I hate healthy food.

LurveTheDoctor
LurveTheDoctor Posts: 303
in Recipes
I really do. I hate most vegetables.. lots of fruit.. I'm a SERIOUS picky eater. I guess my family never forced me to eat it as a kid and I just don't like it.

What are healthy ways to spice up your veggies? IMO it's not fair for me to force my kids to try a bite of veggies.. (they love them) before their main meal.. And me not eat any at all.

I need some ideas please!
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Replies

  • runningvegan
    runningvegan Posts: 65
    The best way to prepare them is just to roast them with a little olive oil or butter, salt and pepper.
  • piratesaregrand
    piratesaregrand Posts: 356 Member
    Ha! I've never eaten veges

    In the past week I've had pumpkin, swede, parsnip and beetroot for the first time ever.

    Using a mandolin I julienne each finely, mix up and dry fry, I then cook half a diced chicken breast and some pasta sauce. Top the veges with that, bacon sprinkles and cheese. Just tastes like pasta sauce to me.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    I know this sounds kind of goofy but next summer, plant some of your own with your kids, even in a container garden. I struggled with veggies until I learned how much I liked growing them and learned how good they tasted fresh and unprocessed right out of the garden! It totally changed me how I felt about veggies. It was fun to eat each in their own season. I also love going to farmers' markets. It's also fun to do with kids and it's educational. For me, simple is better and I just don't really like cooked veggies too much so I stick to raw.

    Tomatoes with balsalmic vinegar and olive oil is a fave of mine.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    Sauté them in bacon drippings ...

    Lower calorie option:
    Don't cook them to death ... lightly steam them and put some grated pecorino Romano on them ... or for heartier vegegies like squashes and carrots, beets, etc ... roast them with salt and pepper ... you can get creative with spices too, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper on roasted acorn squash is yummy ... Roasting brings out the natural sweetness ...
  • slfordstthomas
    slfordstthomas Posts: 23 Member
    Maybe you should try some recipes from the Sneaky Chef? She hides pureed veggies in things like meatloaf or pizza.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    I was and still am an extremely picky eater. My parents forced me to eat veggies and fruits. I still don't like most of them.

    My philosophy is try it once, you don't like it, then you don't have to eat it. But with kids, sometimes it's not that they genuinely don't like them, they just don't want to eat them. That's the line.

    I've learned that I like roasted veggies. Toss in some olive oil, salt, and pepper (or whatever seasonings), roast in the oven.

    You can also put veggies in soups and stir frys to make less noticeable. Sometimes it's just simply a texture issue for me so pulverizing them works. Like mushrooms, I can't stand the texture but I never tell a restaurant to leave them out of a sauce because of the flavor.

    Fruits, again texture. I'll drink smoothies with fruits in it that I don't like and have products that are flavored with fruit. Just don't want the texture a lot of the time.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    living with a 40 yo picky eater i can tell you what has worked to get him to eat vegetables. Fried vegetables he will eat okra, green beans, and zucchini. Dried vegetables he will eat tomatoes and peas this way. Vegetables chopped very fine and not a lot. Basically what has worked best for him is exposure. I never lie about what I'm cooking, and we've only had a blow up twice with meals once when we were first dating and I bought an enchilada with corn in it (ungrateful *kitten*) and the second when I made spaghetti sauce and thinned it with V8.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    I don't think anyone thinks that broccoli tastes as good as a chocolate cake. Fact is, food is just fuel so I eat better fuel for the most part. I don't have to like it.

    And yes, force your kids to eat them and you should force yourself as well. That's what being a parent is all about...teaching them healthy living.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    I really do. I hate most vegetables.. lots of fruit.. I'm a SERIOUS picky eater. I guess my family never forced me to eat it as a kid and I just don't like it.

    What are healthy ways to spice up your veggies? IMO it's not fair for me to force my kids to try a bite of veggies.. (they love them) before their main meal.. And me not eat any at all.

    I need some ideas please!

    1) why isn't it fair? you're the adult. they are the children. simply tell them that they need to eat their veggies to grow up healthy. tell them you already ate your veggies growing up.

