Help with veggies please!

bonjovi27
bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to eat more vegetables. I was never "forced" to eat them as I was growing up, and I have realised over the last few years that they are essential for part of a balanced diet etc. They are also good when I am trying to lose weight, as they fill me up so much!

My problem is that I don't like pretty much any green vegetable. I have tried to like them, by eating a bit every day for 2 weeks or so. I eat a lot of carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, onions and corn.

Basically, I just want some advice. Is it ok not to eat green vegetables? Is my diet still balanced enough without them? Any suggestions for hiding them (other than soup/stew etc)? Any good recipes?

Thanks!

(Also, I know it sounds really stupid that it's just green vegetables I don't like. I have tried lots though! Peas, spinach, lettuce and broccoli to name but a few! I just cant get past the "green" taste...)

Replies

  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    if you don't like them don't eat them. I don't eat a lot of veggies other than salad because I live by myself and they tend to go bad before I can eat them. I do buy frozen peppers, cauliflower, and spinach but that's pretty much it. it hasn't affected my progress. not eating green veggies won't affect yours either as long as you meet your other nutrient goals.
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    don't eat for taste. eat for health and for fuel. Green veges are great for antioxidants, fibre etc. But as long as you get some veges!
  • angelatjones16
    angelatjones16 Posts: 34
    Have you tried V8 juice?
  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
    Thanks!

    @Hayley: I guess I want to like them. Otherwise I wouldn't worry too much.
    @Fiona: When I say I don't like them, I mean I REALLY can't stand them! :tongue:

    I am getting bored of the vegetables I usually eat, and want to expand my taste palate.

    Also does anyone have suggestions of other colours of vegetable to try?
  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
    @Angela: What is V8 juice?
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
    Try juicing some of them....I eat a ton of green vegetables, but hate kale so I will juice it and hide that raunchy flavor. You can also put spinach in a smoothie and not even really know it is there if you blend it enough. Good luck with this.
  • atiana19
    atiana19 Posts: 94 Member
    make a smoothie with bannana kale ice and fresh berries with almond milk..try a little greens at first and work your way up ..my kids hardly know that its in there
  • tlou5
    tlou5 Posts: 497 Member
    Have you tried putting spinach or zuccini in pastas and soups? That will green things up for you and maybe hide the taste if that is what you don't like...
  • morticia16
    morticia16 Posts: 230 Member
    Also does anyone have suggestions of other colours of vegetable to try?

    red bell pepper or beets, purple eggplant or cabbage, yellow string peas or summer squash? the options are endless :)
  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
    I wase same way - I was never "forced" to eat anything, so I grew up with a pretty limited palate. Keep trying different veggies, and also the way they are cooked.

    Really, as it turns out, I just haven't liked the ways I've HAD the veggies in the past. Luckily for me, my Hubby is a professional chef and he will tell me - "I know you say you don't like tomatoes, but just try this..." and he's almost always right! It's because of him that I discovered I really love asparagus (roasted in a pan lightly drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper), and spinach (sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil, pepper, and fresh garlic).

    What about salsa on a baked potato? I also make my own salad dressing that has some veggies in it - once they're pulsed up together in the blender, it's delicious! There's bound to be something out there you like.
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
    Are you eating fresh vegetables? Fresh are so different from frozen and canned in terms of taste and texture that it's sometimes hard to believe they started life the same way. And you can do a lot of things to make them taste good - soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar are all excellent ways to change the taste of nearly any green vegetable.

    Edited to add: leafy greens are an important source of a wide range of micronutrients. I dont' know if you can get them from other vegetables, although I'm sure someone here will know.
  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
    Thanks so much for the help! :flowerforyou:

    I'm going to try ALL of these option! :happy:

    I especially like the idea of putting all of the greens in a blender. One question though, what should I put into a smoothie, and what really doesn't work?
  • Sweetestthing87
    Sweetestthing87 Posts: 276 Member
    I add greens to my meals, cooked inside.

