How can I start eating vegetables?

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skazen21
skazen21 Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
I lost some weight last year but slowly gained it back. I want this time to be different. I know the fact that I don't eat fruits or veggie is my problem. I want to start so badly. But the texture has always freaked me out. How can I get over this?
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Replies

  • mlt2908
    mlt2908 Posts: 123 Member
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    I eat a lot of fruit but also have trouble with veggies - especially cooked. I like salads but can't choke down cooked green beans, broccoli, etc, and really wish I could. I do like fresh spinach so add that to eggs, sandwiches, and use it for salads. I find chopping up raw veggies into small pieces help with adding them to salads and so on and then gradually adding more. Same goes for adding some to cooked dishes....add a little at first, and chop them into small pieces.
  • misseaves123
    misseaves123 Posts: 56 Member
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    Try blending about 3 cups of spinach with some vanilla protein power and a handful on mango. The fruit and vanilla COMPLETELY cover up the taste of spinach.. And by drinking it.. all those veggies are down the hatch QUICKLY. Instead of having to chew on something you don't like. Also for dinner I sautee veggies with spices and its so yummy. I have a hard time with raw veggies.
  • heatherutopia
    heatherutopia Posts: 78 Member
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    You can start small, just grate some courgette up, stir fry until cooked and mix into some couscous (cooked in chicken stock), add some lemon & chicken and your good to go! It's delicious and you'll have eaten one of your five a day!
  • liznotyet
    liznotyet Posts: 402 Member
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    Agree that chopping up veg and adding them to things is a good way to build more in. Another good way is soup. My favorite cooking gadget is an immersion blender that once a soup is fully cooked, you can blend it into a warm smoothie. The flavors of the individual vegetables get lost, and if they looked a little sad from the fridge going into the soup, that doesn't matter. Get all the old jars of salsa and spaghetti sauce out of the fridge, rinse them out with water to add the last bits to the soup.

    One other use for immersion blender that multiplies vegetable awesomeness - turn basil and olive oil into pesto.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    I really don't get it when people say they don't like/can't eat fruit/vegetables!! There are SO many to choose from and they all have different flavours and textures, and those flavours and textures change depending on how you cook/prepare them so how can you not like them all?!

    Maybe get hold of a vegetarian cookbook for some inspiration?
  • Telomin
    Telomin Posts: 45 Member
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    I also had that problem. The worst thing I Know is sallad.

    But if one want to be healthy (get vitamins and minerals and good energy)one has to incoorporate it in their foods.

    I started making asian dishes, eastern-asian, wok dishes, there's the vegetables are just as important as the meat in the dishes, so it really helped me getting started.

    And for fruit you could just make blogilates belly detox water, she has like a few slices of fresh mint, lemon, orange and cucumber with water in a glas for like 2 hours, then drink it. You will have tasty water that has a lot of minerals and vitamins in it! :)

    Good luck!
  • lilmissmanx
    lilmissmanx Posts: 81 Member
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    Turn them into a different texture? Soups, smoothies etc are all good for getting veg and fruit into you. Although eating the whole veg or fruit in its normal unprocessed form is probably better for you as you get the benefit of the fibre and the nutrients etc along with everything else.

    I have the opposite problem, no problem eating whole fruits and veg but won't drink smoothies (too thick to be a drink, too thin to be a food in my opinion. Bleurgh!)

    I would also try chopping them up small and adding them to foods you already enjoy. Things like chilli and lasagne are easy to pack a load of hidden veg into without necessarily getting a taste or texture you don't want.
  • rainydays5
    rainydays5 Posts: 217 Member
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    I have made a couple times a week "meatless" days. So lately I have been trying to find new recipes and have even incorporated things I have never tried. Yesterday I made these amazing grilled eggplant and mushroom sandwiches. Making the eggplant made me a little nervous as I wasn't sure I would like it but it was really good. Not sure what next weeks new thing will be.

