picky eater.

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bree3462
bree3462 Posts: 24 Member
I've always been a picky eater. Fruits? No problem. I love mostly anything. Now vegetables? Heck no. I like lettuce...cucumbers and spinach. And that's it. Sometimes corn but like the good veggies like broccoli....eggplant...celery...etc. Gross me out. I'm lookin on here for recipes but a lot gross me out. I'm very fussy. I need help big time. Cause my dinners and lunches never include veggies. And obviously that's what's gonna help me boost weight loss. Please help.

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  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Sounds like a big lettuce, cucumber and spinach salad every day may be in order! That won't hurt ya none!

    But seriously. Have you tried smoothie recipes where you can "hide" the veggies with a little yogurt and berries?
  • bree3462
    bree3462 Posts: 24 Member
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    Yes I've tried a few smoothies. And yes I could eat salad a lot I don't wanna get sick of the food I'm eating. Cause that's what tends to happen. I get sick of the same healthy stuff and then go back to junk food. :(
  • bree3462
    bree3462 Posts: 24 Member
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    I just wish I could eat everything and like it lol. Just hearing zuchinni noodles gross me out. Or stuffed eggplant. I just can't get into stuff like that. I really wish I could get my palate to change and accept any taste cause its not good only having very few healthy choices. Tends to get boring
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
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    Start with your favorite meals. Try to make them fit your daily calorie goal
    I achieved this by replacing some ingredients to make it "Healthier version 2.0"
    for instance: I replaced soda with green tea and/or plain water infused with lemon and cucumber slices
    I replaced cereal from a box with oatmeal cooked from scratch, with diced raw apple, cinnamon stick and almond milk. Topping after serving: Cinnamon powder, chia seeds, flaxseed ground and some fruit (blueberries today).
    Good luck in your healthy journey
  • theawill519
    theawill519 Posts: 242 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Just stick with what you like. If you like lettuce, eat a salad for lunch. You could also eat a turkey wrap or sandwich with lettuce or spinach.

    Also, try new things. When I first started my "diet," I would've told you I hated cabbage, squash, zucchini, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. I now eat those things on a regular basis. A lot of it for me was learning how to cook them properly and the rest of it was not allowing myself to go back to junk food. A lot of people on here will disagree with this, but to me, a diet is all about picking the lesser of multiple evils. Many people will tell you to still eat junk, just eat less of it. And if that works for you, that's fine. But for me, I wanted to eat healthier, not just lose weight. If that's what you want, then push yourself to find more foods that you can learn to like. Good luck!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    bree3462 wrote: »
    I just wish I could eat everything and like it lol. Just hearing zuchinni noodles gross me out. Or stuffed eggplant. I just can't get into stuff like that. I really wish I could get my palate to change and accept any taste cause its not good only having very few healthy choices. Tends to get boring

    You can change your palate. Try many, many veggies....cooked all different ways.

    Fresh steamed green beans are yummy to me. Canned ones....gross. Frozen ones....just ok.

    Roasted cauliflower. Coat with olive oil & a bit of garlic.....yum. Cauliflower is very bland. Many people "rice" it and stir it into sauces.

    Grilled asparagus....brush with sesame oil & soy sauce.

    You don't have to like all veggies....I like zucchini in a Japanese restaurant....otherwise, not so much. Keep experimenting and you will (eventually) find a few more.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    i don't like broccoli or cauliflower or eggplant. meh, no big deal.

    i like throwing some roasted red peppers and spinach in my sandwiches to get some more veggies in my day.

    also, i make this quite frequently: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/kale-chorizo-frittata/ it's great to get some veggies in for breakfast.

    also, a lot of recipes from budgetbytes.com have vegetables in them that are cooked in the meal and you can't taste them. check out the Pastalaya recipe, it has onions, peppers, and celery in it and you can barely taste them.
  • bree3462
    bree3462 Posts: 24 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your great tips :) I appreciate it!! Definitely gotta get some healthy foods in my daily life. And my kids too hopefully!!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    We need a vegetable sticky.

    Buy more veggies and prepare them in different ways. We say that all the time around here, lol. Steam them, make sauces, blend them into other things. ROAST THEM.

    Veggies do not have to be eaten plain and can be really, really good if you put some effort into it. Add herbs and spices. Use cookbooks ("The New Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone" is a good one). Use websites like "Oh, She Glows" - which is also a cookbook. Get creative. There are millions of recipes for most of them.

    Go buy some veggies you haven't had before and prepare them in yummy ways.

    You have to commit to at least trying to broaden your horizon before you say, "I don't like veggies."