    2) cheese. cheese makes everything palatable.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    I really do. I hate most vegetables.. lots of fruit.. I'm a SERIOUS picky eater. I guess my family never forced me to eat it as a kid and I just don't like it.

    What are healthy ways to spice up your veggies? IMO it's not fair for me to force my kids to try a bite of veggies.. (they love them) before their main meal.. And me not eat any at all.

    I need some ideas please!

    Here's an idea that is probably outside the box, but - how about trying growing some veggies? You could grow a tomato plant or sweet peppers in a large plantpot, or carrots in a larger tub and try eating those when you've put you energy into growing them. Perhaps it is because you don't like tasteless supermarket veggies?
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
    I really do. I hate most vegetables.. lots of fruit.. I'm a SERIOUS picky eater. I guess my family never forced me to eat it as a kid and I just don't like it.

    What are healthy ways to spice up your veggies? IMO it's not fair for me to force my kids to try a bite of veggies.. (they love them) before their main meal.. And me not eat any at all.

    I need some ideas please!

    1) why isn't it fair? you're the adult. they are the children. simply tell them that they need to eat their veggies to grow up healthy. tell them you already ate your veggies growing up.

    2) cheese. cheese makes everything palatable.
    ^^Listen to this guy. This stuff is brilliant!
  • epiphany29
    epiphany29 Posts: 122 Member
    I am seriously picky too when it comes to vegetables and trust me, my parents FORCED me to eat every vegetable under the sun. There is not one item they forced on me as a child that I willingly eat as an adult.

    Sadly, some of us just aren't designed for liking veggies. I also don't cook them. Aside from corn and green beans I haven't found ones that I can eat more than a mouthful of. I will eat more raw than I will cooked, so I just use what I like how I like even if it isn't the magical wonderful variety those "ideals" of healthy eating say are needed. I can force myself to eat some nasty tasting veggies tonight. They aren't going to taste better tomorrow, but I can't do that for 40 years.

    As far as your kids, show them things you like. Try new things you find (sorry I am out of ideas because they don't taste acceptable to me). Maybe our husband/partner/their father could introduce them to ones he likes.

    I have no magic answers, only the ability to commiserate.
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
    we cook lot of indian curried with different kinds of veggies that can be made healthy. For eg:
    Gravy:
    Cut onion into fine pieces
    Heat pan, add olive oil(tablespoon)
    Once heated, add some cumin seeds and asafoetida if you have it.
    Once roasted, add in the chopped onions and roast them until they give nice aroma.
    add ginger and garlic finely chopped or paste and roast that too.
    Add spices like a teaspoon of turmeric, chilly powder, kitchen king masala/garam masala and coriander powder.
    Add chopped tomatoes and cook this mixture till tomatoes have blended in.Add salt to taste.

    This is the basic gravy. You can add any kind of vegetables into this mixture, cook them and use it with bread/rice/roti/nan etc.
    For eg: Add baked potatoes and green peas and cook it till the veggies absorb flavor
    Or Mixed vegetables like green beans, carrots, potatoes, green peas etc
    Or boiled and pasted spinach and cottage cheese(paneer)
    etc etc.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    As others said, try preparing them in a variety of different ways to see if you like them better.

    In general, most people who don't like a food need to eat it an average of ten more times before they find it more palatable. A combination of your body processing the nutrients and registering if it's beneficial for the body + taste bud sensitivities acclimating to the particular flavor profile (sour or bitter, for many vegetables, for example), is why some people dislike foods.

    There are certainly food aversions, either associated with past illness, or sometimes a picky eating disorder (which it doesn't sound like you have).

    I'd suggest continuously eating little bits of veggies you don't like. You might surprise yourself in a few months when you take more vegetables, or find yourself even craving certain veggies. Why? Your body realized, "Hey, that broccoli really did us some good!"
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    I am a picky eater too. If you don't mind investing about $5-$10 in spices, heres some Indian curry recipes. They are super cheap, very low cal, lots of nutrition and are extremely tasty too. Even a picky eater like me chows them down like crazy. Alternatively, you can "hide" veggies in stews, pasta sauce, soups etc. Pretty much anything really.