    Unlike a previous poster, I like veggies better cooked. I do not like raw carrots at all but love them cooked. I think that might be one of the only veggies I do not eat both raw and cooked.
    I say google some recipes and find things that you would be willing to try. You might surprise yourself with what you really do like to eat.
  • joeyzuraski
    joeyzuraski Posts: 47 Member
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    Chop it up and mix it with dressing. I find that putting all your veggies you loathe to taste into a bowl, then using a chopper to cut it up, and shaking it with fat free dressing as much as 3 tablespoons worth, hides the hideous taste.
  • WVmom24
    WVmom24 Posts: 266 Member
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    Veggies come in a variety of textures. Avocado is a good one, in moderation because it's kinda high in calories. I use avocado a lot in salads and sandwiches. It's so creamy it is a great replacement for cheese or mayo in a sandwich. Grilling portabella mushroom caps gives them a meaty texture. All natural spaghetti sauce is a good source of vegetables. Vegetable/fruit juice mixtures are great (either store bought or home made).
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Fruits and vegetables all have a wide variety of textures and flavors. I don't understand the concept of making a sweeping generalization about foods that are so different.
  • joanie5356
    joanie5356 Posts: 1 Member
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    Why not try making a veg soup with a tasty stock....then whizz with a blender to the consistency you like. It can be like baby food puree or almost a drink. Try adding something tasty like cheese or chorizo...something strong in flavour to get you started.
  • ChaiyaChaiya21
    ChaiyaChaiya21 Posts: 37 Member
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    Growing up all vegetables at my home were boiled to within a inch of their life and soggy/mushy. Not very appetizing so I never really learned to love vegetables the way I probably should of.

    But once I got out on my own and started cooking I just tried new methods of cooking started small sauteing and baking. And discovered the vegetables and can actually taste really good if they are treated with a little bit of patience and love.

    It doesn't have to be complicated. Try different dips if you like raw veggies buy them pre-cut to take some of the work out so it isn't a "hassle" as well as something to stress about.

    Also the internet is a great place to find awesome simple 3 or 4 ingredient recipes that you can make with veggies. I use veggie times as a start.

    You could just find one vegetable you like and try new ways to enjoy it. ie potato ~ baked, roasted, mashed, wedges, scalloped etc.

    Hopefully you will learn to like ( maybe even love???) vegetables once you discover all the wonderful things you can do with them.

    Cheers!!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    I really don't get it when people say they don't like/can't eat fruit/vegetables!! There are SO many to choose from and they all have different flavours and textures, and those flavours and textures change depending on how you cook/prepare them so how can you not like them all?!

    This. Does not compute.

    I always have to assume people who say this actually have never eaten vegetables, save for a bad experience with badly cooked slimy spinach as a child, or something. There's no way you can hate ALL vegetables, ANY way they're cooked.
  • TinyBriony51
    TinyBriony51 Posts: 6
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    Have you tried chopping up things like carrots, celery, cucumber and dipping them in a low fat hummus or something?
  • rm33064
    rm33064 Posts: 270 Member
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    I really don't get it when people say they don't like/can't eat fruit/vegetables!! There are SO many to choose from and they all have different flavours and textures, and those flavours and textures change depending on how you cook/prepare them so how can you not like them all?!

    Maybe get hold of a vegetarian cookbook for some inspiration?

    It's a mental thing, some people have it really bad where they get physically ill or have panic attacks if you force them to eat what turns them off. It's kinda like a phobia. IMO the best way to get the benefits of fruits and veggies is to make and drink fresh juice. You can literally get all the vitamins and nutrients of a whole days worth of veggies and more in one tall glass of juice. The drawback is you miss out on the fiber though. If you can get a glass of fruit juice down, you can do the veggie juice no problem. It tastes great in combinations that appeal to your palate.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    I really don't get it when people say they don't like/can't eat fruit/vegetables!! There are SO many to choose from and they all have different flavours and textures, and those flavours and textures change depending on how you cook/prepare them so how can you not like them all?!

    This. Does not compute.

    I always have to assume people who say this actually have never eaten vegetables, save for a bad experience with badly cooked slimy spinach as a child, or something. There's no way you can hate ALL vegetables, ANY way they're cooked.

    Well there is a way if you have sensory issues. My youngest son has severe sensory issues with food. Unless the veggie/fruit is pureed, he will gag and throw up. Same with pasta/rice. There are legitimate sensory issues, and once people have a bad experience, it can be hard for them to give things a second chance.
  • tr66
    tr66 Posts: 23 Member
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    I bought Mrs Dash spices and sprinkle that liberally on my raw or cooked veggies. I will say too that eating veggies and even fruit is an acquired taste. We have become so used to processed foods and heavily flavored dishes, that we think food is bland otherwise. Give it time and you will start to re-discover the natural taste of food.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    OP, I really LOVE some veggies throw into some foil and sprinkled with herbs, spices, or some soy sauce and thrown on the grill. So delicious. I still enjoy broccoli with cheese at times too. There are some really great veggie recipes out there that can give you a lot of variety. I get tired of steamed veggies too, so I have to keep finding ways to make them fun for me (though my husband and oldest son are purists in that manner and just like them steamed). And we don't all like veggies done the same way. I cannot stand raw broccoli, but cooked broccoli is delicious to me. I won't touch brussels sprouts at all. You don't have to like everything, but maybe experiment with a few things?

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