
Use veggie versions of other things - think spinach wraps instead of wheat or veggie cream cheese on your bagel. It really is the little servings that add up (:0 -
the wheelchair always takes the longest to digest0
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Food is medicine. When you start thinking about it that way, vegetables become so much more appealing. I eat mostly vegan, so the idea of hating vegetables is foreign to me these days, but it wasn't always. I was raised eating junk food and if I ever even had vegetables, they were out of a can. I transitioned slowly. I thought I'd never like mushrooms, and then I started grilling and frying them. Kale sauteed is one of my favorite things. Sweet potatoes, steamed asparagus, grilled corn, roasted root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc.) – this stuff was all weird to me at once but these are now my comfort foods. Use the internet to your advantage! If you don't know how to prepare something, look it up. Preparing something the wrong way, especially a vegetable, can definitely leave a bad taste in your mouth.
^^^THIS^^^ 1) Many people think they don't like vegetables because they don't know how to cook them. 2) As long as you are eating junk food, your body won't tell you what it really wants. (And believe me, IT wants vegetables, even if your mind tells you that you don't.) 3) Eating vegetables is vital to the health-building process. We often think that skinny is attractive when, in reality, it is healthy that is attractive. Good skin, erect posture, graceful movement, lustrous hair, clear eyes, good teeth and a well-developed musculo-skeletal system is attractive and eating right and exercising will lead to this---eating junk food and sitting on the couch will not. It all depends on how committed you are to building your health. When you are young, you have lots of reserves, but abuse your body long enough and you will lose what you have now. Please don't wait to get on the health train. Health is something you don't think about till it is gone (and trust me, I have learned this sad lesson--but I am working on building my health now.)0 -
Well you nailed your problem without realizing it. You are looking at food as pleasure so you don't want to eat what does not give you pleasure. This is the first thing you have to break in order to have any long term weight loss. If you don't discipline yourself you cannot be successful in the long run. Good news is your taste buds will adjust. Little by little you will begin to associate these veggies you hate with the pride you will feel when you get over your own obstacles and that will make them pleasant for you too.0
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: The funniest gif I have ever seen! Hahahahaha The only thing is that I think it should say, "Arghhh! I don't CARE that you don't like them! EAT...YOUR...VEGETABLES!"0 -
EXACTLY. Don't give yourself excuses to not eat them. Learn to like them. Learn to love them. You need them. It's not negotiable!
If someone doesn't like them, they don't like them. You don't suddenly "Learn" to love them. There's no way that telling myself "You LOVE broccoli" will convince me that I love it. I do not. Never have and nothing anyone says or does will make me eat it.
Forcing yourself to eat things you don't like is why people FAIL at losing weight. You cut out every single thing you DO like and force yourself into a "I don't like these foods" exile. Not healthy and definitely not conducive to losing weight in a healthy way and keeping it off.
I eat what I like (which is very few veggies - asparagus, carrots (NEVER cooked), corn, sweet potatoes and.. well, that's about it) and don't worry about the rest. I'm not going to force myself to consume things I don't like. Sorry. But. No.
I would respectfully disagree. I used to HATE vegetables--now I love them. I have learned to eat a whole new way (and I have lost 52 pounds). It necessitated going "cold turkey" on the junk food that I was addicted to. White flour and sugar were my drugs of choice but once I got them out of my diet, a whole new world of taste and nutrition opened up. I would NEVER go back to the dietary habits that I had in the past (and which contributed to my ill-health).0 -
Try hiding vegetables like carrots in mashed potatoes and in pasta sauce. Peas are also really easy to put in everything and eat without noticing.
This is a good recipe for hidden vegetables pasta sauce: http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/children-age-4-10/hidden-vegetable-sauce0 -
I can't just can't deal with texture either. They are either slimey or rubbery. BLAH! I just can't deal with it lol. I do HIGHLY APPRECIATE all of your suggestions. They all sound better than most things I could have thought of. I like the idea of eating what i want within reason and working out, which was my plan to begin with. I just wish I liked vegetables. Think a hypnotist would work?? lol
You sound just like my son. He has major problems with texture. Anything wet or slippery--no go. He eats no fruit, but he does tolerate some vegetables. He generally likes raw or very lightly cooked vegetables (kohlrabi, sweet potatoes (raw only), broccoli, green beans, jicama. Crunchy is good. Could this be a start for you: baby carrots, raw broccoli, celery, etc.?
