Making myself love veggies?

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princesshoagie
princesshoagie Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, here's the deal. I am the world's pickiest eater. I don't like any fruits or veggies whole. I will drink fruit juice (which isn't so healthy) and I'll eat tomato sauce on pizza or pasta (again, not so healthy). Other than that, I can't do it! Not even mashed potatoes!! If I try to force myself to take a bite, I instantly gag as soon as it hits my tongue. I don't know what's happened to me, but my mom told me I stopped eating them when I was around 3 years old. It's so bad that if I go to Taco Bell and order a taco with no lettuce and there is one little piece of shredded lettuce that I bite into, I puke. I mean, I sit and pick the peas and carrots out of fried rice!!

With that said, I WANT to change. I really dearly do. Weight loss and healthy living would be a million trillion times easier if I could eat these things. I'd love to sit down with a big salad for lunch, or eat a bunch of grapes or an apple for a snack. But I can't. I've even considered trying hypnotism to see if it would work by some strange chance. So, does anyone have any suggestions for me to start sneaking these into my diet? I've heard you can put spinach in smoothies, so I'd like to try that if anyone has a good recipe. I've also thought about pureeing veggies and putting them in tomato sauce for pasta. I just don't know what to do. I tried to eat a peach once and it took me an hour and a half to eat it because I was biting off pieces with just my front teeth and swallowing them whole. LOL

Replies

  • sarasotatim
    sarasotatim Posts: 179
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    lol

    don't feel bad! I hate veggies too, for the most part..I'm learning to incorporate them though, just do it slowly :)
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Get a Vitamix. It's an amazing blender that can make anything from smoothies to ice creams, soups to bread dough. It comes with a great cookbook and all the soup recipes have tons of vegetables in them. You can even put things like carrots, spinach, squash, bell pepper, etc. into fruit smoothies and you won't even taste the vegetables. It's an expensive machine, $450 for the basic model, but it's worth it. Since we got ours we've used it every single day. We've eaten so many fruits and vegetables, it's amazing!
  • kioga86
    kioga86 Posts: 126 Member
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    Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it sounds like this might be a psychological issue, and may be difficult to get through! If you have a hard time getting yourself to eat vegetables, and keep having the retching issue, you might want to talk to a clinical counselor about it.

    That having been said, I'm a huge proponent of "Suck it up and do it!" If you want to eat vegetables, EAT THEM! Nothing is stronger than you are when you give it your everything.
  • maffu00
    maffu00 Posts: 17
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    I am the same way. Going to a restaurant with a buffet is the easiest way to try new food, because if you don't like it, you don't have to feel guilty about not eating it. Also, when you are trying a new food, put your thumb in your palm, and wrap your fingers around it, kinda making a fist and squeeze, for some people it helps with the gag reflex.
  • spacecase76
    spacecase76 Posts: 673 Member
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    I kind of agree with kioga86!

    If it is a big texture problem, I think I would talk to someone about it. Anti-depressants or something should be able to help with something like that.

    Hypnosis might work.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    Firstly, start slow.

    Secondly, buy only the freshest and ripest fruit and veggies, because that makes a big difference.

    Thirdly, start where your comfort zone is, like maybe try tomatoes first bc you eat tomatoes already. Then peppers, bc they are pretty versatile (you can stuff them with rice and chicken). Don't rush into eating them, start with just having them on your plate without gagging, then slowly start eating them.

    Maybe where fruit is concerned, you could try dry fruit? Or make low fat banana walnut muffins or apple muffins? Maybe applesauce is a good place to start?

    Good luck! I hope you learn to love produce as much as I do!
  • t1981
    t1981 Posts: 54 Member
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    pureeing vegi's into pasta sauce is a good start! If you like ice cream or sherbert you could puree fruit and freeze it as a cold treat. That would help if its the texture you don't like. Do you like salsa? Thats a good way to sneak some vegi's in- add tiny bits of carrots or celery maybe? maybe instead of chunks of vegi's in your rice you could do a puree and it would just be like a sauce? Hope that helps, good luck :)
  • aeevr
    aeevr Posts: 34
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    Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it sounds like this might be a psychological issue, and may be difficult to get through! If you have a hard time getting yourself to eat vegetables, and keep having the retching issue, you might want to talk to a clinical counselor about it.

    That having been said, I'm a huge proponent of "Suck it up and do it!" If you want to eat vegetables, EAT THEM! Nothing is stronger than you are when you give it your everything.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_eating_disorder
  • nehushtan
    nehushtan Posts: 566 Member
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    Try some of the veggie food that looks and taste like something else, for example, try a Boca Original Vegan burger patty instead of a hamburger patty, or Morningstar chicken nuggets or sausage links. Don't know what to tell you about fruits, though -- most people who hate veggies can at least endure apples and bananas.

