Veggie Hater here - Help

maybe smoothies would be good for you- they look funny sometimes but you cant taste the veggies normally- i hate kale and broccoli but when i put them in a smoothie with blueberries and apples and maybe a few strawberries - some almond milk- i cant taste them- and i drink them with a straw out of a cup with a lid on it so i don't let my brain trick me into not liking it lol (because it actually tastes great)

definitely list what you cook so we can make better suggestions.

My husband is not a fan of veggies so I just puree them and hide them in whatever I can. Sauces are great for this!! Especially tomato-based sauces for pasta. Smoothies are another great way.

definitely list what you cook so we can make better suggestions.

I'm not much of a cook either - yep, was (past tense here coming up soon) married 23 years and the soon to be x-husband did all the cooking (or taking us out!) - and we ate mostly pizza, spaghetti and steak.

Right now I eat out almost 75% of the time... trying to "fix" that too. But, I like easy stuff - microwave, quick in the oven, etc. I have always seen the kitchen as a waste of time that could be spent reading, movie watching or playing with my pets!!!

Pizza. Spaghetti. Eggs. Bacon (yeah, who doesn't!). Soups. Sandwiches (when I am at home - I am the Queen of PBJ & grilled cheese via microwave). Cereal. Lean Cuisine and such meals. Salisbury steak. Lasagna. Note - not one of these is a "from scratch" item for me - all pre-packaged and ready to throw in the microwave. Spaghetti I do heat up the noodles and then the sauce - so that's why I was thinking of the "add squash to the sauce" that I had read ages ago!

Problem is - if it takes me more than 5 minutes to prepare... I lose total interest and slap together a PBJ and grab my book. (I am happy to report that I have discovered reading can be done while on the treadmill at the gym! :laugh: love my Kindle!). I like food, but not enough to spend forever preparing it... hence the going out to eat - someone else prepares and cleans up... I eat and read (this to me is a win-win!)

If you're really serious about upping your veggie intake you might have to start cooking. Try cooking things in big batches and freezing individual portions to save time.

BulletProof diet is your friend!

I hate veggies too. I think I only started eating "real" vegetables a few months ago when I decided that I should start eating healthy. As far as I remember, I just started incorporating a little amount of vegetables to my meal. And by little I meant, like really small amount like some strips of carrots or a tablespoon of peas, etc. etc.. Also, because I was an Asian and a meat lover, I eat those little amount of vegetables with rice and meat just so I don't taste the vegetable. After doing that for a few weeks, I tried increasing the amount of vegetables I eat, and now I went from eating no vegetable to eating 1-2 cups of vegetables every day.

This is going to sound strange, but start a garden.

Pick things like squash and peppers if you live in an area that can handle them. There's something about having a hand in their coming to be that creates a bond with it.

After that, make things like veggie chili. It doesn't taste like a bowl of vegetables, but it is. When you make things like pastas with red sauce try a red pepper substitute for the marinara. It's not the same, it has a spicier flavour, but it'll help get you used to trying vegetables in a non-salad setting.

That's the kind of thing I'm doing with a friend of mine who insists that all vegetables are gross. Her parents never made her get used to eating them, so she never developed a taste for them. Obviously neither you nor she are ever going to like ALL of them, but it'll be easier to find some you do like if you keep trying different things with an open mind. I keep telling her that it's not that she doesn't like vegetables, it's that she hasn't met one that liked her back yet. You're likely the same.

I'll admit, I don't care much for salads either 99% of the time. Occasionally I feel like having one, but it's very rare.

I had to teach myself to like brussels sprouts. I hated them, we were enemies, but one day I decided that I was not going to let a mini cabbage looking thing defeat me (yes, that's really what went through my head. I go to a strange place when I get stubborn! :P ) so I bought a bag of frozen ones and decided to try one every day until I found a circumstance in which it didn't make me want to cry, or so help me. I got myself a bunch of sauces (and some tequila) and every day for a few weeks I tried one brussels sprout. Eventually, I discovered that soy sauce + brussels sprouts = edible for me. A lot of brussels sprouts ended up in the garbage disposal before that, though. Now they're not an issue and I can happily have a bowl of broccoli and brussels sprouts over rice with some soy sauce and we're good to go.

