How to lose without veggies (picky eater)
angelxsss
Posts: 2,402 Member
I recently started dating a guy who really really doesn't like veggies. Best I know, he gets nauseous when he has them, and it's either the taste or the texture or the smell of them that he can't get over. He's asked me to teach him how to cook, and I've contemplated trying to prepare veggies in ways he might not have had them before but not forcing them on him. He's agreeable enough that I feel like he might try some but I'm not very hopeful about the results. Also, I can't tell him to just suck it up and force feed it to him, so none of those responses please (that would probably get me dumped pretty quickly).
So, with that being said, does anyone have any tips on losing without veggies? He does eat starchy vegetables like potatoes, carrots, corn, that sort of stuff, but none of the healthier ones (lol). And I've talked to him about taking vitamins before but I know there's not really a substitute for some of the vitamins you get from real vegetables. Do you think a vegetable powder might be okay for him? Does anyone have experience with these? Can you taste it at all? He does eat fruit so I'm imagining that would mask it. I'm not sure if it would really give the same vitamins again though.
Sorry, I know you can lose while eating whatever you want, if you just track calories, that's a stupid question. I just want to help him however I can so if anyone has tips, that would be awesome
So, with that being said, does anyone have any tips on losing without veggies? He does eat starchy vegetables like potatoes, carrots, corn, that sort of stuff, but none of the healthier ones (lol). And I've talked to him about taking vitamins before but I know there's not really a substitute for some of the vitamins you get from real vegetables. Do you think a vegetable powder might be okay for him? Does anyone have experience with these? Can you taste it at all? He does eat fruit so I'm imagining that would mask it. I'm not sure if it would really give the same vitamins again though.
Sorry, I know you can lose while eating whatever you want, if you just track calories, that's a stupid question. I just want to help him however I can so if anyone has tips, that would be awesome
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Replies
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I don't eat a lot of veggies myself other than a fresh salad every couple of weeks. If I do make veggies when I'm cooking for the boyfriend then they are roasted in the Oven with olive oil, salt, pepper and mrs dash. Broccoli is my favourite like this. Green beans and mushrooms or zucchini is also tasty
I do take have a serving of powdered greens almost daily to make sure I'm getting at least some nutrients there - they make some that are flavoured2 -
You can lose without vegies... As long as you're in a deficit. I would personally try and hide them in meals though - it's not hard to mask taste and texture. Bolognese sauce is an easy one - grated stuff will virtually disappear. Soups, blended. I add zucchini or pumpkin to baked goods.
Try new vegies and new preparations - there are hundreds of tastes and textures (and smells) , so I don't buy in to anyone saying they dislike all vegetables.4 -
I use unflavoured powdered greens, but you can still tell it's veg, it's not particularly overpowering though, I did try a tropical flavoured one but it was far too sweet for my liking, maybe he could try something similar. Not sure what country you're in but myprotein.com is where I get mine from (UK based company) and they do sell samplers.
When I was trying to introduce a few more veg into my diet I found it quite helpful to blend Carrots and Courgettes with some water, some chilli powder and some garlic puree, it makes a very smooth veg puree and was easy to eat as a pasta sauce.
I also like to make butter bean mash instead of mashed potato just blending up butter beans, a little water, fresh garlic and olive oil. Great side for steak.2 -
Will he eat tomato sauce? I put that *kitten* on everything lol. Will he drink V8 or maybe a smoothie? And if he hasn't tried roasted veg, I know several veg haters who are fine with roasted.
Otherwise, I think "hiding" veggies in other things can be very successful, and as you said he doesn't need to for weight loss, but lower cal veg does make it easier!3 -
What vegetables do you think are the healthy ones? You mentioned that he'll eat carrots, and those are fine. They're low in calories, unless you add something high-calorie when you're preparing them.0
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When we got married, my DH HATED pretty much every vegetable. He happily eats Brussels sprouts and asparagus now and most other vegetables, although I had to work him up to that. Roasted is a great bet. Onions have to be completely puréed to be in anything... Highly seasoned, whether in stir fry, southwest, or curry works too. Good luck!5
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What vegetables do you think are the healthy ones? You mentioned that he'll eat carrots, and those are fine. They're low in calories, unless you add something high-calorie when you're preparing them.
Just like the green ones are a bit more "legit" (not saying there aren't exceptions though, you're absolutely right)0 -
I find I have a limited pallet when it comes to vegetables although not as much as your SO. I agree roasting makes a lot of things more tasty. I would try introducing new things in small quantities. For example if he likes carrots try roasting a mix of carrots and beets (get the mutli-coloured ones, they are nice) or carrots and parsnips. I like them with salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My son didn't like onions until I caramelized them... great on top of just about any meat.3
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try low carb high fat (LCHF) look it up. also a good website is dietdoctor.com
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They don't have to be green to be healthy. Tomato sauce was mentioned, and it's fine. (I'm thinking especially of the sauces that are made of tomatoes and little else.) Onions are another vegetable that most people don't mind eating.What vegetables do you think are the healthy ones? You mentioned that he'll eat carrots, and those are fine. They're low in calories, unless you add something high-calorie when you're preparing them.
