Veggies make me gag

2

Replies

  • MalcolmX1983
    MalcolmX1983 Posts: 214 Member
    Steam the veg.
    Then grill them with some seasoning.
    Don't cook them for too long though.

    It's how I started with my veg.
    Once I got used to them, I stopped using herbs etc.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    hazzaram wrote: »
    I've tried roasted vegetables but I find they taste burnt and bitter that way...

    I do try and hide veggies in other things! I'm great at hiding veggies in pasta sauce (usually zucchini and spinach) but I can't eat pasta every day (unfortunately!). I usually don't make my own sauce though. I buy a healthy-ish one and add the veggies to it.

    Hm. Maybe I'll give roasted veggies another try. Same with smoothies. I have some strawberries kicking around in the freezer that I can use.

    What about brushing them with a little honey for sweetness? I like tossing my zucchini with Feta cheese and dried blueberries-you get a little sweet and a little salt. I also like the idea above about soups. There are also recipes online where you can diced veggies like zucchini really finely and mix them into your burgers or make meatballs out of them. Or if you like fried food, could you oven "fry" them with panko breading (so it's healthier than actually frying them).
  • mitzhogue
    mitzhogue Posts: 132 Member
    one word. smoothie. one more word. soup. blend fruits and veggies with juice and yogurt for a delicious smoothie. Try one at jamba juice or something first to see if it's something you can handle/like. secondly, cook all your veg down with some tasty chicken stock, puree it with an immersion blender or something and you won't have to worry about textures. both are very nice ways to eat real food. :smiley:
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
    I agree that it sounds like you're a supertaster. And everyone has provided excellent suggestions. Soups are my favorite way to get vegetables in my diet.

    I think it's great that you're still open to veg. I don't think there's anything wrong with puréed or mashed veg. Don't feel obligated to eat them raw if you can't stomach the taste!
  • Naasama
    Naasama Posts: 1 Member
    I have the same problem too, hate almost all veggies & the very few I do like are the ones higher on the sugar/carb scale (I'm pre-diabetic so got to watch sugar & carbs). The very few veggies I do eat I'll dice them very small & put in my food. But yea, it's hard. I also do the V8 V-Fusion light (for less carbs) & one 8oz glass is a serving of fruits & veggies. My favorite is the strawberry banana (I do not taste the veggies), oh, they now have infused water that is 1 serving of veggies. I've meet with the nutritionist several times & they know of my distaste of veggies & they were ok with me having the V8. The worst thing you can tell somebody who hates veggies is "just force yourself to eat it" nope!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
    My first advice would be to find the ones you feel are tolerable and suck it up and eat them. Eat them with potatoes in a stew. You said you like potatoes . Even if its not your favorite meal. Even if you have to make them mushy. I tell my own child all the time " everything won't always taste like candy but you gotta just suck it up and try to find ones that are tolerable"
    Since you like pasta , make a hearty sauce packed with veggies . the tomato sauce will overpower the veggie taste .
    Make a mushy soup and add in adobo and rice. The adobo will hide the taste of veggies.
    What about Cheddar cheese on the broccoli? That's usually a hit !
    What would you tell your children if they said they didn't like any veggies ? What advice would you give them ?
    At some point in our lives we have to decide if we want to stay the same or make the necessary changes to improve ourselves. You don't have to love every veggie, but tolerating some would probably be a good idea at some point.

  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,751 Member
    Some veggies you might want to try:
    red bell peppers, they get super sweet. You can even find them at the grocers, already roasted and in glass jars.
    cauliflower, boil it til soft and treat it the same as you would potatoes, add milk, butter etc.
    Sweet potatoes, you can place them in foil, add some butter and honey if you like, roast til soft, about 40 mins.

    I don't think juicing gives you all that you need from a veggie, so I don't do that. I do add kale or spinach to a fruit smoothy if I really need a little extra veg that day.

    Have you ever done eggplant where you slice it up, place in a colander over a bowl, let it drain for half hr. Then roast or pan fry it. The salt pulls out the bitterness. Have a few slices with pasta sauce, no need for the pasta itself.

    The veggie world is big and broad, just keep looking for the sweet ones if bitter turns you off. Try to relax and look at this as a mystery you have to solve, what veggies out there won't zap you with bitterness.

    Lots of people have food hangups, my nephew will not touch a green thing, fruit or veggie. We are all different when it comes to foods.
  • zoopop47
    zoopop47 Posts: 1 Member
    I have a similar problem - - I've come to believe that no one really eats vegetables because they actually taste good. Rather you know that you are supposed to or your mother told you to...

    Green stuff (e.g., brocolli) is palatable with yellow (cheese) stuff or white (butter) stuff, but that, too, is problematic.

    Low sodium V8 juice helps some. Multi vitamins get the basic elements
  • lizzieloo934
    lizzieloo934 Posts: 58 Member
    I grew up in a similar environment. Never made to eat veggies and instead grew up on a lot of crap.

    As an adult, veggies (and all new foods) would make me gag too. The first time I joined weight watchers was the first time I started to challenge myself - veggies were less points after all! So I would make veggies, or eat them raw and would literally eat 1-2 bites. Then I couldn't eat anymore as they were so freakn gross. But I would consistently do this - every day have 1-2 bites 1-2 times a day. After a year they became tolerable. Then another year I was able to enjoy them! Your taste buds can change but it can take a lot of work for some of us to change them!

    Now I enjoy trying to foods and like many veggies :)
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    I don't have any suggestions on eating veggies, but want to suggest that you take a multivitamin (if you aren't already) to make sure you get the vitamins you need until you figure out the best way to incorporate more veggies into your diet.
  • Setof2Keys
    Setof2Keys Posts: 681 Member
    hazzaram wrote: »
    I wanted to add that I'm thinking about trying juicing but I'm afraid to make the investment in an expensive juicer. Can you really mask the taste of the vegetables with fruit? I wonder if I can get my veggie intake for the day in the form of juice.