    Go forth and buy some summer squash! A parsnip! Some edamame (YUM)! Something! Keep trying!
  • luckilyunique
    luckilyunique Posts: 8 Member
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    I have been struggling to lose weight and get better in shape. The problem is I have a fear of most vegetables. I can fix them, but the part of eating them freaks me out. I am unsure about if I like them or not, but I want to figure out how to change this. I really want to be able to eat salads but the thought of eating/trying one just freaks me out. Does anyone have any advice?
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
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    I am also a very picky eater. I get doses of veggies I don't like by cutting them very small and putting them in other things. I don't like onions but, I cut them up in tiny pieces and put them in all sorts of dishes same goes for green peppers. Celery I eat in beef stew because it just takes on the taste of the broth same with carrots. I make zuppa toscana to get some kale in can't taste it but, you get the benefits of eating it. It may be a very childish way of eating veggies but, it works very well for me.
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
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    My sisters kids were very picky eaters, I helped her come up with ideas oh how to "hide" veg in their food. Spaghetti bolognese, finely grated carrots and mushrooms can easily be mixed in with the sauce and tastes great btw, same with onions and garlic. Most sauces you can finely grate veg into, and go from there.

    Sauteed broccoli with garlic and butter is yum

    Aspargus wrapped in parmaham

    Stir fries

    Stuffed peppers, I love stuffing mine with mince, garlic, tomato puree, cheese and mushrooms

    Make a curry, amazing how much veg you can hide in the sauce, and you can make really tasty healthy home made ones

    Mini quiches in muffin trays with vegetables and eggs

    Macho peas, steam peas, lightly mash 2/3rds with a fork, mix in a little bit of finely chopped chilli, 10-15 finely chopped mint leaves and a little bit of butter, tastes yummy and changes the flavor of the peas completely
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Good news, all vegetables are good and you don't get a huge benefit from switching to a Very Green vegetable from the lovely Green ones you like now. You recognize the danger of boredom, though, and I can relate to this.

    You can gradually overcome this through cognitive behavior therapy techniques. Try a new vegetable once a week or once a month and build on the textures you already know you enjoy. Since you like lettuce, try a darker green lettuce like romaine.

    Try new recipes but substitute from your growing list of tolerated vegetables.

    Do you like any yellow/orange vegetables at all? Yam, squash, or carrot?

    The only eggplant I have ever enjoyed was very fresh and prepared the same day it was picked. I think this is an adventure you can leave far in the future.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    Maybe it's time to grow up and eat Big People Food.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Alluminati wrote: »
    Maybe it's time to grow up and eat Big People Food.

    I dont think this helpful, at all.
  • AuntieCareBear
    AuntieCareBear Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm a picky eater too...and my current vegetable list is pretty slim. I don't do spicy stuff either...I don't even put black pepper on anything. If I had 3 wishes, one of them would be to like all food and have corporative taste-buds. I feel your pain, fellow picky eaters.

    One thing that I really like, but I find it time consuming is, cutting up a purple onion in little pieces, add some minced garlic and some olive oil. Its best to cook the onions before adding anything into the sauté pan. This is just a really good base to do a variety of things. One of my favorite is sliced potatoes. It's just that it takes so long because we usually make a full pan at once. Its not spicy at all, I'll add some seasoned salt and some garlic salt (or garlic powder if you don't have salt). Its not spicy and its worth the wait.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Well the good thing is you understand and accept that eating enough veggies is the thing that's going to make this easier. I myself am sure of it.

    I recently tried to help someone else who had the same problem. As a result of that, i've thought of some other approaches that may help you.

    1. develop an appreciation for the nutrient values of different vegetables. Look each one up on nutrition data and notice the vitamins and minerals find out the functions of each of those. This will make you want to get over this hurdle even more.

    2. Try cooking things in dishes that disguise the flavours. Chop things up quite small and cook them with meat in casseroles and the like. Cook vegetables well so that their flavours are more diffused. Cook with herbs and spices. Experiment with different cuisines.

    3. When making salads, make delicious dressings. I find a good quality mayonnaise makes everything taste better.

    4. Try making soups.

    5. When cooking, add a reasonable amount of salt to your dishes. Lack of salt makes things bland. If you are not eating junk food or processed foods you should not have a high salt level from cooking with salt.

    6. Have you tried adding some finely chopped vegies into plain yoghurt. This salad is called Raita and its indian. Goes well with curries.

    7. Try indian curried vegetable dishes. The cauliflower and potato curry is a favourite. Its called aloo gobi. Potato and peas curry is also great. It from punjab. Spinach and paneer is a spicy one you can buy in a packet.

    A lot of getting this right is really learning how to cook things properly. So put some effort into learning correct cooking techniques.
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
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    bree3462 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your great tips :) I appreciate it!! Definitely gotta get some healthy foods in my daily life. And my kids too hopefully!!

    Don't propagate your food fussiness to your own kids. Introduce them to all foods and during that process, hopefully, you'll learn to appreciate of all the great foods available to you.