I hate vegetables!

ktbear510

Please help! I am trying to improve my nutrition and I hate vegetables. Mostly it's a textural issue (tomatoes are slimy, lettuce is weird, etc) but, despite my mom's best efforts growing up, I hate them. I like potatoes, green beans, and cooked carrots...that's it.

Fruits are also a problem. I only like apples and bananas...any suggestions? I don't want to "burn out" on the limited options I like.

Sean_The_IT_Guy

Expand your palate. If you dont know how to prepare vegetables strange to you, you're likely not going to like them after you prepare them. Find a friend who knows how to cook and have them introduce you to broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, everything else. The world is a wonder, tasty, fresh place once you open yourself up to the adult world of cuisine.

I dont mean to be insulting, but I think everyone can agree that "I hate vegetables" and "Vegetables are gross" are the utterings of a child-like food mentality.

klappeh

I hear you..I don't really like vegetables either--and I'm a vegetarian, go figure. I read a good tip about pureeing and mixing vegetables in your foods to "hide it". I think I'm going to start doing that. One I have been doing is making banana strawberry smoothies with vanilla almond or coconut milk and putting fresh spinach in there. It doesn't alter the flavor and I get my serving of greens. You may have to experiment a bit to find out what works.

I also like juicing bc I can get a load of fruits and vegetable servings in a drink that I can chug! *make sure you are juicing fresh fruits and vegetables at home--none of that prebottled/canned stuff. They add too much sugar and preservatives. Also, storing juice depletes its nutrients the longer it sits. So drinking fresh juice from the juicer is best! It is a very good investment if you can make it.

Pearsquared

Well, it's good you like green beans and cooked carrots, especially since they are delicious when cooked with potatoes. Maybe you could try mixing in a small amount of another vegetable, like peas or green onion, and see how it tastes. Maybe there are vegetables out there that you haven't tried yet that would be good.

There are also tons of fruits. Perhaps you could try an apple pear, which tastes kind of like a combination between an apple and a pear (hence the name). Look up fruits that are similar to bananas (like plantains) and see how they taste.

Mixing together with stuff you like will probably help. I don't think there's ever been a vegetable I've had that I liked just by eating it by itself.

tkillion810

Have you tried roasting different types of vegetables in the oven? That's my favorite way to eat them.

I also sneak them in with other foods. For breakfast sometimes I chop up an apple and add some spices like cinnamon, nutmet, etc, nuke it for about 2 mins. Then add the apple mix to some egg whites I cooked on the stovetop.

MsLilly200

My suggestion, try everything you have never tried or haven't tried in a while 2 or 3 times raw and cooked in different ways and see if you might like some vegetables after all.
Try boiling, grilling, frying, pickling, pureeing, any way of cooking a vegetable you can think of.
If you like mashed potatoes you might like mashed cauliflower or broccoli.

If it's the textures I think there's some condition or something you can have where you can't eat certain textures, but I know nothing about that.

MsLilly200

Oops! Double post...

raspberrytartgirl

I love veggies myself and could eat veggies all day long. be a lot healthier for me too same with fruit.
I went to work with a guy who never ate any vegetables because he hated them instead he ate lots of junk food. not only did it effect him medicially but he also ended up having to wear dentures at age 34 years old also.

incidently I love tomatoes and hate Ketchup and my daughter hates Tomatoes and loves ketchup.

jadermary

bump---I have that issue with texture too

bloominheck

That is so sad, veggies are my absolute favorite food. Remember as you get older your taste for foods changes. What you disliked as a child, you may love as an adult. Try different things. Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:

dpollet2

My husband has issues with textures, so to some extent I understand this problem. I think you've got to get out of the habit of lumping all vegetables together as yucky. There are many different varieties and chances are if you're open to trying new things you'll find something you like.

I get that tomatoes are slimy, but lettuce being "weird" is not a reason to not eat it. Slimy things may make you gag, but weird things could just be interesting and new. I don't think there's anything wrong with avoiding specific foods you have an aversion to.

ktbear510

I should clarify the "lettuce is weird" statement. Lettuce to me feels like cardboard in my mouth.

