Salad.....I can't force myself to eat it.

freyaheart

I don't know what my problem is but ever since I was little I have never liked lettuce. I can remember my first experience eating lettuce on a taco at Taco Bell and I think it turned me off forever. I tried eating lettuce at several point in my life trying to get over my hatred for it and it just never happened no matter what dressing I put on it.

Now fruit salad on the other hand that I have no problem eating.

UrbanLotus

You're basing not liking salad off of.......lettuce at Taco Bell?????

kdiamond

Nobody says you have to eat salad...however it is a low calorie and filling meal and can be quite healthy.

I assume you don't like iceberg lettuce (that's the nasty lettuce in Taco Bell tacos), well it is nutritionally void anyway, and pretty much tasteless.

Romaine, spinach, spring mix, arugula, butter lettuce...the list goes on and on. There are lots of yummy lettuces. Experiment!

If you still don't like it, then just eat other vegetables in its place.

jinna86

I can force myself to eat salad, but I'm not a fan and avoid it when possible. Have you tried fruit + green smoothies? You don't even taste the blended greens in smoothies.

xinit0

I don't know what my problem is but ever since I was little I have never liked lettuce. I can remember my first experience eating lettuce on a taco at Taco Bell and I think it turned me off forever. I tried eating lettuce at several point in my life trying to get over my hatred for it and it just never happened no matter what dressing I put on it.

Now fruit salad on the other hand that I have no problem eating.

If you don't like it, don't force yourself. There are plenty of other salads you can make that don't involve lettuce. Spinach, cabbage, kale, etc...

rayleecanuck

I like salads, but I have a tough time eating them all the time and I never get enough fruits and veggies into my diet. I started having green smoothies where I throw in greens like spinach, kale, swiss chard or anything else, along with other veggies and fruit. I also throw in some herbs for taste and health benefits, like parsley, cilantro or basil. throw everything into a blender with a cup or two of water and blend it up. I usually freeze my fruit so the smoothie stays cold and it has a slushy consistency. I get my entire daily requirement (and then some) of fruits and vegetables in my morning smoothie. I feel fantastic for the rest of the day after I have my smoothie :-)

They give me a ton of energy and fill me up for a very minimal amount of calories!

dawningr

There's plenty of other veggies out there. No need to eat something you don't like.

chelseascounter

Try a salad with spinach or kale. Baby spinach tastes yummy.

Vailara

I have mixed feelings about lettuce too. I have to be in the mood. It's a lot of volume for not very much slightly bitter, watery food.

I usually have lettuce free salads. It can be fun to add food which isn't so green and salady, such as beetroot, sweetcorn, raw turnip, etc.

Or if you don't like it presented as a salad you could have raw veg crudites with dips.

Or just cooked veg!

sullus

Salad doesn't have to be a lettuce salad. Maybe you'd find spinach more palatable? You can also make veg medlies - think of a loaded up garden salad (loaded with tomato, cucumber, pepper, artichokes, etc. whatever you like) without the lettuce.

Lettuce is just kind of filler and a bed for the good stuff in a salad anyway ..

ETA: Vailara beat me to it ...

erikmsp72

What I've learned, in part, with MFP is that you can eat pretty much whatever you want to . . . while being aware of the calorie count and nutrition.

So if you loathe salad for whatever reason, skip it. Never eat salad. Eat stuff you love . . . and just watch the portion sizes appropriately for your allotted calories.

No biggie.

AAllin38

Dont eat what you dont like. Make your healthy lifestyle fun, not terrible!

dressagester

Thank you for sharing :flowerforyou:

sixisCHANGEDjk

Replace it with leaf spinach. Works for me.

MelsAuntie

Try spring mix (mesclun) greens with a handful of berries and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing or fruit flavored yogurt for dressing. If you have a dislike for plain iceberg lettuce, so do I, it's boring. Mixed greens have more flavors. I like to chop up some Swiss cheese or smoked string cheese and add that.

mycupyourcake

So don't force yourself to eat salad. You might end up feeling deprived if you eat something you don't like. I'm a big fan of adding spinach to my morning protein smoothies. I have a vitamix blender and I put my vegan protein powder in (better than all the whey I sampled), add some spinach, some berries and some unsweetened almond milk and I get my greens in. I like salad, but sometimes I just don't feel like sitting around chewing that much fiber.

Eat steamed greens as well, like spinach and kale with some olive oil and salt. Yum.

Never force yourself to eat something you don't like but do try new things.

annwyatt69

Healthy living or changing your lifestyle to lose weight does NOT mean you have to eat salad. I can't eat iceberg lettuce at all, never have been able to. Baby spinach leaves work well, though.

highmaintnance

I personally love spinach and kale. One time, I was out of both but still had all the veggies, eggs and chicken I normally put in my salad, so I made a leafless salad. The beautifull thing about salads is that it can have whatever you want in it.

WhiteGirlWasted13

Nobody says you have to eat salad...however it is a low calorie and filling meal and can be quite healthy.

I assume you don't like iceberg lettuce (that's the nasty lettuce in Taco Bell tacos), well it is nutritionally void anyway, and pretty much tasteless.

