I don't like Vegetables!

Fellow veggie hater here - I like to get my veggies in my by blending spinach into a smoothie, or purée-omg cauliflower in my blender with some olive oil. Or getting brocccoli or cauliflower crumbles and mixing them in with some ground turkey and marinara sauce. Honestly, a lot of veggies I just had to force myself to eat until I learned to like them. I also experimented with new ways of cooking them, and I've found I love roasting veggies and especially finishing them off with some broiling to make them crispy (mushy veggies are my worst nightmare).

Just try different things until you find a way you can eat them that you don't hate! For me a lot of the time that means hiding them

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I think it's worth learning to like vegetables, and would recommend experimenting with a wide variety of them and trying new cooking methods. A good vegetable cookbook like Greene on Greens (not just greens) or Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love or any of the millions of farmer's market or seasonal cooking themed ones (I like lots of photos, as that tends to get me excited to try something), can help. Or a good website (there are many others) is 101cookbooks.com.

You don't need vegetables to lose weight, but I am someone who thinks they are important for nutrition and people can learn to like them (and often don't because they haven't had them cooked the most appealing and easy to like ways).

I think it's totally worth learning to like vegetables as well. Not just for the number on the scale.
Nutrient dense foods *are* important for the long run.

Try the books above.
Ask friends over for a potluck and ask them each to bring a veg
try a new veg (not just french fries) as a side to entrees when you go out.

I was raised on a few select, bad vegetables. One day I made the decision to change. Now 15 years later I LOVE vegetables and believe eating them, lots, has helped me maintain all these years.

If you are, or plan to be a parent, it's worth the investment learning to love vegetables.

My veggie hating dd eats them if they are in a sauce or soup. Otherwise she eats fruit.
Try some different cooking methods, lemon juice, lime juice, spices. Try pureeing them and adding them to foods.
Try vegetables you haven't had before.
Some vegetables are more bland like zucchini or cauliflower. With a sauce or coating they don't have much vegetable flavor coming through.

I wasn't much of a veggie or bean fan about a year ago so I signed up for Hello Fresh and made a deal with myself that I would try everything once (except eggplant and celery, which I know I hate). They just send you the recipes and ingredients so I didn't have any control over what they were sending. I wouldn't go hear a roasted pepper, raw onion, or brussels sprouts. Now I love them, in fact I have learned to like most veggies (still no eggplant or celery). It also helped that I learned how to cook them properly in the process. The moral of the story, is just try prepping them a few different ways, and with different meals, and you will probably find some veggies that agree with you.

Soups tend to be pretty good at hiding veggies, such as PW's Potato Soup, or a Tomato Basil Bisque, both of which are pureed, hiding the stuff I hate, like crunchy onions.

I love vegetables but I have big issues with fruit for the same reason as you, taste and texture. I used to eat apples only, maybe an orange... now I can eat raspberries, passion fruit, pineapple, strawberries. I did it by trying them even when I was convinced I would hate them (some I learned to like and some I hated). Strawberries I tried once years ago and hated them like I knew I would, then tried again several months later and it was sweeter and much nicer. I like prefer frozen raspberries and I put them in yogurt. Sometimes you need to try more than once in different forms. I tried grapes, figs and blueberries and hated them and I've always hated bananas. Just try and keep trying.

I used to hate tomatoes too but started eating them in very small pieces mixed with other things. I realised I loved them chopped in small pieces with balsamic vinegar on toast. I hated mushrooms but I can now eat them raw or when the smell and taste of the mushroom is not too strong in cooking. Good luck

I usually focus on one vegetable at a time. I start by putting it in strong foods where I can't detect it, then start adding it to milder things, then start eating it in strongly-seasoned salads, then in blander salads, and then finally on its own. I've done it with bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, eggplant (always cooked), zucchini, and cauliflower. Shockingly, I can actually say honestly that I now LIKE these veggies, even though I used to hate them. So it's not impossible to start liking them.

crooked_left_hook wrote: »

I wasn't much of a veggie or bean fan about a year ago so I signed up for Hello Fresh and made a deal with myself that I would try everything once (except eggplant and celery, which I know I hate). They just send you the recipes and ingredients so I didn't have any control over what they were sending. I wouldn't go hear a roasted pepper, raw onion, or brussels sprouts. Now I love them, in fact I have learned to like most veggies (still no eggplant or celery). It also helped that I learned how to cook them properly in the process. The moral of the story, is just try prepping them a few different ways, and with different meals, and you will probably find some veggies that agree with you.

Excellent example of what can work.

TRY RICED CAULIFLOWER...THE BOMB! IF YOU LIKE RICE YOU WILL LIKE THIS. YOU CAN EAT THE ENTIRE BAG FOR 80 CALORIES!

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I think it's worth learning to like vegetables, and would recommend experimenting with a wide variety of them and trying new cooking methods. A good vegetable cookbook like Greene on Greens (not just greens) or Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love or any of the millions of farmer's market or seasonal cooking themed ones (I like lots of photos, as that tends to get me excited to try something), can help. Or a good website (there are many others) is 101cookbooks.com.

You don't need vegetables to lose weight, but I am someone who thinks they are important for nutrition and people can learn to like them (and often don't because they haven't had them cooked the most appealing and easy to like ways).

This.

I disagree that the things you learn to like are learned early in life. I grew up in a home where only canned green beans, corn, and carrots were served. We had iceberg salads in the summer. We had creamed spinach, only on Thanksgiving and at Christmas.

I think I vaguely remember my mother making corned beef and cabbage once.

I tried, as an adult, all sorts of different vegetables and all kinds of ways of preparing them because I knew they were good for me. As simple as that. I also read cookbooks as a hobby and the recipes intrigued me.

I eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables now, prepared in all sorts of ways.

Try different things, especially roasting. Roasting is a great gateway to a new vegetable.

I cook Indian food all the time, and vegetables can be made to beautiful delicious dishes. I prefer fresh vegetables over frozen as it tastes so much more flavorful imo. Experiment with spices, or get a pre-made spice blend (Mexican, Italian, Indian...etc). I was not a huge fan of vegetables, but experimenting with different recipes build me up to start loving them.

Take @lemurcat12 's suggestions.

My husband only did corn, potatoes, peas, crushed tomatoes, and canned green beans (ew) when we got married. Now he's added sweet potatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots, and eggplant. So, you know, progress.

I think roasting is the best way to try new veggies, personally. It seems to give them a nice mild flavor.

I find it Alarming how many people are like "don't eat them then it's all about calories in calories out". Vegetables are vital to health! I would second the smoothie suggestion, and slowly wan yourself into it. I prefer exotic vegetables to carrots and peas.. So make sure you try a wide variety, you'll learn to like them or altleast tolerate them lol