I'm loving all the suggestions! Thanks!

wswilliams67

Maybe try them in freeze dried form? i take mine as a scoop of powder in 8-10oz of water.

http://nutracorenutrition.com/index.php/our-products-1/healthy-living/alkalinity-fruits-and-greens-superfood-concentrate-powder.html?SID=bxzqfmeviu

HealthWoke0ish

I like 'em...but only as garnish. My steak needs something to sit on when it's on my plate.

chooriyah

My hubby used to eat exactly what you eat, except no fruit at all. There are still a lot of things he doesn't like, but surprisingly does like a bunch of things now - including broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, carrots....still doesn't eat fruit or any raw veggies. If you don't like something, try cooking it a different way. My personal opinion is that roasted vegetables of any kind are awesome.

Try this:

Cut aubergine (eggplant), zucchini and mushrooms into bite sized chunks. Add 2T olive oil, some paprika, salt and pepper. Toss well. Roast in an oven for 30-40 minutes until tender.

I DARE YOU to not like it (:

jlapey

I always thought I hated beets. The only kind I ever knew were the ones pickled in a can. Ewwww. I have since had fresh beets roasted and they are divine. Try each vegetable prepared in different ways. The internet is chock full of recipes. You may surprise yourself.

ktbear510

Ok, guess I need to put on my "big girl panties" and just be more adventurous with my veggies and fruits!

If anybody has any good recipes, please let me know! :grumble:

primal7

Maybe try juicing. Use the ratio 3 veggies to one fruit or half and half.
Or do a smoothie with a veggie and fruit mix.
That way you are taking in your veggies and fruit but in a different way.

lizziebeth1028

Please help! I am trying to improve my nutrition and I hate vegetables. Mostly it's a textural issue (tomatoes are slimy, lettuce is weird, etc) but, despite my mom's best efforts growing up, I hate them. I like potatoes, green beans, and cooked carrots...that's it.

Fruits are also a problem. I only like apples and bananas...any suggestions? I don't want to "burn out" on the limited options I like.

Eat the fruits and veggies you like, stay in your calorie goal and exercise. That's as complicated as it needs to be!

msigman1

Use your grill. Buy a veggie plate for the grill. I buy lots of different veggies: eggplant, baby carrots, parsnips (white carrots), squash, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, ect. I cut my veggies pretty chunky, they hold up better. I throw all of the veggies in a ziplock bag with some oil (evoo, veg). I throw in a ton of dry spices garlic, grill rub mixes (warning check for salt content), Italian seasoning, mrs. dash, ect. Throw everything on a preheated grill turn the veggies after about 4-5 minutes. Amazing flavor. I will eat this alone of throw it into a wrap, or on top of a hot dog. Grilled veggies keep well for the next day. Give it a try. I always eat my grilled veggies.

jlapey

Ok, guess I need to put on my "big girl panties" and just be more adventurous with my veggies and fruits!

If anybody has any good recipes, please let me know! :grumble:

As a previous poster suggested, roasting is one of the best ways to prepare almost any veggie. Just a little olive oil, salt and pepper, place them on foil lined (for easy clean up) pan and put in the oven (I use 350 deg) until tender and lightly browned.

GormanGhaste

I would also suggest trying things more than once. There have been some foods that I didn't like the first couple of times I tried them, but love now! Give yourself a chance to get used to new things.

sweetpea03b

For veggies... I suggest adding some cheese and eat it anyway. I'm not a HUGE fan of veggies but I know I have to eat them for nutritional reasons so i've grown to (sorta) like them.

For veggies and fruit alike.... maybe try juicing. That way you can get the good nutrients you need and just drink it. I love my juicer.

Good luck!

LorinaLynn

Four options...

1. Try new foods.

2. Try new ways of preparing them. Cooked, steamed, raw, with difference sauces and spices and dips.

3. Eat what you do like. If you like carrots and green beans, eat carrots and green beans.

4. Suck it up. :laugh:

I don't particularly LIKE broccoli or cauliflower, but I get bags of frozen mixed vegetables that include them and have them mixed in with my favorite sides (ie, with rice or pasta). I'll make a Mr. Yuck face at plain steamed broccoli, but I can tolerate eating a few piece if they're in vodka sauce and raviolis, or teriyaki rice, or any other delicious flavor.

