I just don't like them...

DebbieLyn63

You can train yourself to like veggies. Just experiment with them, or try stir frying them instead of raw. Especially if you like onions, this will help as the onions flavor the other veggies.

As for breads, I don't really like brown grainy breads either. I discovered a brand of bread called WhiteWheat that has the taste and texture of reg white bread, but a very high fiber content.

Also, if you like flour tortillas, Mission has a Carb Balance brand that again, looks and tastes just like regular white tortillas, but have a TON of fiber in them.

I rarely eat any bread anymore, but I will have a tortilla once a week or so, and perhaps one slice of the bread every so often and it doesn't mess with my blood sugar levels or cause any cravings. The fiber in them really helps.

If you like fajitas, that is a good way to sneak some veggies in, if you add some grilled veggies in with the meat, throw it in a tortilla and enjoy!

superjean1

This might sound silly, but being the mom of a toddler your post made me think of all the ways I "hide" veggies in stuff. There are lots of websites with recipes to do so. It doesn't necessarily help for your work situation as much of this stuff would require heating, but the previous post about the little crock pot was genius for leftovers.

Examples of what I do - sautee veggies of choice in a little olive oil (carrots, bell peppers, kale, onions, whatever) then puree them in a blender/food processor and add to spaghetti sauce, soup, stew, filling for burriots/enchaladas, make a sauce out of it with tomatoes or white wine and pour over chicken breasts. It adds great flavor, but you forget they are there.

superjean1

Healthy Foods...
I really struggle here.

I'd love to enjoy a nice salad and be able to fill up on a healthy lunch, but I really can't stand them.
The only veg I can stand are potatoes, onons, garlic, peppers, scallions, leeks ( I can't just throw those in a bowl together and call it a salad can I? )

Yeah, sure. Why not. You could also roast or saute them together for a tasty and healthy side dish. Or add some meat chunks and broth/gravy and have a stew or soup.

I hate the taste of brown/granary bread.

My husband doesn't like the darker grainy breads either. But he likes the "white wheat" breads. He now uses Arnold's White Wheat sandwich thins to cut down on calories.

Can you see a pattern forming?
I've done well weight wise so far, I eat within my calories and work hard when I train, but I need a hand with the food as I do want to eat more healthily, but I love food and can't rwally get to grips with the whole food for fuel only concept.

I need some alternative healthy, convenient options beyond salad....

If I force it, am I going to " develop " a taste for salads - like I did with Guiness?

I rarely eat salad. It's just so much trouble prepare and to eat. And when I do have salad, it's usually bean or grain based. For example, today I have having a quinoa/bean salad for lunch. I prefer my leafy greens cooked or on a sandwich (I am partial to sandwich wraps because they let me add a lot of veggies in addition to the meat/protein).

Salads can be healthy, but healthy eating isn't all about salads. Try roasting some vegetables. They are sooooo much tastier when they start to brown in the oven. Add chopped leafy greens like arugula, spinach, kale, collards to pasta sauces, soups, stews, gravies, etc. Or to casseroles or lasagna. You don't have to eat like a rabbit to be healthy.

Yes! Roasted veggies taste very different from other cooking - much sweeter.

LB2812

If I force it, am I going to " develop " a taste for salads - like I did with Guiness?

hahaha :drinker: I'm working on developing my Guiness taste

yes, I think you can develop tastes though... I used to not like anything and be a super, super picky eater... I went vegetarian, then got interested in being healthy, and eat wayyyyyy more things now than I used too. I found just starting small helped. And continue to try things even if you had it one time and didn't like it. You may find you like something in some forms, cooked one way, but not another. I still can't stand raw mushrooms for instance, but in small doses, I like them in cooked form. I don't like pepper enough to eat a whole stuffed pepper, but i'll chop them up in my chili.

And I'm not a big salad eater, but I find adding fruits makes them more tolerable and "fun".

GorillaNJ

First off develop a taste for Guinness? I must have started that prenatal, first sip it was true and lasting love!

