I don't like veggies so how do I eat healthy?

Renee2GetFit
Renee2GetFit Posts: 162 Member
edited December 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all. Everywhere I read, to eat healthy it talks about eating veggies, salads, etc. I don't like the majority of vegetables and the ones I do are not considered good veggies. I don't like salads either. So, how is it possible for me to find a healthy eating habit with that said? I don't want to force myself to eat something that I don't like because I know I won't stick to it. Please help.

Here are a list of foods mostly eaten in my house: Hamburger meat, pork chops, chicken, mac-n-cheese, rice/gravy, corn, sweet peas, various boxed items, spaghetti, hot dogs.

I'm really trying to make a lifestyle change and I've gotten my exercising down but I know my eating habits are keeping me from progressing more.

Any help, tips or suggestions would greatly be appreciated!
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Replies

  • Have you ever heard of the 6 week body makeover? It's not cheap, but it' s good. I don't have to eat veggies, but I want to. But, maybe on that you wouldn't have to eat any.
  • I guess you just have to decide what you want, really. If you want to progress, choose to enjoy vegetables. Start out with some cooked things, maybe beans, carrots, pumpkin....then you need to progress to salad.

    absolutely none of the foods you listed are in my house...except chicken...and mine is skinless boneless chicken breast, usually poached to make sure I get all the fat out of it...

    my biggest suggestion is to get rid of the rubbish food and start looking at what you will gain, not what you have to give up...

    your choice, sweet....good luck!
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
    Your interests make you a great candidate for a low carb diet. Get your meats as lean as possible, use 2% or skim milk with your mac and cheese, change to brown rice, try Turkey dogs....do you like any fruits? I wish you the best of luck...please feel free to add me if you like...have a great day
  • avir8
    avir8 Posts: 671 Member
    start by adding some veggies to your pasta, or add butter on them. It'll be an acquired taste for you. Try veggie burgers, or start cooking with turkey meats: turkey sausage, pepperoni etc. It's a start but it's hard eating healthy
  • marisol7649
    marisol7649 Posts: 484 Member
    Food is fuel.my oldest son did not like veggies, but after just serving him,
    He develop a taste for it. Just keep trying.

    Not judging you.good luck
  • I_love_frogs
    I_love_frogs Posts: 340 Member
    Maybe try the veggies cooked differently?

    I HATED Brussels Sprouts with a passion....now I love them as long as they are roasted, Not steamed or boiled...only roasted, Even the kids in my family eat the sprouts when I make them :) And they hate veggies like you seem to as well.
  • sblueyez
    sblueyez Posts: 156 Member
    I was a lot like you! I had to decide it was time to change. I rarely eat processed foods and I replace those foods with fruits and veggies. I'll tell you that the farther away I am from processed/high carb foods the less often I crave those foods and I swear my taste buds are more in tune and whenever I eat fruit it's like a rainbow in my mouth :P
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Just ****ing eat them. Seriously. Learn to choke them down. They are good for you. Not everything you stick in your mouth has to be rewarding and delicious.

    Can't stand ****ing cucumbers or carrots... gotta eat them though.
  • zrmac804
    zrmac804 Posts: 369 Member
    I eat a lot of veggies while I'm watching TV. I don't mind because I'm not really paying attention.
  • xandin4
    xandin4 Posts: 6
    I agree with some other posters about roasting vegetables. I'll happily eat almost any vegetable once it's roasted, and it couldn't be easier. Prep the veggie, toss it with a little olive oil/salt/pepper/chili powder (or use any spice combination you choose) in a bowl, then put said veggies in a pan. Plop 'em in the oven for around 20/30/40 minutes, depending on the temperature. Here's the beautiful part: you can't really overcook roasted vegetables, so you can cook them with something else you're cooking. For example, if you're cooking chicken at 350, then cook the veggies at 350. If you're cooking something else at 400, then cook the veggies at 400. They're really versatile, easy to cook, delicious to eat, and super healthy.
    You can also cook vegetables on the grill along with whatever you're grilling. Prep the veggies the same way, then put them in a foil pack. Same as in the oven, you can't really overcook them.
    Try broccoli and brussels sprouts. Those seem to be my two favorites for roasting. But I also like mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, etc...
    Good luck!
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
    Experiment. Add different veggies to your boxed foods. Make it a point to try a new veggies every week and prepare it different ways.
    Figure out if it's the taste or the texture or both of the ones you hate then figure out how to eat it in a way that it more palatable for you. For instance, I can't stand raw tomatoes. I can eat them stewed or roasted and absolutely love them sun-dried. I dislike sweet potatoes with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows but sliced and roasted with chili and lime is divine.

