How to eat healthy if you HATE veggies?! HELP!

Going on one of those Advocare cleanses? Have fun sitting in the bathroom for the next few days. That's all water weight, no fat or anything substantial. Why not actually go onto Google or a website like allrecipes.com to look up recipes yourself?

I've discovered that one of the reasons that people dislike vegetables is that they have never learned how to properly cook them; I don't mean that to be mean or to criticize! Head on over to the Eating Well website for a huge collection of free recipes to help you out!

As for specific recipes, you might want to try to reintroduce yourself to some vegetables (nothing fancy or unknown) by picking one and trying several different recipes for it. I would suggest something simple like green beans (I drop mine in boiling water for 1 minute and drain them!) or even carrots. I saw a lot of advice on broiling/baking, which are easy ways to improve the flavour by natural caramelization. I noticed in your OP that many of the foods you mention have been processed (by that I mean they have been transformed from their natural state to one that is different). It's a habit I've noticed a lot in North America and I've attributed it to less exposure to a variety of cooking styles.

It's a tough situation and I empathize, but recommend that you stick with it. It takes a while to train your palate to recognize and appreciate new tastes. Stick with it! (PS: Most people did not like beer/wine/coffee the first time they tried it and yet...)

PS: And try to undercook a little (reduce the cooking time); it tends to do wonders for the taste!

Is the tuna a no-no, or the mayo? I eat tuna with mayo and add finely chopped onion, celery, radish and carrot.

I would suggest roasting vegetables. Toss vegetables in oil and spices, spread on baking sheet and bake in hot oven until they start to brown. Almost any vegetable is good this way. Much tastier than steamed or nuked or boiled.

I second the smoothie and roasting ideas!

Smoothies are great for adding greens like spinach, lettuce, kale, bok choy, etc. to your meal. I suggest starting with lighter greens and working your way up. Romaine can taste surprisingly strong in a smoothie, and a little kale definiately goes a long way. Spinach and bok choy are both mild, and you can use them fresh or frozen. Add some frozen berries or whatever fruit you like, and they will mask the flavor of the greens. There are tons of green smoothie recipes out there. I don't recommend the ones with avocado to start, it's an aquired taste - even for this avocado lover!

Roasting veggies is also good. Maybe start small with roasted potatoes and add carrots, sweet potato, or butternut squash - they are all sweet and mild and wonderful roasted. As you get more comfortable, you can add the scarier veggies, like brussel sprouts, which are fantastic roasted! You could also try baking kale chips (I go 350 for <10 minutes); start by adding lots of spices for flavoring, or a spash of balsamic for something more zesty.

Grilling veggies outside or on a grill pan is also a good option. Bell peppers, mushrooms, and squash are delicious grilled. Just toss with a little oil and whatever seasoning you like. If you don't have time, you can go to Whole Foods and pick up their grilled veggies from their salad bar area.

Best of luck, both on your cleanse and with your future food choices!

Have you ever given green smoothies a try? I usually do half spinach half varous frozen fruit (half a frozen ripe banana and then other frozen blueberries / strawberries / mangos / whatever I happen to have). I usually also put in a heaping tablespoon of protein powder, but that's completely optional.

^^^^ THIS!! I don't much like veggies (aside from raw cauliflower and steamed asparagus) and I love using kale or spinach- 1 cup, 1 cup almond milk or skim milk, 1 banana, 1 scoop unflavored protein powder, and some cinnamon (cinnamon makes for a GREAT appetite suppressant). It tastes delicious and aside from the green color, you totally cannot taste the greens. I am sure the rest other fruits will work, but bananas are quite cost effective for my budget and pack lots of potassium.

Overnight oats are also a great creation for a protein heavy-filling breakfast. I use a 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond or skim milk, 1/2 scoop unflavored protein powder, and some cinnamon. Stir together and leave overnight or even just a half hour and it's ready. Tastes like a oatmeal cream cookie! And no guilt is involved.