Also, as others have noted, garlic (to me) makes almost anything taste great. Spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic is sublime, though you'd probably find it slimy. My son at a bit or two and survived. Said the taste was good but not the texture. If you're interested: de-stem and wash a bunch of spinach. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and a few cloves of crushed garlic in a skillet on medium heat, until the garlic is sizzling (30 seconds to a minute). Don't let the garlic brown. Add spinach leaves and toss until wilted, 2 or 3 minutes. Season with salt. Enjoy!0 -
I used to hate peppers of any kind. Didn't matter what color they were, if they were bell, Cubanelle, or tiny little sweet ones. But I decided that I don't like being "picky". I don't like being the only adult pulling pieces of food from her dish in public. I don't like having the palette of a child and not being able to relate to what my friends and colleagues are discussing when we talk about food. I don't like offending my friends and potential friends, by telling them what I won't eat when they make a meal and invite me over.
So I sat down with a cut up green pepper and ate it in tiny bites, tasting every single flavor for what it is, not what I wished it would taste like or what it tastes similar to. I ate bigger bites, and I started adding that to other food, like eggs and stir-fry. I started eating them along side other things. I didn't hate them anymore. I tried different ones, I grilled them. I stuffed them with awesome stuff. And guess what? I actually love peppers. I would gladly grow and eat them.
If you really want to change your habits, you have to actually do something about it. You can't expect it to change on its own. There's a big world out there full of other cultures and foods. Good luck.
Great story. You nailed one of the problems of picky eating--wishing the despised thing tasted like something else. Good for you figuring this out. It gives me hope that my son might get to this point when he's older.0 -
Try roasting vegetables, it makes a lot of vegetables delicious that you might think you don't like. Start with the potatoes and cauliflower you know you like, those are both great roasted. Cut them into chunks the size of a large bite, and add some some chunks of red bell pepper and onion even if you don't eat them, for color and aroma
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Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with a seasoning mix, like greek seasoning mix, or just salt/pepper/.garlic. You can even buy "roast potato mix" in all kinds of varieties. Use whatever seasoning you want. Roast at 425 for about 45 minutes while you are making the rest of your dinner. It should look at least a little crispy. Notice how different roasted onions taste, you could never eat raw onions but you can eat those roasted and they're not bad, right?
After you feel confident roasting veggies you already like, then branch out.0 -
Changing your diet doesn't happen overnight. Well, it can, but you're less likely to stick with overnighting it. It's a lifestyle change which took decades to get where it is now. It's tough to change it overnight. Not only does the "lifestyle change" deal with food consumed, preparation, calorie counting and putting yourself on a eating schedule...but accepting how food taste, it's textures and overall perception.
That lifestyle/food change is like eliminating your bad highschool and college buddies. You don't hang with them because you know they are going to get you in trouble. They're still experimenting and over indulging with "drugs" (bad food, soda, etc); going to bed with strangers (goin' "ugly" at bedtime - fridge raiding); overspending/going in debt (eating at fancy places, way over calorie, salt and fat), getting into drunken fights (poor decision making); asking you to identify puss filled bumps (I feel funny, Doc - don't know what's wrong) and wake up feeling like crap (judging yourself in the mirror).
...you want better for yourself so you make an effort to distance yourself from them. You learn to become "responsible." Same thing with your diet. More veggies, less meat. Better preparation and ingredients - cut out fried foods, fat, salt and sugar. Sure you can hang with your friends every "blue moon." They're fun, but somehow you spend more time observing than participating. Then you notice that what they're doing looks more "stupid" when you're sober and you no longer want to do it. Sometimes you are reluctant to cut off the fun and after waking up dissappointed in yourself you realize there are two choices - (1) Keep on acting like a derelict or (2) Straighten yourself up and leave those dingbats behind. Sure, it's not as fun, but you know you will be better for it in the long run. So will your wallet (less doctor bills), your children (adopt healthy attitude and lifestyle) and your life (longer, avoid meds, less pain).
Seriously though, start by changing how you prepare your veggies. Use less salt and adopt a better oil (say olive or grape seed) or use a little butter. In addition to steaming or boiling, try roasting them. Most of us over indulge in our meat portion. Cut down on the size of your meat proportion and increase the size of your veggie portion or add another side of veggies. Try different veggies. Avoid cans and choose fresh veggies when you can, frozen veggies when you have to. Their variation of colors makes your plate look a lot more appetizing.
