Help! I hate most veggies!

It's best to eat the vegetables because of the fiber, but if you don't like the taste, at least drinking is better than nothing. I personally like V8 V.Fusion juice, and it has a serving of fruit and vegetable in one glass. If you have a juicer of your own, you might try making your own juices. I like carrot and apple juice.

You should look up different recipes for vegetables too. You might find you like vegetables more if they're cooked a certain way. For instance, I love roasted asparagus with evoo and a little garlic power. I also like eggplant parmesan, which can be made baked instead of fried. You could also try the trick of hiding veggies in other foods. If you like spaghetti sauce, try chopping up other vegetables into little pieces and putting them in there.

seasonings are key, like for Brussels sprouts, I cut them in half, take 1-2 tsp of olive oil and a varity of spices, garlic powder, lemon and pepper, what ever you like and toast them.....its very good, even my kids eat it!

How many have you actually tried? Have you tried them raw and cooked alike? If you don't like them cooked, is it because they were overcooked?

If you haven't eaten a wide variety in the past, try to make it a point each week to try out a new veggie. Look up different ways to prepare it. Play with different seasonings. Make it something fun. :happy: You may want to try approaching veggies again that you tried in the past and decided that you didn't like. If you try something now and don't like it, just move onto something different next week.

Also, looking at veggies in a positive light helps. It sounds nuts, but tell yourself you're going to like the veggies and they are wonderful because they are so good for you. If you tell yourself that eating them is torture, it always will be.

Yes, I do like V-8. I drink it every morning where most people would have a glass of orange juice. It does have a bit of fiber in it, which is good. My only caution about V-8 is the sodium content. Try picking up the low sodium if you can. You'll get used to the difference in taste after drinking it a few times.

Green Giant makes awesome tasting lil boxes of veggies. They make one especially that has black beans, carrots, sugar snap peas in butter sauce and it comes in a bag packaged in a lil box. Very yummy! So you just have to pop the bag in the microwave and you're set. Very good. They also have the steamer bags and the meal bags. I buy them a lot and it saves a lot of prep time and my family loves them as well.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/Products/Green-Giant/Products.aspx

i used to not like vegetables much - it was mostly because i had a taste for salty and sweet things.

you may find that your distaste for vegetables would change once you try them very fresh and in season. i don't even bother with vegetables from the grocery store except for the occasional onion when i'm totally out of them.

i hated broccoli until i had it from my farmer. same with tomatoes & beets. it's almost as if the vegetables sold in grocery stores are simply doppelgangers. they're often much older than farm-fresh (even if the label says otherwise) and have lost a number of their nutrients before you even get them to plate.

also, there are far more vegetables than you can imagine, so the first step is to try them with home made dips. find one you like, then add that to everything else you eat for a while...

if you tell me what kinds of things you *do* like to eat, maybe i can find a good starter vegetable dish for you?

I don't know where you live, but now is a great time to venture into vegetables because they are so fresh. Find a Farmer's Market in your community and buy your veggies there. And, then - like a lot of people have already said - seasoning is the key. Sometimes I steam my veggies in beef or chicken broth (low sodium of course) depending on what the protein is I am having. Adds tons of flavor to the vegetables. But, make sure that you don't overcook - should barely be fork tender.

My boyfriend and I aren't huge on veggies, so we puree a lot of them and hide them in foods, like sauces, etc. It may be exactly the same as eating them, but at least we're still getting them into our bodies. Roasted veggies pureed makes an awesome spaghetti sauce!

This brings me back to my childhood he he I used to HATE veggies with a vengence :explode: there were many fights at the dinner table especially with the peas :laugh:

I have to say now I like quite a few but I know what it is like when you don't :blushing: I took a look around and found this which might give you a few ideas :flowerforyou:

Try out new methods:

Remember, that some vegetables can be disguised in meals -

* Grate carrots or zuccini into curries or stews.
* Mash white beans into minced beef.
* Blend vegetables and add to pasta sauce.