Just like the green ones are a bit more "legit" (not saying there aren't exceptions though, you're absolutely right)3 -
You don't actually mention whether he wants to lose weight, just that he wants to learn how to cook. Maybe it doesn't matter that he doesn't eat them. Just let him do his thing, cook them for yourself.4
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What about things like pureeing vegetables and adding them to things like lasagna in with the sauce? As long as he's eating at a deficit, he'll lose weight with no matter what he eats. And nothing wrong with potatoes, carrots or corn. I usually have carrots and/or corn with my lunch. 0
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Yea you can lose weight without veggies is possible. Its possible to lose weight eating anything within your deficit.
Though, its not necessarily a lost cause trying to sneak some in every now and then without being pushy. My hubby wasn't a veggie guy till I started cooking for him cause his family only boiled them or served from a can. Veggie noodles with sauce, ratatoullie, making country potato hash with mild diced veg, veggie tots warmed him up. Now he loves everything under the sun2 -
Yes you can do it all you need it a calorie deficit!1
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If he has any veggies that he likes, you could prepare those.
Otherwise, please don't a) force him and b) judge him. I'm picky, I don't like lots of vegetables, and I will gag on many of them. My friend and I figure it's a texture/smell thing, but I'm serious, if I keep trying to force it I will throw up. He may be the same. We're not being difficult on purpose, I promise.3 -
There's an episode of Good Eats about parsnips that shows ways to trick people into liking parsnips. It's pretty humorous and pretty accurate. I'd recommend watching that for ideas.2
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@angelxsss You didn't say how old your friend is, but at 51 I eat a lot of things I'd never touch when I was 15.
Although we say it doesn't matter what we eat so long as there's a calorie deficit, there are still health benefits to eating the "right" foods. It has been suggested that the correct food plate is half vegetables, quarter meat, and quarter starch. My wife insists I eat this way now, and it just seems so right after a little while adjusting to it.1 -
I recently started dating a guy who really really doesn't like veggies. Best I know, he gets nauseous when he has them, and it's either the taste or the texture or the smell of them that he can't get over. He's asked me to teach him how to cook, and I've contemplated trying to prepare veggies in ways he might not have had them before but not forcing them on him. He's agreeable enough that I feel like he might try some but I'm not very hopeful about the results. Also, I can't tell him to just suck it up and force feed it to him, so none of those responses please (that would probably get me dumped pretty quickly).
All veggies don't taste the same, or have the same texture, or have the same smell......so it's all in his head. I don't like 100% of foods, but the ones I don't like don't make be nauseous.
All you can do is prepare them in many ways. Start with fresh and start with frozen. Use spices, stir fry, roast, grill, etc.
This article was written by a psychologist.....interesting: http://www.summertomato.com/learning-to-love-foods-you-dont-like2 -
If he has any veggies that he likes, you could prepare those.
Otherwise, please don't a) force him and b) judge him. I'm picky, I don't like lots of vegetables, and I will gag on many of them. My friend and I figure it's a texture/smell thing, but I'm serious, if I keep trying to force it I will throw up. He may be the same. We're not being difficult on purpose, I promise.
Yeah I'm definitely not doing either of those things. When I was asking questions to get a better read on the situation and he was saying no to so many things, he was apologizing for being so difficult, so I know he's not doing it on purpose. He's just mentioned wanting to lose weight, and eating a good amount of veggies is just how I know how to do it.0 -
What about a veggie soup?? You can add chicken stock to it so it doesn't really taste like veggies but it is filling and nutritious.
As mentioned another option is to secretly add it in to your normal foods, some more options for this is;- Cauliflower - can be mashed/ riced/ blended etc. for different things e.g. cauli-pizza base
- Zucchini - Can be spiralized and mixed in with your normal spaghetti - for a pasta alternative
- Spinach/ dark leafy greens - can be steamed and added to mashed potato (yum!)
- Mash can be 1/2 potato and other veg e.g. cauliflower, parsnip, turnip etc.
- Pasta Sauce - there are plenty of recipes online that call for veggie in pasta sauces (aside from the usual bolognaise) think - roasted red pepper and tomato, roasted butternut squash, mushroom sauces etc.
- Use your vegetable as a carrier for a healthier item e.g. I like to steam my gem squash and add a serving of bolognaise or chilli to it - that way I'm eating my veg covered in something extremely tasty
Hope that helps!1 -
My ex wouldn't eat any veggies or salad only potatoes. No fruit either lived off take aways everything had to be blended so he couldn't see or taste veg and salad.