Wean yourself off of fried meat and traditional breading/coatings. Start by adding baked meats into your diet. Sure, you can bake a hamburger, plus other things like chicken, chops, fish and steaks. Soon you will be baking/broiling meat 6 out of 7 days and minimum of 2 meals per day. When you must fry...do it in a pan that will allow it to fry in it's own fat or add just a little. Put your deep frier on Craigslist or Ebay - haha. Throw out that gallon jug of oil you have over in the corner.
The main thing is to stay persistent. You may or may not see the results you want at first, but don't give up. A few months into it and it will all become normal. Then you will see and feel the benefits of your lifestyle change.0 -
I used to hate peppers of any kind. Didn't matter what color they were, if they were bell, Cubanelle, or tiny little sweet ones. But I decided that I don't like being "picky". I don't like being the only adult pulling pieces of food from her dish in public. I don't like having the palette of a child and not being able to relate to what my friends and colleagues are discussing when we talk about food. I don't like offending my friends and potential friends, by telling them what I won't eat when they make a meal and invite me over.
So I sat down with a cut up green pepper and ate it in tiny bites, tasting every single flavor for what it is, not what I wished it would taste like or what it tastes similar to. I ate bigger bites, and I started adding that to other food, like eggs and stir-fry. I started eating them along side other things. I didn't hate them anymore. I tried different ones, I grilled them. I stuffed them with awesome stuff. And guess what? I actually love peppers. I would gladly grow and eat them.
If you really want to change your habits, you have to actually do something about it. You can't expect it to change on its own. There's a big world out there full of other cultures and foods. Good luck.
Great story. You nailed one of the problems of picky eating--wishing the despised thing tasted like something else. Good for you figuring this out. It gives me hope that my son might get to this point when he's older.
It is a great story and an example of how you can get a child to widen his/her palate. The poster went about it deliberately but you can do it in a much more subtle way with a child. You take a tiny little dab of the food that they refuse to eat and put it on their plates without comment. If they try it, fine, if they ignore it, fine also. You keep doing this every time you have the "offending" food. Once they try it, you put a little bit more on their plate the next time---also without comment. Eventually, they will be hungry enough to eat it all and then they will eat it every time thereafter (this is presuming you are not dulling their appetites with junk food). This is called "habituation" and it works.0 -
Research has shown that we crave the foods we are used to eating. Also that the mind is a powerful tool to help or hinder us. To change your diet, change what you say to yourself and others. Instead of saying or thinking, "I HATE VEGETABLES", try saying I like a few vegetables, then work on expanding that list. Fresh produce is always better than canned or frozen, so stick with fresh vegetables for this process.
Pick a vegetable that has high nutritional content for this experiment. I'll use carrots as an example since it is often one of the first vegetables that are given when introducing infants to whole foods.
Although you can hide carrots in many foods, the point of this process is to get you to expand the variety of vegetables you will eat from just potatoes, tomatoes and corn.
Go to a store that has really good produce and buy a small quantity of carrots - no more than a pound.
On the first day, prepare a meal that you like. As part of meal prep, take half a carrot, slice it crosswise (into "coins").
Steam the carrots until they are fork tender.
Put one coin on your plate with your other food. Add salt, pepper, butter. Put the rest of the carrots in a container and refrigerate tem.
Eat something that you like from your plate
Tell yourself that the carrot looks really good
Tell yourself that the yummy carrot on your plate it will help you to improve your health and keep you healthy as you age.
Put the carrot in your mouth, chew and swallow.
Eat something else from your plat that you like.
Tell yourself that carrots are good. it doesn't matter if you are lying to yourself at this point, we lie to ourselves all the time in destructive ways, so it's okay to lie to yourself for a good cause.
Finish the rest of your meal.
Next day, make another meal that you like, and reheat two carrot coins in the microwave
Repeat the process of telling yourself the carrots look really good, etc.
Eat one carrot coin, then eat something you already like, then eat the other carrot coin
Tell your dining companions that the carrots are good. Tell yourself that the carrots are good, Cross your fingers if you must while saying this.
Continue this pattern every day for 3 weeks, working your way up to the standard 1/2 cup serving size.
After three weeks, try a different way of preparing the carrots or try slicing them into sticks and eating them raw.
Research various preparation methods on the internet and try them until you find three different ways to prepare carrots that will become your FAVORITE ways to have carrots.