Romaine, spinach, spring mix, arugula, butter lettuce...the list goes on and on. There are lots of yummy lettuces. Experiment!

If you still don't like it, then just eat other vegetables in its place.

This is great advice. I started out hating salads, too. I would get so embarrassed at restaurants when the server would ask me what kind of dressing and I'd have to tell him/her no salad for me. I got tired of it, frankly.

I forced myself to eat salad. But here's how I got started. I did not eat iceberg. It's worthless. I used different kinds of lettuce, like the quote above suggests. Then, I made sure to cut the leaves very very very small with a knife and fork, just like something on your plate. Just cut that stuff up. Then, I used a heaping pile of add ins, like sesame seeds, bacon bits, etc. I think there's a Durkee brand canister of this stuff. It's simply called "salad topping" or something like that. Check the salad dressing aisle.

So, there, I had all this little stuff in the bowl. I did not use any dressing. I never have gotten to like it. So, eating it like this, it never felt like salad to me. I gradually increased the size of the leaves and decreased the amount of salad toppings, and started substituting grilled steak, chicken, hard boiled eggs, you name it.

Before long, I could handle salad with minimal trouble. I won't say that it's the first thing I think of when I'm hungry, but I do eat salad now and that's something I never, ever thought I could say. Good luck. Keep trying!

misskerouac

Salad doesn't have to include lettuce...or any leafy green if you don't want.


My favourite one to make is chopped up tomatoes, cucumber, orange pepper, kalamata olives, and chick peas. I put Italian dressing on it, and if I have the calories I'll put some goat feta on top.

nvpixie

If you don't like lettuce, don't eat it.

I often eat tomato, onion, cucumber salad. Add in some bell peppers if you like them. Any veggies will do--mushrooms, zucchini, etc. It doesn't have to include lettuce or another green to be a "salad." Call it a bowl of veggies if it suits you better.

I like mine with raspberry vinaigrette or balsamic dressing. My kids eat their bowls of raw veggies with ranch.

TeaBea

There's plenty of other veggies out there. No need to eat something you don't like.

This^ ...... I you were saying "I hate all veggies" that would be different. Besides not all salads are created equal. Salads CAN be low calorie and healthy ...... salads do NOT equal low calorie & healthy. Some restaurant salads are ridiculous.

My favorite "no lettuce" salad .... 1/3 C. shredded carrots, 1/3 C sliced celery, and 1/4 C. green peas (I just thaw frozen) .... add 2 Tbl. Newman's light Sesame Ginger dressing.

skeo

It's probably the iceburg lettuce you have a distaste for, it's what was in the taco bell taco, and is used for most fast food burgers and such. Try different lettuces, I LOVE LOVE LOVE butter lettuce, kale, spinach.

A good salad i make is baby spinach with kale, cucumber, snap peas, and brocoli with a dressing of red wine vinegar, lemon, celery salt, a pinch of sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and olive oil. I LOVE IT!

but as others said, if you don't like it, don't force it, try other veggies

cosmic8o8

You can do a super green food powder smoothie. I like Macro greens cuz it's the least dirt tasting.

auddii

Salad of Goodness

1 can black beans
1 can sweet white corn
1 can chick peas
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved or quartered depending on size)
1 yellow or orange bell pepper chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
handful cilantro chopped
2 avocados chopped (if out of season, guacamole can be used instead)
4 oz. feta crumbled
juice of two small limes (for some reason the large ones I buy are always dry)
about 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (should be equal amount as lime juice so may vary)

Mix, refrigerate.

It's a ton of chopping, but so good. I've also varied it up by using different veggies like jicama thrown in.

saxmaniac

Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally void, goes bad quickly. I replaced it with baby spinach and the occasional mixed greens, completely.

Dino924

How do you feel about cooked veggies? I hate spinach in a salad but love sauteed spinach, and spinch in omlets, stuffed chicken etc.

I'm pretty picky about my salad lettuce, usually sticking to romane or the mid level bitterness leaves (iceberg too bland; spinach and arugala too bitter).

gingabebe

Salad doesn't have to include lettuce...or any leafy green if you don't want.


My favourite one to make is chopped up tomatoes, cucumber, orange pepper, kalamata olives, and chick peas. I put Italian dressing on it, and if I have the calories I'll put some goat feta on top.

YUM! I read a diet book (sorry, can't remember which one to give credit too), but the author said he takes his favorite higher calorie meals and turns then into salads- so I tried it with pizza. I cut 2 regular sized slices up into GOOD greens, iceberg is just a watery filler and quite often browning and wilted at Taco Bell. It sounds weird, but if I ate just 2 slices of pizza I'd be wanting more, but with the greens it fills me up.

RambyPandy

There's some great mixed greens blends out there. I am super turned on to the Earthbound Farms Herb Salad mix lately. Try adding some of your favorite crumbled cheese for flavor, and/or sauteed chicken for added flavor. Add in lots of multi-color veggies and you have a super healthy lunch. (I don't even add dressing, the cheese really does it for me).

You could also explore other salads with different "bases" such as perhaps lentils, chick peas, etc. I see a good recipe ^ up there.

Acg67

freyaheart

Thanks for all the helpful tips everyone I really appreciate it!