Experiment with different styles of cooking -

* BBQ, or roasted vegetables taste very different to boiled, or steamed vegetables.
* Try eating your vegetables raw for extra variety, and crunch.
* For quick cooking options, vegetables can be microwaved in a little water.

Also

Here are 8 techniques and tips I used to like vegetables. Try them yourself—you just might be surprised.



Say no to plain vegetables. One of the main reasons people don't like vegetables is because they try to eat them plain. If you're new to eating healthy, this is one of the worst things you can do! Most people don't have the taste buds for a plate of steamed broccoli or spinach. And why should you have to suffer through that for the sake of your health? The thing I did most when I started eating healthier was put vegetables into things I already ate: broccoli mixed in with macaroni and cheese, chopped carrots mixed in with seasoned rice mixes, and frozen spinach added to a can of soup are just a few examples. This is a great way to introduce veggies into your diet, where the flavors of the other foods you eat them with help them taste better and less noticeable. Start by adding small amounts of veggies to your standard meals, and as your taste buds adapt, you can add more and more.

Mix your food. If you're one of those people who neatly puts your food into distinct piles on a plate, never mixing them up, then you might hate this idea. I'm not one of those non-food-mixers myself. Most of my meals get mixed up into one big jumble, and while it doesn't look pretty, it sure tastes good. This is similar to the tip above, incorporating veggies into dishes you already eat. But sometimes you can't just add a helping of peas to, say, a turkey burger. But served as a side, you can mix bits of veggies on your plate with the other main dishes—to add flavor and mask the taste if you don't like it.

Add some flavor. When cooking vegetables, it usually takes just a little bit of flavor to make them more appetizing. I'm not a fan of plain vegetables either. I don't think many people are. But you can add flavor (and nutrition) to raw veggies with healthy dips like hummus (great with carrots, celery, sliced peppers, cucumbers and more) or your favorite salad dressing (yep, it works for things other than salads). When cooking vegetables, most taste great with just a little salt, pepper and garlic. But I find that sautéed onions and garlic make just about anything taste good, so I often cook those first and then add some vegetables to the mix, which brings me to my next point.

Learn how to cook! I've had to teach myself how to cook as an adult. I come from a family of…whatever word exists to describe the opposite of a chef. Cooking has become quite a hobby for me and it's surprisingly fun, relaxing, entertaining and interesting. So how'd I learn to cook? Mostly by trial and error. But I can't take all the credit. I read books and magazines and would call my cooking friends to ask how to prepare a random vegetable that I bought at the store. Little by little, you'll pick up knowledge and learn how to make food taste (and look) great. Even if it doesn't come out perfectly, you'll still learn what NOT to do, and that's a step in the right direction.

Try, try again. Most of you are probably parents who have to deal with picky eaters on a regular basis. What most feeding experts will tell you is that a child has to try a food several different times before they might being to like it. What's true for kids is the same for adults. There are foods that I swear I hated my entire life that now, I really like. I just kept trying them in new ways, in different combinations, etc. I used to think I hated strawberries because I had never had a strawberry that I ever liked. But a couple years ago, I was on a mission to find that perfect strawberry, because I just knew I'd like it if I just found a good one. And what do you know—I did. And in the process I learned that, to me, organic tastes best. And so does freshly picked berries in summer (when they're at the peak of freshness and flavor), so I only eat them then. I also learned what color they should be to taste perfect. This is just one example of how you can't write off a food, especially if it's been a very long time since you last tried it.

Learn the seasons. Seasonal food is fresher, healthier, and all around better tasting. Strawberries in winter and pumpkin in summer doesn't make much sense, even if you find it in the grocery. Go to your farmer's market and talk to the growers of all things green. They'll tell you what's good and how to eat it too.

