do i have to eat fruit & veggies?

Options
13»

Replies

  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Options
    I don't eat much fruit. But I eat a lot of veg. If you make them taste good, you can eat a LOT for few calories and they fill you up. My latest all time favorite is brussel sprouts sauteed in a little olive oil. One slice of bacon chopped to give it some smoky salty flavor (only 35 calories). Then right at the end of cooking a splash of red pepper sauce for a dash of heat. It is SO DELICIOUS! Almost a dessert!

    have you tried them roasted yet? (coat in olive or grapeseed oil, salt and pepper, pop them in the oven) It's like candy.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    Options
    You don't HAVE to... if you want gorge on your calorie amounts on candy bars. I'm sure you'll find it less satisfying and to create many problems down the road such as nutrient deprivation. You just need to reboot your taste buds. I used to hate veggies, and dislike fruit (only reason I tolerated fruit was because it was sweet) At first you'll eat them and maybe be like "bleck" but then you get this good feeling in your body, then after a couple more weeks, you just start to enjoy them. There's so many benefits to eating them compared to not! You can eat three times as many veggies compared to fries, much more filling. There's an ENDLESS supply of ways to cook or prepare veggies and fruit, and you just feel better through out.

    Trust me, it takes time to enjoy them. Start off slow then work your way around. Find one you like and focus on that then try to mix it with something new. I'm about to try to find a way to eat brussel sprouts, I've hated them my whole life, but I want variety and to be healthy so I'm willing to try it.

    Another thing, "low cal foods" might be low in calories, but I gurantee very high in sodium and/or fats and/or sugars. Those play a vital part in your nutrition as well. It's not just about losing weight and getting skinny, it's about getting healthy.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Options
    some people dont like eating healthy.
    some people dont like being fat.
    some people dont like exercising.
    some people dont like being weak.
    some people dont like trying hard.
    some people dont like 'good enough'.

    Just pick which kind of person you are.

    The kind that complains about something it takes you less than a minute to eat cause you want lifelong benefits, or the kind of person that fights for the right to spend 28 seconds eating crap instead cause your tongue likes those 28 seconds.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Options
    Fruit Roll-ups!!!!
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Options
    Does your mother know about this?
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,732 Member
    Options
    Sometimes you just have to buck up and swallow it.
  • DutchFrancis
    DutchFrancis Posts: 55 Member
    Options
    If you don't like to eat veggies with your diner or fruit like it is, you could try Green Smoothies (I've added a few recepies already in the database). You make them with fresh fruit and some raw leaf-vegetables (lettuce, spinac, celery or any other green leaf-vegetable) in a blender with some water and you'll have a really nice, sweet tasting and healty smoothie (really, just try it, especially with some extra fruit you will taste the fruit more than the vegetables).
    I make about a litre in the morning and have 2 or 3 servings as breakfast and drink one or two during the rest of the day with my lunch or as a snack.
    If you just start with them add only 100 to 150 gram vegetables (and start with iceberglettuce, that doensn't have a very distinct taste) and 2 pieces of fruit and when you get the taste of it you can start experimenting with all kinds of fruits/veggies and other ingredients (spices for instance... a little cinnamon in your apple/lettuce smoothie for instance), add some extra veggies and maybe drop 1 piece of fruit to cut back on the sugars. I will add more recepies in time and you can also find lots of really tasty recepies on the internet.
    It only takes a few minutes to make them and because you 'eat' the veggies raw it's even healthier than when you cook them.

    As others have said, you can lose weigth without them but you will defenately miss some important nutritiants and vibers in your diet.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Options
    Fruits are easy: I juice mine, pop in a straw, and drink away (occasionally with a bit of vodka flavoring, LOL)

    With vegs, I used to HATE them all, except corn and potatoes. I started one at a time, finding ONE way I could eat them (e.g., broccoli doused in cheese). Yes, not always the most healthy place to start, but over time, I learned to love them (except cauliflower. just eww.) and now eat them NOT doused in cheese sauce. Roasted broccoli, just browned, olive oil & sea salt...heaven. I recently cut eggplant like chips & baked with a bit of olive oil & sea salt: felt like I was eating potato chips, only WAY better. I would dice things up real tinytinytiny and sneak them into other foods...you just have to be creative. Used to hate tomatoes: now I salt and eat plain. All vegs are way better when I grow them though, fresh IS best (plus gardening is a hard workout).

    ETA: I write this as I sip today's juice: 2 carrots, 3 apples, 2 pears, ginger, aloe, and a cup of grapes. YUMMY. This after having some Taco Bell. You don;t have to be good ALL the time.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Options
    At some point, yeah, you're going to have to go there. I've lost 106 pounds pretty much trying to avoid it, but my calorie allotment keeps shrinking because I keep losing weight. On Weight Watchers, fruits/veggies are free - giving me incentive to eat them - but I'm still not a big fan of 'having to".

    It can be done without it, but it's going to make it all the harder if you don't.

    For what it's worth - and good luck!
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    Options
    I guess it depends on whether your goal is to just get thin or to get thin and live a long time to enjoy how great you look. Anyone can easily learn to prepare tasty vegetables. And fruit is easy. Mostly no prep at all. Your body will thank you.

    This^^^ Fruits and veggies have a ton of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that do amazing things for your body, and taking a pill to replace them is not the same. There are a lot of different kinds out there, you can probably find some that you like.
  • Ann1964x
    Ann1964x Posts: 76
    Options
    Roasted veggies are delicious. Try it.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    Options
    You'll still lose weight without them but you'll find fruits/veg have less calories than most other foods.. so you'll ideally be getting more food for less calories and they also have essential vitamins and minerals your body needs.

    There's gotta be some kind of fruit/veg you like! Just try incorporating some fruit and veggies into what you'd usually eat (they're really not that bad!) and I promise you you'll feel more energetic and alive!

    ^^THIS. Try them cooked, raw, pickled, whatever. I target five servings a day, which crowds out the carbs that I would otherwise binge upon.

    Plus they are high in fiber and good for your intestinal health. Your body can't absorb fiber so its expelled. Fiber helps grab onto the junk your body needs to get rid of in your gut and pass it. There are a lot of healthy great tasting recipes out there for fruits and veggies. When I first saw the subject line I had a flash back to my kids when they were 4 or 5 and complained that they didn't want to eat their veggies lol Now they can't get enough and love them.
  • iqnas
    iqnas Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    Roasted veggies are delicious. Try it.

    Do you know a good way to roast veggies? I know it's a silly question, but I like my veggies roasted, but haven't yet been able to find a decent way to get the right crispiness!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    Roasted veggies are delicious. Try it.

    Do you know a good way to roast veggies? I know it's a silly question, but I like my veggies roasted, but haven't yet been able to find a decent way to get the right crispiness!

    You can roast them at 350 for about half an hour or use the broiler and it's shorter. How long it takes really is a matter of which veggie and how big it is. I like roasted asparagus, but the length of time to get the right crispness depends on how thick or thin the stalks are. I just kind of keep an eye on it when it's in the oven. It's a trial and error thing, I guess.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Options
    I roast vegetables by cutting up a bit of garlic, spraying them with olive oil, adding some freshly cracked pepper and sea salt and roasting in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes. Crispy and delicious.

    I'm also a big fan of asparagus sautéed in a bit of real butter until nearly brown. Oh, and baked sweet potato fries. And fresh steamed green beans with almonds.

    I was raised on disgusting canned grayish-looking vegetables back in the 60s. What you can really do with fresh ones is entirely different and yummy. My mother never taught me any of that.

Categories