    Saute baby spinach and add to spaghetti with other veggies.
    *baby spinach
    *mushrooms
    *brocoli
    *squash
    *zucchini

    See, you could sneak in 2 green vegetables in spaghetti/lasagna

    I also like greens worked into eggs/omelets! Taste isn't really there.

    Fresh is best.
    Favs on the grill: Sugar Snap peas, Fresh Cut green beans (French), Squash, Zucchini

    Good luck...for me I LOVE GREENS!!! I think I learned to love them though because I wasn't always a fan.
  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
    @MissJanet: I try for fresh as often as I can, but I live on my own, so some food would go bad too soon. In this case, I use frozen. I agree though! Fresh carrots, for example, are so much nicer than the ones that come from a jar!
  • rebeccask
    rebeccask Posts: 140 Member
    add them into things. like spinach in an omelette. or make a stir fry of the vegetables (and meat) you do like and add in a leaf of kale. spices/seasoning can help too.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I like pureed spinach in tomato sauce over pasta. With the garlic, tomato and Italian spices you don't taste the spinach too much.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    @Angela: What is V8 juice?

    Liquid sodium ...... this is basically vegetable juice, tomato, carrot, celery, etc. If you like tomato juice you'll probably like it.

    Re: hating green veggies. You might start by incorporating them in casseroles & dishes where they are not the main focus.

    Lasagna ... with a little spinach thrown in.

    Dress your sandwiches with a few spinach leaves. With all the other flavors.... you'll get used to it.

    Potato soup .... add a few broccoli spears or some sliced celery

    Stir frys ....add (mostly) veggies you do like. Throw in some bok choy (this is green & white...you cut the green off) ....very mild flavor..... or a bit of broccoli.

    Roasted veggies really have a different flavor. Roast (mostly) cauliflower & some broccoli.... toss with olive oil & garlic .... bake. Roasted carrots & parsnips. Parsnips look like white carrots ..... taste a lot like carrots too.

    Green beans (FRESH) ...... mmmm. This is the time of year for them. I like a firmer texture. Canned are just mush.

    Grilled veggies are good .... when you add onions & peppers, those are strong flavors and will come thru .... much stronger than aparagus for example.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    @Angela: What is V8 juice?

    Liquid sodium ...... this is basically vegetable juice, tomato, carrot, celery, etc. If you like tomato juice you'll probably like it.

    They make low sodium V8, ya know. Although the potassium level is so high in V8 (regular) I don't know why the sodium would be a concern. In fact, low sodium V8 is my go-to choice for getting rid of bloat after a high sodium meal.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I put cooked spinach in my spaghetti and told the kids it was basil. If you make protein shakes, you could add fresh spinach to that, and you shouldn't be able to taste it. Adding some banana would definitely hide the taste. You could try making kale chips (there's a recipe or 10 in the Recipes forum).
  • shellsan
    shellsan Posts: 11 Member
    To echo what others said, a good tactic is to make the veggies taste not like veggies. This is the age old trick of moms who use broccoli as a delivery vehicle for cheese, hehe. I can usually sneak in a cup or two of spinach just by sauteing it with some onions and garlic and then scramble eggs into it for breakfast. There are also tricky ways to completely disguise the taste of "green" with delicious fresh fruits in smoothies. I find salads mega boring but honestly some roasted green veggies like asparagus with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper is delicious. I think another key tactic is to get high quality produce that has some snap and life left to it.

    If all that fails, I've seen "green powder" at the health food stores that in theory has a gajillion veggies dehydrated and powderized. You could mix this into a scramble, sauce or smoothie and maybe get away with it.

    You are right, veggies are important not just for weight lose but overall health. Find recipes that taste delicious to you and expand from there.
  • BronTonyRollyBeau
    BronTonyRollyBeau Posts: 37 Member
    V8 juice is a combination of vegies that are blended much the same way as fruit juice. It's been a while since I've had V8 juice but I actually liked it. My 2 year old Grandson had a kids meal from Subway recently and my daughter chose v8 juice for him. He loved it :) who says you cant get kids to like their vegies ? Lol
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    The V8 Fusion Juice is really good and pretty low calories. Or maybe drinking them mixed into a smoothie :)

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