On a side note, I wouldn't suggest doing a cleanse, they really don't work (only short term until a week after you're done then you put everything back on) and fad diets really are just that, a fad. I've tried it too many times and I will happily say that since I've been counting calories on MFP, I've managed to stay relatively happy with my weight. There are some ups and downs, but that's life. I also am a big advocate of not eating too little. We're human and you can enjoy eating, just be thoughtful about what you eat before you eat it. I still have chocolate and pizza and don't gain a pound from it. Actually, I have chocolate everyday in fact. I'm down to my last 10 lbs and back up to eating 2000 calories due to how much I work out. It's a slow process, but you'll be satisfied in the long run because the weight will come off and stay off if you are eating the things you still enjoy in moderation. I hope this helps!

You need to find new way, and you need to like it because you will have to do it for the rest of your life...diets don't work, life style change does, remember. Good luck. Btw Veggies are great...give them a chance..

Sweet potatoes are really a good way to get a veggie into your diet if you are not a veggie person. I am new here and this is my first day! I had a medium size (what is that?) potato about 5 inches by 2 inches and used some butter substitute on it. Wow the calories in butter!!

I wish you luck with your diet plan!

Try these two:

- Green beans with almond slivers: Drop beans on salted boiling water for 1.5 minutes, drain, drizzle with 1 tap olive oil and add the equivalent of three almonds in slivers (or sliver your own with a sharp knife).
- Carrots with Dijon mustard: Slice carrots, drop in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, drain, return to saucepan, add 1 tap of Dijon mustard and 1 tsp olive oil (or cocnut oil for a change), toss well.

Remember that there are many ways to add flavour without calories: vinegars (like balsamic) reduce nicely and have tons of taste. Spices can also work real wonders, but go with fresh rather than dry. Consider as well that garlic and onions add tons of flavour with very little calories too!

Hope this helps a bit!

if you've more of a fondness for salty than sweet, try roasting the veggies (some of my faves for this are portabello caps and red peppers) and then slice, mix and top with some feta. mmm salty flavoury goodness.

Personally I dont believe in doing a cleanse, its just a marketing trick, but if you are wanting to try then I hope it works for you. Veggies can be very dull and boring as some dont have much flavour to begin with, but depending on how you prepare them they can become amazing.

My partner loves pizza, he's a skinny ***** so he doesnt need to care, problem is that I of course love pizza to; our solution is that we make our pizza at home, it is fun to make together, and it is way healthier as you decide what goes in it. Also getting a thin crust instead of a normal or thick one will save you heaps in calories and carbs!

Our pizza normally will have whatever we feel like but below I will give you one of my favorites:

- Super thin pizza base from the supermarket
- low sodium tomato paste
- button mushrooms
- low fat ham and salami (or tuna!)
- pineapple
- red and yellow capsicums
- tomato (without the seeds, otherwise your base will become soggy)
- noble chedder (special brand here in NZ, less then 100cals for 25 grams, if grated I use only 50 grams for a whole pizza)
- a bit of bbq sauce

Super yummy and healthier then most pizza's you can buy.

Feel free to add me if you want more recipes. I dont eat only healthy foods as I know that is not something I can do for ever but I try and work the unhealthy food into my calorie goals and balance it with exercise. Also smoothies are amazing!

Have you ever given green smoothies a try? I usually do half spinach half varous frozen fruit (half a frozen ripe banana and then other frozen blueberries / strawberries / mangos / whatever I happen to have). I usually also put in a heaping tablespoon of protein powder, but that's completely optional.

This was going to be my suggestion too. I'm terrible for eating fruit (I prefer vegetables any day) so adding some to a smoothie and drowning it in spinach works a treat for me!

Have you ever given green smoothies a try? I usually do half spinach half varous frozen fruit (half a frozen ripe banana and then other frozen blueberries / strawberries / mangos / whatever I happen to have). I usually also put in a heaping tablespoon of protein powder, but that's completely optional.

This was going to be my suggestion too. I'm terrible for eating fruit (I prefer vegetables any day) so adding some to a smoothie and drowning it in spinach works a treat for me!

I'm the opposite. I can eat fruit all day, but veggies are another story for me. I don't know why, either, because I do like them. We've even got a good fresh market with local in season produce. I guess with veggies I never really know what to do with them (aside from my previous mention of sauce and cheese, and that busts my calories for the day rather quickly...).