I want to eat healthy but I hate veggies.

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  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 557 Member
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    Quite a few people don't 'like' veggies because they take some prep time.
    Lack of know how or just lazy (me) whatever the reasons.
    Look up Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious.
    It is mostly about how to prepare and hide veggies almost anywhere.
    And only the cook knows they're there.

    As for dressings. The bottles are all labeled these days.
    Read the nutrition labels of your favourites, do some comparisons.
    Then decide if the flavour is worth the extra; fat, sodium , calories whatever.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
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    roast them, it makes them sweeter, and use coconut oil.

    If that is not appealing what about putting them in your smoothies with fruit. My post workout smoothie has a ton of kale but I also put in strawberries, honey, vanilla, etc in it and it makes the kale not exist....

    My DH hated most veggies and then I ate how his mom made them and I understood why he hated them. We roast 90% of the time and he now eats a ton.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
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    Okay. Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Although roasting them would mean taking some effort but I'll try it out. I'm curious, if I'm gonna have a green salad, what kind of dressing would have the least calories?

    Oh, and I love fruits btw so that's not a problem for me. :)

    it does not take much time, very little prep. Example tonight we are having roasted cauliflower and broccoli. You cut, wash, put in a bag or a bowl, put a bit of coconut oil and a bit of seasoning and in the oven. I cook it for 20 minutes while the other food is cooking or being prepped and done. I have this at dinner time. For lunches I make salads.... love salads.
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
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    I agree with grating and hiding. I am trying to teach my 6 year old to like veggies in different forms. She helps me make lasagna and actually mixes in the carrot and zucchini. I never used to like cooked carrot , but in a stew, mum was right, I couldn't taste it. Another idea is to challenge yourself to try a different veggie up to 5,10,15 times and in different ways. It can take you that long to decide if you really like them or not. Also to try the different ways of cooking them. For ease I use a lot of frozen veggies .the quality and price are great where I live. Just keep trying, I am sure you will find something you like.
  • brittknight828
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    Okay. Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Although roasting them would mean taking some effort but I'll try it out. I'm curious, if I'm gonna have a green salad, what kind of dressing would have the least calories?

    Oh, and I love fruits btw so that's not a problem for me. :)

    Most vinagrettes are typically the healthier choice to go with. When I'm at a restaurant, I'll order a vinagrette on the side when I can't read the nutrition labels. Since you're more of a fruit fan, I'd suggest going with something like a raspberry vinagrette. A little bit goes a long way since it's really thin...and it is so good! Add a few slices of apples, strawberries, walnuts-- you have yourself an easy, delicious salad. I've even been known to use a capful of bolthouse smoothies as a psuedo dressing when I had nothing else.

    I'm not much of a veggie fan either-- my husband makes fun of me for it. But the trick is to disguise them. Cook/mix them into things you won't taste-- omlettes, casseroles, smoothies, etc. Do you like mashed potatoes? My trick for mixed veggies (bleh!) is to stir them up in my mashed potatoes, then you can't even taste them. Veggies like onions, peppers, lettuce, spinach are great on sandwiches because they add crunch & aren't strong tasting.

    Hope this helps!
  • HSingMomto7Kids
    HSingMomto7Kids Posts: 345 Member
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    Any veggies you do like. Some veggies I don't like but I like broccoli and carrots with ranch dressing and a salad. I will admit I am really bad about eating them though.
  • jojorocksforeva
    jojorocksforeva Posts: 303 Member
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    Try Juicing, Them first of all than you might grow a taste for them, Than start eating them in whole Trust mee i used to think that veggies n fruits are not healthy for me, But know i know that they should be the main part of the diet,!
  • underwater77
    underwater77 Posts: 331 Member
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    have you tried juicing? you can mix with fruits.

    i do a kale, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, ginger, carrot, apple, cayenne pepper, lemon juice. packs a serious punch.
  • iceman7840
    iceman7840 Posts: 110
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    So don't eat veggies. I hate veggies and have lost every single pound without eating them.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Bump
  • GuruOnAMountain
    GuruOnAMountain Posts: 489 Member
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    Like you, I am largely a veggie hater! I have 'trained' myself to like some veggies eg. onion and especially red onion. I used to hate it and decided to try to accustom myself to it. Believe it or not, I used to do it by having a tiny little bit with something bland and carby like French fries or a potato and would cut up a tiny bit of onion and eat it with a big bit of the carby thing. Now I love raw red onion and eat it on anything that it goes with!

    Some other veggies I don't think I'd ever be able to like, though.

    Also, I second what someone else said about soups. I live in Scotland and during the cold winters, soup is a big part of our diet, especially in my house where my mum used to make MASSIVE pots of it. I loved lentil soup and ate it happily and it wasn't until I grew older and started making it myself I realised that it was pretty much just made up of carrots and leeks and lentils. Helps to food process the soup down once it's made, too, so you don't see any of the veggies in it.
  • Arianwyn_T
    Arianwyn_T Posts: 52
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    Okay. Thanks for the ideas, everyone! Although roasting them would mean taking some effort but I'll try it out. I'm curious, if I'm gonna have a green salad, what kind of dressing would have the least calories?

    Oh, and I love fruits btw so that's not a problem for me. :)

    I have a formula for making salads. For the base I usually use mixed baby greens or baby romaine (I know it's more expensive, but the fact that it's easier means I actually do it, rather than letting a head of lettuce go bad in the fridge). And personally I avoid iceberg lettuce, but the flavour is milder, so you might prefer it at first. That said, here we go:

    salad greens + fresh fruit + dried fruit + nuts + cheese + dressing

    and the dressing is either lemon juice or a balsamic vinegar (there are some beautiful flavour infused ones -- I'm lucky enough to have a specialty shop near me with things like "cinnamon pear" and "honey ginger" and "dark chocolate") Sometimes some olive oil as well if I can spare the calories.