Lots of people have said salad is not required.. but I have learned over and over that it sure helps! I like to have a spinach salad with some peppers, broccoli, onions and asparagus. Along with some sort of meat for lunch. Filling and nutritious nothing wrong with a salad, trick is to find some veggies that you like. Keep trying new ones and mix it up so as to not get too bored with it. Also look for really tasty salad dressings basically anything from Bolthouse is a homerun in my book.

Same thing brown grainy breads... I used to hate that stuff but then slowly not only did I start to tolerate it I started to enjoy it to where I never get white bread anymore.

misty5976

Do you like pasta?

This may not be the BEST option... but we buy the Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta at Wal Mart. its a half serving of veggies in every 2 oz. I use it to sneak in EXTRA vegggies. We love veggies and eat a lot of them... but ill make this pasta with some kind of sauce, lean chicken or shrimp - then also throw in broccoli or something. My kid would eat this pasta every day if i'd make it for him. Might be a good way to get at least a LITTLE veggies in there - if you are going to be eating pasta anyhow. (this is the one we buy: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ronzoni-Garden-Delight-Trio-Italiano-12-oz/22210721)

I also 2nd sneaking veggies into other dishes. Ive been known to shred up zuchinni into a meatloaf - and even my kid who doesnt like zuchinni ate it and loved it. I sneak veggies into everything. dice up really fine onions, green peppers, & mushrooms and form them into burgers for the grill - yummy and keeps the burger from drying out.

oh i also agree with try cooking them different ways!! we dont like "mushy" veggies at our house. even cooked veggies still need a little "crunch" for us. we sometimes broil them for a few in the oven with some olive oil & seasonings... grill them ... experiment until you find something u like. Asparagus for example - i generally HATE the stuff. but i love it grilled.

can you stomach v8 juice, or v8 splash? at least you are getting some of the veggie servings in that way.

Good luck - its hard when you just dont "like" certain things!

SanteMulberry

Healthy Foods...
I really struggle here.

I'd love to enjoy a nice salad and be able to fill up on a healthy lunch, but I really can't stand them.
The only veg I can stand are potatoes, onons, garlic, peppers, scallions, leeks ( I can't just throw those in a bowl together and call it a salad can I? )

I hate the taste of brown/granary bread.

Can you see a pattern forming?
I've done well weight wise so far, I eat within my calories and work hard when I train, but I need a hand with the food as I do want to eat more healthily, but I love food and can't rwally get to grips with the whole food for fuel only concept.

I need some alternative healthy, convenient options beyond salad....

If I force it, am I going to " develop " a taste for salads - like I did with Guiness?

There are a couple of things that I would recommend to give your liver a rest and you will probably surprised by the way that "healthy food " appeals to you after that. A fast from alcohol, sugar (and that includes sugar alcohols like mannitol, sorbitol, etc.--anything that ends in "tol") and fruit for a couple of weeks. Fructose and the fructose portion of sugar are metabolized in the liver in ways that are similar to the metabolization of alcohol. If you have been used to drinking a fair bit of alcohol (the Guiness?) your liver likely needs a rest. Damaged livers (fructose and alcohol are the cause of fatty liver disease) need a rest so that they can heal and so that the constant mild nausea that is experienced by people in that state, can be resolved. Fat will be pulled from the liver and from around your abdominal organs as you lose body fat. This will happen naturally as you avoid sugar, alcohol and simple carbohydrates. After a while of following this regimen, you will start to enjoy a wider variety of healthy foods. I used to hate vegetables until I got rid of the sugar and wheat (along with other simple carbs) in my diet. When I did that, I even surprised myself by eating foods that would never have appealed to me before. I have lost 51 pounds since then (and the more important measurement is the 8 inches that I lost off my waist). I still need to lose at least 30 pounds and take another 6-8 inches off my waist but I am confident that my health measures will make it happen eventually. No doctor can give you good health. Oh, he can keep someone from dying, in many cases, but often they survive in misery. Your health is yours to make.