    I disagree that you have to learn to choke them down. After all, you could always buy one of those cookbooks that teaches you to puree different veggies and hide them in different foods you cook.
  • Renee2GetFit
    Renee2GetFit Posts: 162 Member
    Thank you all for your post. As several suggested, I just need to do it and find a way to enjoy them. Guess I'll try buying a bunch of different veggies and try cooking them in different ways to see if I can find ways that I will like them.
  • i think in order to starting liking things, you need to change the way you are looking at food. currently you are eating a lot of processed carbs and fatty foods,with very little nutrional value: empty calories that make you gain weight. you probably feel inclined to eat more as you feel lethargic and tired?

    it might be an idea to get hold of a book called 'the nutrional bible' or something similar, so that you can see for yourself how deficient your diet is in fresh and nutritious foods, and how much better you will feel for over-hauling your diet and only putting things into yourself that are of some value to your body.

    if you do not enjoy veggies, try different ways to cook them using a bit of imagination: for example, start with half a tablespoon of olive oil and crisp up courgettes (zucchini) with garlic and peppers, then add a splash of water and well fitting lid to finish off with steam. or do similar with sesame oil but use finely chopped ginger and chili as well as the garlic, add mushrooms as well as the other veggies and some beansprouts, and soy sauce and lime juice at the end and eat with (a weighed portion of) rice.

    you can also do stuff like boil or steam carrots or cabbage, then when cooked use the tiniest amount of reduced fat spread and stir in some caraway seeds, which add a great flavour, then serve up with your favourite grilled meat or substitute and baked potato or rice, quinoa, couscous, or whatever.

    you can make your lean meats interesting too; we often take a salmon fillet, cover with piri piri sprinkles (or cajun or jerk spices) cover with foil, bake for 25 minutes at 170C then add a squirt of lime or lemon, or sometimes if we have enough calories, get some light mayo and stir in lemon or lime juice, a bit or chili, or sometimes paprika or raw garlic, to make a tasty little dip.

    it sounds like you need to ditch the packets, and put some effort into your cooking and discover some lovely fresh tastes....and i hope you will never look back!
  • AllyCatXandi
    AllyCatXandi Posts: 329 Member
    Maybe sneaking them into your food? I hated vegetables as a child, and there were some which I would absolutely refuse to eat. So my mum would chop them up into teeny, tiny pieces and put them in her bolognese sauce. I never noticed them, and it was years before I realized she was even doing it!

    But like the other people suggested, it's good just to experiment with different ways of cooking them. You'll find a way you like eventually :)
  • ashesfromfire
    ashesfromfire Posts: 867 Member
    I never outgrew my childhood distaste for veggies - so I live off "green smoothies". If you dont like fruit it wont help you any. In your blender mix even parts fruits and veggies. carrots, kale, and spinach are really good options on the veggies - (iceberg lettuce is the WORST) mix with apples, blueberries, or pineapple, blend with ice and water (or skim milk) and you'll get a yummy breakfast and you cant taste the veggies at all
  • Just eat them and get over it. They are good for you, so suck it up. Find ones you can tolerate or prepare them differently.
  • rchiecuto
    rchiecuto Posts: 69 Member
    Just ****ing eat them. Seriously. Learn to choke them down. They are good for you. Not everything you stick in your mouth has to be rewarding and delicious.

    Can't stand ****ing cucumbers or carrots... gotta eat them though.

    rofl that was exactly what I was thinking
    only you're crazy for not liking cucumbers! :P
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    Same as you, hate veggies, hate salad ick! I am the worlds pickiest eater, since birth!
    I cant have a plain salad, its so boring and tastes like crap! I usually have a salad sandwhich, the bread masks the flavour. I use dressings, sauces, cheese ect.. I also hide my veggies in pasta sauces, omlettes, fried rices, juices, savoury bakes and in homemade pita pizzas.

    You just need to figure out what veggies you love and ones you hate.. then build a base around them and what you can make. Make sure you have a good multivitamin to suffice yourself as well.
  • cjstrong
    cjstrong Posts: 54
    you dont need vegetables at all on a diet. No big deal. Eat lean meats good fats and good carbs. You're over thinking it if you think you MUST eat veggies
  • jus_in_bello
    jus_in_bello Posts: 326 Member
    Eat whatever you want within your calorie limit...

    Also, http://ohsheglows.com/ has some good smoothies that mask the taste of veggies, juicing also is excellent at that.

    Mostly, you need to grow up. There are a lot of things we have to do as adults that we don't like, you just do it because it's the right thing to do. You need to decide if you want to be healthy/and fit or if you want to complain about not liking veggies and be somewhere between overweight and skinny fat for the rest of your life. I hated veggies once-upon-a-time, and my parents made me eat them anyway and by 15 I was a full blown vegetarian on and off for 5 years. You just have to power through it, eventually you learn to like them, you're given in to a mental block, stop, be positive and be an adult.
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    low calorie meats...50 calories per 2 oz of meat is the gold standard...i make sandwiches with 35 calorie a slice bread...bumblebee tuna is good, swanson chicken in a can, chicken breast are pretty good, hillshire farm makes pretty low calorie lunch meats in turkey and chicken, oscar meyer has ham lunch meats that are like 13 calories per square slice, the size of a peice of bread and 50 cals per 2 oz....learn to love coffee and diet sodas...3 ways i know for sure to add flavor with out adding calories is SOUR, SALTY and SPICY not all at the same time either

    I've lost 43 lbs in 48 days using these types of foods and exercising when ever possible...
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    Just ****ing eat them. Seriously. Learn to choke them down. They are good for you. Not everything you stick in your mouth has to be rewarding and delicious.