    Eat them however you can get them in. There are green supplements. I hate veggies too. I found I can put a crap ton of spinach in a smoothie (not in a juicer, but my nutribullet), and you can cover the taste of spinach with any fruit you want. it is basically tasteless.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    There is cognitive behavioural therapy. I think your dislike is to powerful to fix with a few internet tips.

    I suggest a different plating to eat healthy just for you. Get a child size set of plates. Meat servings will be about the size of a deck of cards. Mashed potatoes will be about half a cup. You may try PGX capsules with a really big glass of water for your fiber and to help fill you up.

    Veggies can be mashed in with your potatoes, or come in a V8 drink or veggie gummies for kids.
  • versusveritas
    versusveritas Posts: 20 Member
    Super taster here.....cannot and will not eat dark greens, ginger, dill and cilantro and a few more i won't bore you with ..so I don't I eat what I like. Try pureed carrots in pasta sauce, blended veg in soups try different veg cooked different ways and find what you like.

    This; I realized long ago that forcing myself to eat things I don't like was pointless. I lose weight just fine by eating what I like to eat. Don't make food stressful OP - you'll be just fine without the veggies (maybe add a multivitamin and maybe supplement fiber if you find that you need it).
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Everyone pushes eating vegetables, besides the fiber and nutrients, because it makes it easier to hit your calorie goals. You can eat alot of veggies, which will fill you up and won't cost you much caloriewise compared to breads, pasta, meats, nuts, and the list goes on.... For people wanting to lose weight, they are a godsend. There are other options if you can't stand them, but usually it's worth it to try and find some that you can manage to eat.
  • hazzaram
    hazzaram Posts: 77 Member
    Thank you again for the tips. Therapy is something I'm looking into.

    As for specifying which vegetables I've tried and hate... There's so many to list. Caulifower, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, lettuces, cabbage, celery, bok choy, kale.... So far the only ones I can eat are spinach (I throw that in sauces and blend it up), corn, potatos and I can stomach broccoli every once in a while.

    I think smoothies are going to help. This morning I made one with strawberries and avocado and it was good! I'm going to focus on blending vegetables into stuff I already eat and try and get more into myself that way. :)
  • suzyjane1972
    suzyjane1972 Posts: 612 Member
    hazzaram wrote: »
    Thank you again for the tips. Therapy is something I'm looking into.

    As for specifying which vegetables I've tried and hate... There's so many to list. Caulifower, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, lettuces, cabbage, celery, bok choy, kale.... So far the only ones I can eat are spinach (I throw that in sauces and blend it up), corn, potatos and I can stomach broccoli every once in a while.

    I think smoothies are going to help. This morning I made one with strawberries and avocado and it was good! I'm going to focus on blending vegetables into stuff I already eat and try and get more into myself that way. :)

    That's the way......
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
    Okay, I'm an old country girl who loves vegetables. There are so many ways to cook veggies: slice a sweet potato thin and fry it in a little Pam on both sides till soft, then sprinkle some sweetener and cinnamon on it; put a can of green beans in a pot, slice potatoes and place on top with some onion slices, add some water to cover the potatoes and add seasonings of your choice like garlic or Mrs. Dash, cook till potatoes are soft, it will almost hide the taste of the beans with the potatoes; slice cucumbers into a bowl with onion rings and cover in vinegar, let set an hour or so before eating; when you empty a jar of pickles, put whole canned green beans in the vinegar that is left and let sit in the fridge a few days for pickled beans; slice yellow squash, onions, and pototoes coin-thin, coat with corn meal, and fry in a skillet with Pam till all are soft--greatest taste ever: cut a spaghetti squash in half and cook in microwave till soft---it will pull out like strings when you pull a it with a fork, put sweetener and cinnamon and a big of butter on it--you can do this with butternut squash or acorn squash also; try a sandwich on low cal bread--peanut butter on one side, mustard on the other and a wad of lettuce in the middle--yummy.

    I know you said your budget is limited but if you could find a good farmer's market this summer, fresh veggies are the best.

    Good luck......I struggle with eating meat because of texture, smell, etc. :(
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    zoopop47 wrote: »
    I have a similar problem - - I've come to believe that no one really eats vegetables because they actually taste good. Rather you know that you are supposed to or your mother told you to...

    Green stuff (e.g., brocolli) is palatable with yellow (cheese) stuff or white (butter) stuff, but that, too, is problematic.

    Low sodium V8 juice helps some. Multi vitamins get the basic elements
    I actually do honestly enjoy eating most veggies. I'd venture to say there are many people like me :)
    OP - good for you. I admire your attitude. The reason people are being 'nice' about this is because you're approaching your issue like an adult rather than a 3 year-old who wants cookies instead of broccoli. Lots of good ideas in this thread and I wish you success.

  • MissSusieQ
    MissSusieQ Posts: 533 Member
    youve had lots of good ideas here, and bravo to the community for making it all the way to a second page with no nasty comments!!

    I read all the suggestions, and wanted to add that if you can manage pasta sauce and you can manage to add extra veg to it, maybe you could try using that on top of other veggies to mask their taste. there's no law saying that pasta sauce must only be used in pasta, and you might manage to add a few more veggies to your repertoire of the taste is masked.

    But also, don't make a huge deal of forcing yourself to eat things that make you gag, you'll just end up making yourself feel worse. baby steps!

    oh, and lastly, if you're not already doing it, try mashed pumpkin or sweet potato in your pasta sauce - it's just about the easiest 'hidden veg' there is. you don't taste it, it'll just make the sauce a little thicker and a little better for you!