Look for veggie-packed dishes when dining out. Restaurants sure know how to make anything taste good, and that applies to vegetables too. Think outside the box. Order a vegetable side dish or a vegetarian meal instead of your usual meal. I learned that even though it looks weird and kinda gross, I sort of like eggplant sandwiches. I haven't learned how to make them on my own yet, but a local restaurant sure does a good job, so I'm leaving it to them.

Do some reading. I recommend the following resources to help you love veggies a little more.

Read more: http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=learn_to_love_vegetables_8_tips#ixzz0tOZxTAhx

* Vegetarian Times Interestingly, most of their subscribers aren't vegetarians—just people interested in eating more vegetables or healthy food in general. I adore this magazine, which is more than just recipes. It's chockfull of cooking techniques and tips, interesting bits of information about food, and a super eco-friendly spin. I'd recommend it to anyone interesting in eating healthier.

* Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison I recently picked up this cookbook, but like the magazine above, it's far more than recipes. Learn cooking tips, food preparation techniques, and all sorts of useful kitchen information, such as how to cook and prepare beans, homemade bread and seasonal foods.

* In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan Need inspiration to eat more plants? Look no further.


Read more: http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=learn_to_love_vegetables_8_tips#ixzz0tOaEiPGA

Yesterday I bought a calabaza........some sort of squash.......we shall see!!

calabaza is spanish for the word "squash" there are hundreds of kinds of squash.. what does it look like?

in the summer we put squash in so many things. you can grill it, roast it, bake it. you can also eat the male squash flowers > stuff them with rice, herbs and cheese, dip in egg, pan fry in a small amount of oil. super yum.

our favorite way to eat summer squash is to slice it (about 1/8"), add a tbs of butter, 1/4c milk and a tbs of flour. toss with fresh thyme and bake for about 20m. seriously, one of the best ways i've ever eaten it.

for aging squash, i make squash breads > zucchini bread, patty pan bread, crookneck bread... doesn't matter what kind of squash.

Or grew up eating them out of a can. My mom actually fed me a wide variety of fresh vegetables when I was a kid but she would put canned peas in casseroles and they don't resemble fresh (or even frozen peas) at ALL. I thought I didn't like peas for a long time.

my mom was a "can" cooker - awful! i still can't eat mashed potatoes (never once had them fresh as a child); hated hated hated green beans (canned green beans are so disgusting) until i started buying them fresh from the grocery, now i am so spoiled i can't even eat grocery store green beans! straight from the vine or nothing!

it's amazing how different things taste when they're fresh. just like it should be.

If you like mashed potatoes, here is a great recipe that is healthier (and tastes great!) It uses cauliflower for some of the potatoes (and you can't even taste the cauliflower, it doesn't have much taste anyway).

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-smashed-potatoes-94480.aspx


Trying to think of what is in season in TN right now. I know tomatoes (Ripley tomatoes! Yum!), squash, zucchini. I think I need to take a trip to the Farmer's Market tomorrow to see!

bump

I didn't read through all the replies, so sorry if someone else already mentioned this.

I just bought this book to help my kids eat veggies. It basically is a cookbook that camouflages vegetables in recipes so you don't know they're there. It hasn't arrived yet so I can't speak for the taste.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762430753/ref=oss_product

She also wrote one for adults

http://www.amazon.com/Sneaky-Chef-Kitchen-Hiding-Healthy/dp/0762433205/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3

I did it!! I bought all different kinds of fresh veggies today! I roasted, broccoli, cauliflower, and some kind of little thin green beans. I seasoned them with all diff kinds of stuff and they were not half bad. My son loved them. I didn't even know he liked them.

Way to go! Keep trying new things and I'm sure you'll find a number of vegetables that you like. Think about checking out a vegetarian cookbook or two to give you some ideas for ways to prepare veggies you know you like and also introduce you to ones you aren't familiar with. I say vegetarian just because I'm guessing that those will typically have more vegetables featured in them. :happy: They also typically have lots of bean and whole grain recipes too.