    Eggplant Curry
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/eggplant-curry-449974

    Okra Curry
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/bhindi-spiced-okra-curry-422688

    Potato Curry
    www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/aloo-ki-subzi-indian-potato-curry-274866

    Kidney Beans curry
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/lobia-indian-curried-kidney-beans-266369

    Lentil soup
    www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/lentil-soup-laal-daal-251611

    Fruit Salad:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/fruit-chat-tangy-fruit-salad-233811

    Chicken Jalfrezi (chicken with LOTS of veggies)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/chicken-jalfrezi-226129

    Salan (Indian style stew. Good amount of nutrition and veggies in it if you use okra. Even with potatos its good)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taunto/view/salan-stew-221609

    Good luck. Experiment with veggies. You can also get those frozen mix veggie packs, thaw them out, cook them with rice with some chicken stock.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    I am seriously picky too when it comes to vegetables and trust me, my parents FORCED me to eat every vegetable under the sun. There is not one item they forced on me as a child that I willingly eat as an adult.

    Sadly, some of us just aren't designed for liking veggies. I also don't cook them. Aside from corn and green beans I haven't found ones that I can eat more than a mouthful of. I will eat more raw than I will cooked, so I just use what I like how I like even if it isn't the magical wonderful variety those "ideals" of healthy eating say are needed. I can force myself to eat some nasty tasting veggies tonight. They aren't going to taste better tomorrow, but I can't do that for 40 years.

    As far as your kids, show them things you like. Try new things you find (sorry I am out of ideas because they don't taste acceptable to me). Maybe our husband/partner/their father could introduce them to ones he likes.

    I have no magic answers, only the ability to commiserate.

    Corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain ...
  • Yes2HealthyAriel
    Yes2HealthyAriel Posts: 453 Member
    try different sauces and seasonings, try veggies in stir frys, you can also try veggies with a lil bit of shredded cheese. as for fruit try making some smoothies
  • midwestmixtape
    midwestmixtape Posts: 66 Member
    Part of this is willpower.

    You have to have a strong mind and will yourself to eat things that are healthy.

    Would I eat Twix and drink Dr Pepper and have Pizza and Burgers every day if I could? HELL yeah cuz that stuff is delicious.

    I eat chicken and broccoli every day for lunch because I have a goal.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    PS. Pizza. VERY healthy. And no I'm not talking about the cheap crap they sell for pizza in US. I mean if you can make some good dough (with wheat flour, not that cauliflower abomination I keep seeing on the forums), to pit off with some veggies, maybe some chicken and olive oil. It is delicious and very healthy. Plus... its pizza!
  • polluxy
    polluxy Posts: 31
    I don't think anyone thinks that broccoli tastes as good as a chocolate cake. Fact is, food is just fuel so I eat better fuel for the most part. I don't have to like it.

    And yes, force your kids to eat them and you should force yourself as well. That's what being a parent is all about...teaching them healthy living.

    This! Although I have to admit that I love my veggies. Going a day without them actually makes me crave them. But I still like chocolate cake more!
  • Mlkmaid
    Mlkmaid Posts: 356 Member
    Raw with dip is the way to go for some veggies. There are veggies that I can't stand cooked but LOVE raw, like broccoli. Roasting carrots, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in the oven with a little olive oil and salt/pepper brings out their sweetness. Get a vegetarian cookbook. Vegetarians know how to make veggies taste great! Grilled veggies (if your husband barbecues) are good too. You can do them in a grill basket or stick them on skewers. I hated veggies when I was a kid and then as an adult realized it was because my mother had no clue how to cook and season them properly.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Corn is not a vegetable, it's a grain ...
    It's a plant, and it's better than nothing as a bridge to real veggies.
    Love,
    The Spinach Assassin
  • LurveTheDoctor
    LurveTheDoctor Posts: 303
    I am seriously picky too when it comes to vegetables and trust me, my parents FORCED me to eat every vegetable under the sun. There is not one item they forced on me as a child that I willingly eat as an adult.

