Raw Veggies

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kdg0189
kdg0189 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to incorporate more raw veggies in my diet. I love vegetables when they are cooked and have no problem eating them, but I don't care too much for raw ones. Does anyone have any suggestions to make raw veggies more appealing?

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Why do you want to eat something you don't like? The only suggestions I have for making them more palatable is to use dips, guac and hummus in moderation. Or, a lower fat dressing. I love the Bolthouse farms Yogurt dressings. 45 calories for 2T of ranch. You could also load up a salad with all sorts of raw veggies.

    Also, try branching out, not just the usually, broccoli, carrots, celery, etc. I love raw mushrooms, bell peppers (all colors), zucchini and squash. My current raw veggie snack love is snap peas in the pod. Yum.
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
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    Why do you want to eat something you don't like? The only suggestions I have for making them more palatable is to use dips, guac and hummus in moderation. Or, a lower fat dressing. I love the Bolthouse farms Yogurt dressings. 45 calories for 2T of ranch. You could also load up a salad with all sorts of raw veggies.

    Also, try branching out, not just the usually, broccoli, carrots, celery, etc. I love raw mushrooms, bell peppers (all colors), zucchini and squash. My current raw veggie snack love is snap peas in the pod. Yum.

    I second all of this! Hummus is great, but I also love my high calorie salad dressing-I just use a very small portion of it! Cottage cheese can also be good for dipping. Find veggies you do like raw and load up on those, like I eat raw green beans all the time which some people find strange.
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
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    green smoothies, great way to get an ample serving of raw spinach, tomato, carrots, green peppers, apples. If you want it to taste like desert, spinach, tomato, carrots, banana, fresh pineapple
  • bcorbin34
    bcorbin34 Posts: 13 Member
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    Salads are a great way to eat more vegatables there are lot of great summer salads you can make. Cucumber salads, brocoli salads are nice options and go well with grilling on the BBQ in th warmer weather.

    I also agree with below, using humus or a light dressing is a nice additive. Personaly if you haven't tried sugar nap peas I recomend those plane, they are really yummy if you get some fresh ones. Good luck
  • RandomMiranda
    RandomMiranda Posts: 298
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    Hummus!!! Or a little balmamic vinegar, especially with cucumber or red peppers.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
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    Buy Sabra Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt dip and dip anything in it. Favorite raw snacks: asparagus, green beans, carrot sticks
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    oh.....this isn't what I thought...........maybe carrots and celery.....
  • spottieottie23
    spottieottie23 Posts: 1 Member
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    Sometimes for a dip I just take nonfat greek yogurt and stir in some salt, pepper, and whatever other spices I feel like - paprika, garlic powder, dried parsley, etc. You can make any sort of dip you want with the yogurt as a base.
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
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    I want to incorporate more raw veggies in my diet. I love vegetables when they are cooked and have no problem eating them, but I don't care too much for raw ones. Does anyone have any suggestions to make raw veggies more appealing?

    i know this is going to sound odd... but... just eat them. after a few weeks, you'll likely start to really appreciate the taste.
    obviously avoid stuff you can't stand (i dislike celery and radishes intensely, for example) but if it's a vegetable you like cooked, in most cases, you'll like it raw too once you get used to it. there are vegetables i used to dislike quite a bit, but i effectively taught my system to like them, simply by getting past the initial barrier and then (surprisingly quickly) 'acquiring' a taste for them.

    -try a wide assortment. fresh snap peas, for example, are ridiculously good. if you try new veggies, you might find ones that you love that you didn't know about
    -quality. there's a distinct correlation between quality and taste. this is very obvious with lettuces, tomatoes, etc, but extends to all.
    -combine something you want to like with something you do like. make a snack bowl with, say, some spinach and blueberries. you don't need to combine them in your mouth, but snack on them together. this will help you get through the raw spinach, and give you time to acquire the taste. (raw spinach is one of my favorites, actually)
  • esballet
    esballet Posts: 51 Member
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    Nonfat greek yogurt mixed with salsa is a good, very low calorie dip option... you could eat a whole cup of it for 100 calories. And it's yummy and full of protein and calcium!
  • tangee22
    tangee22 Posts: 2
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    If you are not a fan of raw veggies and you want to eat more knowing they are healthy and low-fat, make sure you start with the simple stuff and it is VERY fresh. I love fresh raw veggies, but the second they start tasting bitter, it is time to toss them or put them in soup or cook them.

    My advice would be--start with a veggie you love cooked and try it raw. You might even start by simply adding more raw veggies to a salad, using less lettuce and more veggies. Make sure to season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. You could even make veggie salads with nothing but cucumber, peppers, carrots, tomato, etc. and add salt, pepper and a little balsamic vinegrette (spelling???).

    Good luck!!!

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