    I agree with kioga that it's probably a psychological issue. Hypnosis might work -- my wife and I used the Hypnosis Network weight loss CDs and they do encourage veggie eating.

    All the best...
  • princesshoagie
    princesshoagie Posts: 34 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I knew I'd get a lot of "JUST SUCK IT UP" repsonses because that's what I would tell someone else with the same problem!! LOL. Don't get me wrong, I love love love to try new things. I survived 3 weeks in Thailand (I ate crickets!!) and wasn't hungry a single day. It's just something about the texture that totally turns me off. I have a whole slew of other food quirks I didn't get into because they don't really matter (such as I don't like to eat fries that have potato skin on them). But, I have tried and tried and tried to just suck it up, but I still can't trick my brain into doing it. Like with that peach, it tasted sooooo very good! But taking an hour and a half to eat it was so upsetting to me. Maybe it is psychological, but how do you go into a counselor for that?

    Thanks for the ideas so far! I do have an ice cream maker and I have made one batch of coconut, pineapple, papaya sherber that was quite good. I also enjoy smoothies, so I'm going to try to make more of those. It's those pesky veggies that get me every time. I did force myself to swallow peas whole the last time I ate a chicken pot pie (again, not exactly healthy but I was proud that I ate about 1/4 cup of peas!)
  • princesshoagie
    princesshoagie Posts: 34 Member
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    Chugging V8 might be good! If I could look at it like a big ole shot of tequila and just down it that would be a start right?
  • cdngrl81
    cdngrl81 Posts: 434 Member
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    Don't worry you are not alone. Although I like fruits, I seriously gag everytime I try new or different veggies. Definitely a texture thing. I have thought about pureeing veggies into things I cook, but you can fool kids because they don't see you put them in, but I would be cooking it and I can't fool myself. I think I would make myself not like it because I knew they were in there. I don't know, it is so hard being a picky eater and even my husband says just eat them.
  • joyce_purcell
    joyce_purcell Posts: 12
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    I would hve to say start slow. One bite at each meal for a little while then when it isn't so bad bump it up to 2 or 3. Just like starting to exercise gradually work up to it and keep telling yourself you like them. Maybe trying focusing on the taste of them instead of the texture. I read an article reccently that the more you expose yourself to things the more likely you are to like them, so just keep trying.
  • aeevr
    aeevr Posts: 34
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    Thanks everyone. I knew I'd get a lot of "JUST SUCK IT UP" repsonses because that's what I would tell someone else with the same problem!! LOL. Don't get me wrong, I love love love to try new things. I survived 3 weeks in Thailand (I ate crickets!!) and wasn't hungry a single day. It's just something about the texture that totally turns me off. I have a whole slew of other food quirks I didn't get into because they don't really matter (such as I don't like to eat fries that have potato skin on them). But, I have tried and tried and tried to just suck it up, but I still can't trick my brain into doing it. Like with that peach, it tasted sooooo very good! But taking an hour and a half to eat it was so upsetting to me. Maybe it is psychological, but how do you go into a counselor for that?

    Thanks for the ideas so far! I do have an ice cream maker and I have made one batch of coconut, pineapple, papaya sherber that was quite good. I also enjoy smoothies, so I'm going to try to make more of those. It's those pesky veggies that get me every time. I did force myself to swallow peas whole the last time I ate a chicken pot pie (again, not exactly healthy but I was proud that I ate about 1/4 cup of peas!)


    It's a REAL diagnosis and can be treated with behavioral therapy.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_eating_disorder
  • princesshoagie
    princesshoagie Posts: 34 Member
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    The taking one or two bites at a meal thing sounds like a good idea. That way I don't get disappointed if I eat one bite and hate it. Never even thought about approaching it like that, it was always all or nothing for me.

    I'll look into that selective eating disorder thing as well. That is interesting.
  • kioga86
    kioga86 Posts: 126 Member
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    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_eating_disorder

    Thus the suggestion to talk to a clinician, lol.
  • mjane48
    mjane48 Posts: 18
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    Hey princess!

    I agree with the above post, If you talk to your Dr about maybe setting you up with a referral to a counselor or something like that, they can usually give you some options in your insurance network. You can also try your HR reps if you work (they usually have like at least a few counseling sessions for things that affect your "regular activites" like eating etc) or if you go to school (college etc) you should be able to access student counseling services for free. I have a friend who wouldn't eat anything green for the longest time, same situation, she would almost lose her lunch right there if it was even touching her other food. She talked with a therapist and seemed to be able to address the actual underlying issue to help her out.

    :) aside from that, V8 but make sure its low sodium!

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