    Sadly, some of us just aren't designed for liking veggies. I also don't cook them. Aside from corn and green beans I haven't found ones that I can eat more than a mouthful of. I will eat more raw than I will cooked, so I just use what I like how I like even if it isn't the magical wonderful variety those "ideals" of healthy eating say are needed. I can force myself to eat some nasty tasting veggies tonight. They aren't going to taste better tomorrow, but I can't do that for 40 years.

    As far as your kids, show them things you like. Try new things you find (sorry I am out of ideas because they don't taste acceptable to me). Maybe our husband/partner/their father could introduce them to ones he likes.

    I have no magic answers, only the ability to commiserate.

    I like raw carrots and cauliflower.. but hateeee them cooked. ugh. Maybe I should just load up on those two
  • LurveTheDoctor
    LurveTheDoctor Posts: 303
    PS. Pizza. VERY healthy. And no I'm not talking about the cheap crap they sell for pizza in US. I mean if you can make some good dough (with wheat flour, not that cauliflower abomination I keep seeing on the forums), to pit off with some veggies, maybe some chicken and olive oil. It is delicious and very healthy. Plus... its pizza!
    I have a bread maker that has a pizza dough option
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    I don't think anyone thinks that broccoli tastes as good as a chocolate cake. Fact is, food is just fuel so I eat better fuel for the most part. I don't have to like it.

    And yes, force your kids to eat them and you should force yourself as well. That's what being a parent is all about...teaching them healthy living.

    I'd kind of agree with this too. Yes, you're the parent and you can just tell them to eat veggies and not do it yourself, but I'd wager you'll have better long term success if you eat them too. Make it a group experiment to find new fruits and veggies and ways to prepare them that you like. You're not too old to learn to like new things and if you know they're good for you (enough that you want your kids to eat them), then take care of yourself too and learn to eat them too.

    I have a friend who is a crazy picky eater but he's been making huge progress lately (in his 30's) and has started eating berries, beans, things like that. (Go figure, his mom is a picky eater too) He used to try convincing people that the ketchup he'd put on plain burgers was a vegetable. No. And corn isn't either. Find a way to eat some greens. Experiment with textures - one veggie will taste vastly different if it's raw or cooked a little or cooked a lot and pureed. They taste different when you grill them or add different oils or spices. Make soup out of them. There are a million ways to do it, but keep trying.
  • LurveTheDoctor
    LurveTheDoctor Posts: 303
    Raw with dip is the way to go for some veggies. There are veggies that I can't stand cooked but LOVE raw, like broccoli. Roasting carrots, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in the oven with a little olive oil and salt/pepper brings out their sweetness. Get a vegetarian cookbook. Vegetarians know how to make veggies taste great! Grilled veggies (if your husband barbecues) are good too. You can do them in a grill basket or stick them on skewers. I hated veggies when I was a kid and then as an adult realized it was because my mother had no clue how to cook and season them properly.

    We love to BBQ when we can
  • LurveTheDoctor
    LurveTheDoctor Posts: 303
    I love soup. I can eat tons that way.. It's just I can't stand them othe rways. I will try some of these suggestions tho thank you.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member



    I like raw carrots and cauliflower.. but hateeee them cooked. ugh. Maybe I should just load up on those two

    That's a good start.

    What about other veggies raw? Raw green beans? (I eat loads of those). Raw cabbage? I made a stir fry with ground beef and ginger and coconut aminos (like soy sauce) and put it on top of chopped up raw Napa cabbage and that's yummy. And you still get the raw crunchiness of the veggies but with added flavor from the stir fry part.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    I just eat them raw.
  • epiphany29
    epiphany29 Posts: 122 Member
    Part of this is willpower.

    You have to have a strong mind and will yourself to eat things that are healthy.

    Would I eat Twix and drink Dr Pepper and have Pizza and Burgers every day if I could? HELL yeah cuz that stuff is delicious.

    I eat chicken and broccoli every day for lunch because I have a goal.

    I have a goal too. The chicken I at least like enough I could eat it every day. I would probably be vomiting as I swallowed the broccoli after 2 days. And I assure you I have tasted that stuff more than a few hundred times, it still makes me nauseated.

    You have to work with what is sustainable. Yes, chocolate always will taste better. But this is for the long term so I will find and eat what I can manage to tolerate rather than forcing myself to eat that which makes me ill.

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