    Some of my favourite combos are:

    pears, raisins/figs, pecans, blue cheese, balsamic

    strawberries, dried unsweetened cranberries, pine nuts, goat cheese, lemon juice

    blueberries, dried apricots sliced thin, pecans, feta, balsamic (the cinnamon one is really good here)

    avocado, dried figs sliced up, walnuts, grated caraway havarti, balsamic


    Pick a nice combo of add ons to go with your favourite fruit, and the lettuce just becomes a delivery method for something you love :)
  • munchie3511
    munchie3511 Posts: 64 Member
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    I've been drinking shakeology. It has 70+healthy ingredients. That's where I get my vegetables plus u can add your fav fruits in it. Now the weather is warmer, a great time for a healthy shake! :)
  • hockey7fan
    hockey7fan Posts: 281 Member
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    I use walnut oil drizzled on a salad for dressing. I really like the flavor. I only use about a teaspoon for a salad. It has a lot of flavor for just a little bit.

    I don't like most veggies either but I force myself to eat them. I don't mind salad with sweet butter lettuce, carrot, cucumber and tomato - I shred the carrot and dice up the cucumber really fine. I also like steamed green beans and don't mind steamed broccoli.
  • anniecrisis
    anniecrisis Posts: 20
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    One thing to bear in mind is whether it's taste or texture which bothers you: so many folks haven't a clue how to cook vegetables properly, and boil them to death in too much water, making them taste of...well, water really....

    So to get vegetables to taste good, don't dilute them! I will cook carrots very slowly in their own juice - the tiniest dab of butter in the bottomof a heavy pan (or oil if you prefer), at most a tablespoon of water, low heat and lid on - you do need to keep them moving around a little in the early stages. Other vegetables which cope with this sort of cooking include sweet peppers, mushrooms and leeks: they all contain enough water to provide the juice to stop them sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Roasting does the same thing, but I don't like cleaning roasting tins much, so prefer the "own juices" version on the hob.

    Then there are herbs, spices and condiments - my favourites for use in all sorts of cooking include garlic, chillis and balsamic vinegar, but I also use a lot of mustard, and garam marsala, even only a quarter of a teaspoonful, can also be used to boost flavour.

    Hiding works well too - when my kids were growing up and went through their phases of deciding they didn't like things, I'd chop those vegetables up small, or even blend them into tomato or cheese based sauces to eat with pasta or rice.

    Texture is a different problem - and I think harder to get round. I hated spinach as a child because it cooked down to a very slimy texxture, and peas or beans because of the tough skins. My daughter hates all the dried beans and lentils because of their floury texture. However, I can eat spinach raw, as a salad, and the lentils and beans have been hidden before in suitable sauces, providing I've not added too much ;). Certainly making sure that vegetables are not overcooked to a soggy, miserable squelchy mass can help some with the texture problem, and if you like the crunchier fruit, keeping your vegetables likewise on the crunchy side might be the way to go.
  • randilynn113
    randilynn113 Posts: 227 Member
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    I have this same problem - I don't like a single one, and according to my mom, it started when I was young when transitioning from the pureed foods to the next step up, foods with little chunks. I find that broccoli has such a strong taste, and I don't like the textures - texture is a biggie for me - it is nuts. I don't like the textures of peas, green beans, etc. I also don't like the "chunks" in foods such as tomato chunks in spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce. I don't like soups because the texture is weird to me. I know it sounds strange, but I don't care for it. I've tried raw veggies, I've tried steamed and cooked. I just think the taste is funky. I find that I gag on most of it. I wish I knew why. I force myself to eat them, and I've tried really hard to like them, as one of the posters said to "lear to like them, your body will crave them". I wish that were me!
    I also don't like fruit - it tasts way too sweet! (I don't drink juice or soda, and I don't like any candy or artificial flavored fruit snacks) It is difficult trying to eat a variety, and that is why I've become so heavy as I've found that I like plain rice, pasta, potatoes and breads --- really bland foods. I also like salty foods - and I hardly ever use spices because I don't like that strong taste.
    I will keep on trying - hoping that someday I just "like" them. Since the textures make me gag a little, I usually pass on veggies or salad when out or at work because it is embarrassing. I try them all at home.
    If anyone has any suggestions - let me know - I've also tried "hiding" them in things, but I always find myself not liking it anyway. Hopefully some of the mentioned things above will help - I haven't tried roasting anything yet. I also don't like sauces or dressings or condiments, so I just keep on doing things plain. Hopefully the OP gets some good ideas too! :smile:
  • pmteet
    pmteet Posts: 69
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    I am in the same boat! I have decided to hide the veggies in stuff. But I do think it is important to TRY and change taste. It will take awhile but I am hoping after a few months I will grow to like or at least not mind veggies. I do like them better roasted. I did add a very small amount of cheese.
  • rachaelbmh
    rachaelbmh Posts: 54
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    Start with the ones you like. Hide them in different recipes if you have to in order to learn to like their taste. Put greens into fruit smoothies so you taste more of the fruit. These are all tips that are helpful when you're retraining your palate to actually enjoy them. I am a veggie convert too!
  • MommaChocoLatte
    MommaChocoLatte Posts: 389 Member
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    Lightly steamed veggies are good too. I dont like overcooked veggies either, I like them brightly colored and still crunchy and I absolutely will not eat cooked carrots at all, no way no how.. but I will eat them raw.