    Can't stand ****ing cucumbers or carrots... gotta eat them though.
    [/quote

    i agree
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Just ****ing eat them. Seriously. Learn to choke them down. They are good for you. Not everything you stick in your mouth has to be rewarding and delicious.

    Can't stand ****ing cucumbers or carrots... gotta eat them though.
    Yes let's make this into something we associate with nasty things by just "f****ing choking them down." If you don't like it, you don't like it. If you haven't tried it, then try it before judging. Personally I hate salad because I think lettuce tastes like grass, I'm not about to eat one just because it's healthy. I'll find an alternative I like and will want to eat, thanks.
  • davidlaplante
    davidlaplante Posts: 9 Member
    It will take 2-4 months for your tastebuds and body to fully adapt to liking/preferring the taste of veggies. You're body will adapt - but it will take some time. Stick with it. You'll be surprised in 4 months how a red pepper tastes like candy. Or a fresh tomato. Organic tastes better pretty much always.

    Go paleo. Strive to work your way to eating 100g of carbs, no more and watch the pounds melt away. (As long as you kick the wheat!)

    We enjoy all the butter, grass-fed beef, and nitrate-free bacon we can stuff ourselves with. As long as you're 100g carbs or less you can drench those veggies in KerryGold butter.

    Buy a blood glucose monitor and start testing. By making a game of trying to get your blood sugar down (from the carbs) you'll distract your brain with the desire (and dopamine) of trying to achieve something other than just weight loss which can be slow and unrewarding.

    Gaming your food for immediate results on your blood sugar is more rewarding and gets you to the same goal with more dopamine hits along the way. And the bottom line is that while you may wish to slim down for looks, it's making sure you're not headed towards diabetes that really matters. A few extra pounds may hurt your ego, but diabetes will kill you (slowly) and cost you lots of $$$$.
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    Pine apple is so yummy and only like 120 cals for 1/2 pineapple...strawberries...blue berries...cantolope...cherrys are good....try eating tomatoes...

    i lost 43lbs in 48 days eating foods like these
  • cburky911
    cburky911 Posts: 89 Member
    V8 Fusion Light
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    Butterball turkey bacon is a great alternative to pig bacon...the ultra thin slices are 30 cals for 2 slices and the regular thickness slices are 25 cals per 1 slice...if you love bacon eat turkey bacon

    i lost 43lbs in 48 days eating these foods
  • halobender
    halobender Posts: 780 Member
    Wow, I think a lot of you guys are taking this a little overkill.

    Whatever, that said, I'm here to second ohsheglows.com and her green smoothies. It's how I get my veggies in because, generally, I don't really care much for most vegetables, and the ones I do like aren't ones of substance.

    So I make a smoothie with the following ingredients:

    1 cup spinach
    1 cup bananas
    1/3 cup carrots
    1/2 cup broccoli
    2 tablespoons peanut butter
    1 cup rice milk
    1/2 cup cantaloupe
    1/2 cup blueberries
    1/2 cup raspberries
    1/2 cup strawberries

    It tastes great and it does pretty well at getting your fruits and veggies in :) I make them for people all the time and, while they may look kinda gross sometimes (especially if you blend the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries too much ... I like for them to be a little chunky still; also if they're fully blended it'll be brown), but they taste great and give you energy.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i agree with low carb. it's what i do. you don't NEED to eat vegetables, but after eating meat and eggs for a few days, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash look really delicious.

    you should look up different ways to cook vegetables. most people boil them to death, and yea, that's nasty.
    roast or sautee them! so much better.
    if you don't know how to cook.. well you have the internet to teach you! feel free to message me as well. i cook from scratch a lot.

    you could also try using mild veggies and fruits to make smoothies.

    also, don't eat too many carby products like pasta, rice, potatoes.

    good luck!
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    Wow, I think a lot of you guys are taking this a little overkill.

    Whatever, that said, I'm here to second ohsheglows.com and her green smoothies. It's how I get my veggies in because, generally, I don't really care much for most vegetables, and the ones I do like aren't ones of substance.

    So I make a smoothie with the following ingredients:

    1 cup spinach
    1 cup bananas
    1/3 cup carrots
    1/2 cup broccoli
    2 tablespoons peanut butter
    1 cup rice milk
    1/2 cup cantaloupe
    1/2 cup blueberries
    1/2 cup raspberries
    1/2 cup strawberries

    It tastes great and it does pretty well at getting your fruits and veggies in :) I make them for people all the time and, while they may look kinda gross sometimes (especially if you blend the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries too much ... I like for them to be a little chunky still; also if they're fully blended it'll be brown), but they taste great and give you energy.

    Peanut butter will murder your food diary...its like 120 cals per tablespoon...even light peanut butter is super high in calories..

    i lost 43 lbs in 48 days..only ate peanut butter once and i saw what it did to my food diary and will never do it again
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