When discussing vegetables in future, include carrots as one of your favorite vegetables, along with corn, potatoes and tomatoes.
Select a new vegetable. Since you should try for variety in color, try fresh green beans.
Start the process with steamed green beans - Just one small piece of green bean.
Increase the portion size of the green beans every day for three weeks, up to the 1/2 cup serving size.
After three weeks, try a different way of preparing green beans - steamed green beans can be dressed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic and served cold. Or you could combine them with steamed carrots. Or serve them with roasted almonds.
Continue trying different ways to prepare green beans until you find your three FAVORITE ways to serve green beans.
Even though they may never become one of your favorite foods, include green beans as one of your favorite vegetables in your thoughts.
Every few months, try a new vegetable using this process.
Hope this helps you.0 -
I don't know how to eat right, I am seriously at a loss with this diet crud! I HATE vegetables. My idea of vegetables are corn potatoes tomatoes and cauliflower...... That's it. I am the pickiest eater ever, I hate shellfish! I hate most fishes unless its on my pole. I have no idea how to get myself on a regime. All I want to yeast is Mac n cheese fries burgers pizza...... Anyone want to point me in the right direction?? :-/
You need to eat your vegetables. Try different vegetables prepared in a variety of ways. You don't like vegA raw? Steam it. Still no? Roast it. Still no? Try it in a casserole, omelete or sauce. Still no. Move on. Repeat this with other vegetables.
This is a good resource for general nutrition advice: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/0 -
For starters I'd say just eat the foods you enjoy within your calorie goal. Then if you want to add more veggies you can do it gradually. IMO it's ill-advised to change too much at once.
I agree with this ^
As you get more comfortable with your goal, try sneaking in small potions of veggies to your favorite meals. If you decide to eat some rice one night, throw in some peas and carrots. You won't even know your eating them. 0 -
A really good idea (that I used when I first started) is to get a book meant to teach little kids the basics. It won't be full of any propaganda and it wont be trying to get you to buy into any diet program and it wont use big sciency words that will purposefully make you feel unintelligent.0
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If you can get hold of it (try Amazon "used and new" if its out of print" is the Usborne Beginners Cook Book - It teaches the basics but not for tiny kids - more aimed at teenagers - and has a whole section on vegetarian dishes which are easy and tasty - as you're not veggy you can add in some lean meat/fish if you like. It also includes cakes, cookies etc. - yes I KNOW they still have calories, but if you make your own you won't be tempted down the naughty aisles of the supermarket, and you'll know what goes into them - no hidden transfats. And most are freezable, so you make your batch then separate them into freezer bags so you only take out say one serving per day.0
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Probably my entire LIFE - I've hated every kind of pepper (green, red, yellow, etc..) People would sneak them into recipes, but I could always taste them and then spit the food out. These days however, I still hate them..but if they are in something I can eat it.
I also use to hate tomatoes (only one in my family that did), I could eat tomato sauce and such but not a plain tomato. When I hit my 30's for some reason I craved them and began eating them. When I discussed this with a co-worker one day she told me she had just seen something on TV that said that your body changes every 10-15 years and thus what it needs changes too - at one time there was nothing in a tomato my body needed, now it does. I don't know if that study is true or not (probably not) but I know there are many foods I would never eat when I was little, that I love now.
My favorite veggies are peas, corn and potatoes (all the starchy bad ones); but I can do raw cucumbers, carrots, celery; salads, etc. Some veggies I prefer raw, some cooked, some either way. You can hide them in a smoothie as well.
If you're refusing to at least try any of the mentioned methods, then there is no point in this thread at all - but if you are going to try, a lot of good ideas are listed here to make it easier.0 -
In all honesty you sometimes have to eat what you don't like to start liking it.
I didn't always like seafood/fish or all veggies, even some meats I wasn't very happy to eat but over time I got used to having them and learned to enjoy them and now I found that I more than enjoy a few of them... I love them!
I grew up a steak, potatoes and carrots girl (my dad made it quite often) and breakfast was toast with PB, Jam or Cheese Whiz to give you an idea of how expansive my likes were back then.
I've done a lot of this. I was a very picky eater because my older sister always was. She's famous for telling people she's allergic to nuts just so they won't bother her about eating something with them. My family's meals were definitely just meat and potatoes - very rarely vegetables, usually corn. My mom yelled at my dad whenever he'd try to spice up a recipe, so I just didn't grow up as an adventurous eater. Going away to college helped.0
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