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My hubby didn't like many vegetables when we first met, basically all he ate were potatoes, sweetcorn, peas and carrots he also didn't mind tomato based sauces. Everything else was a no no. I started getting him used to veg by hiding stuff in tomato flavour for example celery in pasta sauces or I used to make tomato and vegetable soup and blitz it to hide the veg. Only after he said he liked it would I tell him what was in it and it usually contained: passata, mushrooms, onions, celery, carrot, bell peppers. It got him openminded to try new things.
He still doesn't like a lot of veg but he is does now eat celery if chopped finely into sauce, red onion (not white ones but I'm not complaining), garlic, broccoli, asparagus, sweet potato, cauliflower, mushrooms and not just the button kind, celeriac and some others I can't remember of the top of my head. It has left me with way more options of what to cook but I also have no issue cooking separate veg if needs be. Maybe he would be open to trying veg if he isn't sure which ones he is eating exactly, also cheese sauce and bacon bits can make a lot of veg taste yummy.
But I get the smell and texture thing there are veggies I don't eat for those reasons.1 -
Gosh its hard to contemplate not liking veggies....he must never have been introduced to them as a child?
Anyway, try disguising them, chopped finely or blended into sauces. He is missing out on so much by not trying them - I really think its just a notion to him that he's nauseous when he eats them?
Try him with lots of different ones:
Parsnips roasted are delicious, actually most veg roasted are fab, what about mushrooms? they're so tasty with a bit of garlic.
Brussels sprouts are fab sauteed with bacon bits
Cauliflower is bland enough a veg but some cheese sauce with that miraculously makes it delicious.
Courgette doesn't have much taste to it but again its great roasted.
Peppers.. lovely raw or roasted/stir fried.
Leeks and onions add so much flavour to casseroles.
Curries would be great for disguising veg, because of the spices you can't really taste the veg.
Maybe he would like them better raw, in salads? I know that's the case for some people.
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ps I should have also said, its not WHAT we eat that helps us lose weight, its eating LESS than we burn.1
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+1 for blending them up and adding them to other things. I make a mean chili with courgette, peppers, carrot, celery, spinach, mushrooms, and green beans. I have a friend who sounds similar to yours, she literally gags on vegetables and fruit. I had her over for dinner and forgot, so served her my chili. She liked it!2
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I'm a pretty picky eater as well. Spinach in a smoothie is undetectable to me. I chop it up in a food processor then freeze it into cubes with some water, and add like 4 cubes to a smoothie/shake. Could also add a few cubes to marinara sauce or something like that. Zucchini is great for me because I can't really taste it when it's added to something else. I grate it with a cheese grater and add it to oatmeal, or pasta sauce. Sometimes I use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles. If the texture throws him off, maybe half pasta and half zucchini noodles would work.2
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I was identical to your BF my entire life and I have lost weight not eating veggies. It is more difficult because you don't have the same low-cal/filling food choices as other people.
I have tried very hard to expand my tastes recently. Roasting veggies like squash, onion and sweet potato, although starchy, were a good first step. Highly seasoned and roasted to a caramelized brown. I also have done a ton of soups and chili with added veggies. The key was cooking them to almost mush. That isn't ideal nutritionally, but it is a good first step.
I gag and even vomit at the taste and texture of all fruits and most veggies. I have been teased my whole life! Friends would try and hold me down and tease me with food, etc. Embarassing! It is embarassing to have to be picky when eating with other people, too. They think you don't like their cooking or they will go out of their way to accomodate you which is nice but embarassing!
It is really nice of you to be thoughtful and concerned!1 -
I've come to notice that a lot of adults who don't like veggies don't like them because of how they were prepared growing up - my mother used to cook the ever-lovin *kitten* outta veggies - so they were limp/mushy and thus horrible to eat, which could account for texture issues5
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When I first moved in with my dad, he hated veggies. Said they made him sick, unless they were the 'kid' veggies like carrots, corn, and potatoes.
So, I started incorporating small amounts of veggies in food. I'd mince onion and bell pepper, add some chopped garlic instead of garlic powder, cut my chicken broth with small amounts of vegetable broth. Eventually, he graduated to diced tomatoes in spaghetti sauce, small chunks of broccoli in casseroles, and diced mushroom. Now he eats squash in soups, cauliflower rice in casseroles, and is okay with green beans or steamed veggies as a side. He still won't touch raw veggies, but he's made a lot of progress.
If it's not an actual food allergy, then it's a matter of getting his gut and taste buds used to vegetables and that just takes time and patience. Start with a very small amount of veggies in one meal and work your way up from there. Also, be sure to incorporate the veggies he does like into his diet with some regularity, to help build up his tolerance.3 -
Here are some good recipes that hide the veggies: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-hidden-veg-recipes-kids1
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