GormanGhaste

Oh, and don't base your opinion of lettuce on iceberg. There are many lovely lettuces out there, but I dislike iceberg as it has always smelled vaguely rotten to me.

Have you tried the shredded broccoli 'slaw'? I like making quick salads with it!

xinit0

Please help! I am trying to improve my nutrition and I hate vegetables. Mostly it's a textural issue (tomatoes are slimy, lettuce is weird, etc) but, despite my mom's best efforts growing up, I hate them. I like potatoes, green beans, and cooked carrots...that's it.

Fruits are also a problem. I only like apples and bananas...any suggestions? I don't want to "burn out" on the limited options I like.

Cooked carrots aren't far off from butternut squash or baked yams. Worth a try. Don't over-cook them to mush (or do) depending on your texture issues.

From green beans, sugar snap peas might be worth trying. Eat whole, raw, or steam or stir fry them a bit.

Try out "asian pears" or actual pears. There are plenty of different types of pears - let them go a bit soft before trying to eat them.

How are you with berries? Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries?

If you can, try buying things you've never seen before - star fruit, rambutan, dragonfruit, lychee... buy a couple and see what happens.

missshyeviolett

Try this at first?

http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/006176793X

candacefausset

Roasting veggies with a little seasoning and tossed in olive oil is divine! You can do nearly any veggie you think possible. Carrots, peppers (sweet or hot), cabbage, brussel sprouts, asparagus, zucchini, etc.

I'm not huge on the texture of oranges and apples- it's the pulpy feel that gets me every time. So I just don't buy them mostly. I love berries and bananas and I mix them into smoothies when I want one. Now that I'm on that subject- another great way to get some veggies is in smoothies. Seriously, I make green smoothies in the mornings. I have an abundance of frozen fruits and veggies so I throw in about 2 oz of spinach, a handful of alfalfa sprouts, a whole frozen banana- quartered, a cup of berries and about 8 oz of water. Blend it well and I can't taste the spinach or other veggies at all. My 20 month old thinks it is ice cream. You can add any number of things to it- bell peppers, cabbage, etc. And you never have to worry about the texture.

The best advice though is to try new things and things you haven't had in a while with an open mind. If you go into it thinking you are going to hate it, then you will. It could be the greatest food you have ever tried in your life and how would you know if you are busy convincing yourself that you hate it? That's how my dad taught me when I was young and there wasn't a food I wouldn't try. That's not to say you will like everything. I had eel once and I hated it. Also can't stand sauer kraut.

Oh and it helps to know both of the following- how to pick good produce. While I understand the texture issue, there is no reason why lettuce should taste like cardboard. Lettuce should be crisp and fresh. If you are eating cardboard lettuce, it is probably old and wilted and chewy or dried out. Take someone with you who knows how to pick good produce or do some research. All fruits and vegetables have different ways of indicating they are at their ripest. Going under ripe or over ripe could easily sway your opinion of an otherwise tasty veggie. And find someone who knows how to prepare them properly. If you don't want to deal with the texture but enjoy the overall flavor (me with Oranges), learn to cook with them. The textures change in cooked veggies depending on how you prepare them.

Good luck!

stealthq

Ok, guess I need to put on my "big girl panties" and just be more adventurous with my veggies and fruits!

If anybody has any good recipes, please let me know! :grumble:

What have you tried and how was it prepared? What didn't you like about it? If we know this, maybe we can make some smart suggestions. After all, it's not going to help getting advice from people who love what you hate unless we know to avoid it or can tell you how to change it

Angeldach

I love vegetables. Well, most vegetable. I do not eat brussel sprouts or asparagus... or anything with a weird name. Other than that I'll most likely eat anything! Although, I guess I do tend to smother cooked vegetables in butter...

ThatSoundsHard

Ok, guess I need to put on my "big girl panties" and just be more adventurous with my veggies and fruits!

If anybody has any good recipes, please let me know! :grumble:

I love this!

I bet if you "force" yourself to eat them after a while you'll start enjoying different fruits and veggies.