I know you don't want the "try it 'till you like it" answer, but it really is suggested so often because it really does work. On the other hand, you don't have to be boring with it. No idea if anyone else does this, but sometimes I get a taste in my mouth and I think "hmm... I bet ___ would go ok with that..." and try adding it to a recipe I already know I like. That's how I arrived at spinach being a really good addition to soup broths and pizza - I had a bag of frozen spinach and decided I wanted to get rid of it. Now, every day, I try adding a little bit to a recipe and I've found a few where spinach adds to the dish. A vegetable that previously I paid no mind to is now a pretty key player in my kitchen. It can happen, you just have to get creative with it. Use that vegetable like an artist would use paint, and your dish is your canvas. Some colours work, some don't, and you won't always know which ones work best where until you take the chance and go for it. There'll be bits you have to paint over, sure, but c'est la vie!

The poster that suggested starting a garden gives good advice. My husband also is picky with his vegies, but he will eat anything out of his own garden that he tenderly cared for and grew himself. Even tomatoes, which he usually cannot stand.

Juices and smoothies are also a good option. If you have a whole foods near you, go to their coffee counter and order a juiced drink to see if you like it. Try a few as some may be more to your taste. If you really like them, maybe invest in a good blender or juicer.

As far as the psychosomatic, you are probably on to something. And your comparisons to eating insects is right on. I wouldn't eat them because it would be psychosomatic and would gross me out. But, if it was well known that there was tremendous health benefits to eating insects, I would probably start trying to work through those issues, if possible.

Good luck to you and take it slow. Small changes are incremental and build up with time. Try not to put pressure on yourself and congratulate yourself for every little step taken.

zuccini and yellow squash have almost no taste. When I make chile or spagetti sauce, I cook them for a long time to blend the flavors (make sure there is extra liquid). About 15 minutes before eating put in lots of finely chopped squash--not pureed, but close. The squash disappears into the chile or spagetti sauce. Also when making ANY kind of soups, I puree a whole onion to cook in the sauce or stock. It adds huge flavor and is so good for you. Crockpot helps. And cornbread--if you can have the carbs, it is great for adding a LOT of the squashes to. They disappear in the bread. Just add less liquid, because they have a lot so when baking their liquid goes into the bread. I never thought of it, but maybe the cheese substitiue made from veges would be good to add to the cornbread.

Also like others mentioned, spinach in a smoothie or protein shake is untastable. Yep, it's green, but you CANNOT taste it. Start out with a small amount, then slowly add more each time. Sweet potatoe in a vanilla protein shake is awesome. Also believe, it or not...roated beets. I had a leftover beet that I chopped small and added to some leftover chicken salad. Now I always do! It was awesome and made the prettiest pink salad.

You can chop or puree the squashes, onions, and add to meat loaf or hamburger patties (also mushrooms). Makes your meat % stretch further and get your veges at the same time.

Will you eat celery with peanut butter or cream cheese? Celery is pretty flavorless. If you cannot eat veges after trying these tricks, then I actually suggest you try hypnosis. Maybe that can help you get past your aversion. You don't have to eat tons of them every day....and if you like fruit and can handles the sugars, then eat more fruit and a few veges.

I actually don't eat many right now because I am doing low carb, high fat, moderate protein. But I do intend to add mine back in when I drop my last 30 lbs. I am diabetic so I have to be careful with types/quantities of fruit and veges.

Good luck. Let us know if you try some of the suggestions and what works. I am just a curious type!

and I read your profile. Good luck with your new life changes. Stay active and love yourself. If you are not exercising at al lor much, maybe find some groups. A lot of community organizations and even churches have cheap or free exercises. My local church has zumba 3 times a week! Getting connected with other women, exercising, and laughing is great therapy when life takes a huge unexpected turn as has yours.! God bless you.

This post reminds me so much of myself when I first joined mfp. I woudn't eat any veggies except carrots - and only when mashed with butter. I eventually (and it has taken a long time) found a few veggies I enjoyed, but I still avoid anything green as a rule. This happened due to other people cooking for me when I shared accommodation and I got to try new things.

I now love love love carrots, just boiled, onions, peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato and parsnips. I've recently started to tolerate salad but only with some form of dressing (balsamic vinegar is good) but no cucumber or tomato.

I still find it hard to get veggies in my diet but I make an effort to try. I could sit and eat a full grilled pepper and onion with a bit of something else like chicken.

I genuinely thought that the only way for me would be blending it all in so I couldn't taste it but the sweeter veggies - Mainly root veggies are amazing. Get some friends together to cook, we used to alternate who would cook each sunday and its a great way to discover new foods.

(I had been forced to eat veggies as a child so I figure my dislike of them is psychological but i'm also discovering that different ways of cooking veg can bring out better flavours)