Husband doesn't like fruits and veggies

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JenRedesigned
JenRedesigned Posts: 77 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am in need of suggestions. Ive googled this topic and have come up with..."Too Bad, eat the stuff anyways!"
This is My answer too, but my husband is THE pickiest and most unhealthy eater I have ever met! Ok... He eats a few peas or green beans when I fix them, but that's it. And they're covered in salt! He says he doesn't like the flavor or texture of them.

Lately he has expressed the desire to lose weight, but what diet changes can I make for him?
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Replies

  • Joanna_1111
    Joanna_1111 Posts: 3
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    That stinks! Maybe try other healthy choices such as increasing water or eating nuts instead of sweets? You could try one of the cookbooks that sneaks veggies in recipes...
  • SweGuy
    SweGuy Posts: 78
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    Well.. Thats a hard nut to crack...
  • dreanance
    dreanance Posts: 246
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    You can't change for him, he can decide to try to like them... or not.
  • MrsM1ggins
    MrsM1ggins Posts: 724 Member
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    So he has tried *every* fruit and veg and doesn't like any of them? Sounds like he's just gotten used to saying "I don't like that" and/or smothering it in salt.

    If he was a child you'd make him try it a few times (without salt) before removing it from his diet...
  • tuneses
    tuneses Posts: 467 Member
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    I have the same issue but hubby doesnt need to lose weight. Basically we've agreed that I'll make my "fancy" dinners 3 times a week and he will fend for himself and make his own dinner. That doesnt really happen but I usually make him dinner along the lines of what i'm having with the kids. Like if i'm making chicken i'll make a separate one for him and make him a baked potato or whatever. If i'm making spaghetti then he'll have regular noodles and I'll have wheat. It's not the best solution but he wont eat better and i cant and wont make him.
  • Ezwoldo
    Ezwoldo Posts: 369 Member
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    So he is a self confessed salad dodger, well it's quite easy let him know that he either changes his eating habbits or he just get bigger. There is no magic cure for losing weght and unless you eat better it don't happen.
  • VeganInTraining
    VeganInTraining Posts: 1,321 Member
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    Look for recipes that disguise them. I have started putting Zuccini in my spaghetti sauce, suddenly, my husband realizes he likes zuccini. Next I'm trying to see how he likes mashed cauliflower....I also have found that if I steam the crap out of them then he goes for it, but each time I cook them a little less. I know steaming them takes the nutrients out, but if you then throw the water into a pot for rice, you get the nutrients back because it goes into the rice.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Tell him to put on his big boy underwear and start figuring out what he likes. :wink:

    There are sooooo many different fruits and veggies with different textures and so many way to eat/cook them. Maybe he'd like roasting? My kids LOVE roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Just some Olive oil, salt and pepper. He just needs to experiment. I think that's a big blanket statement and probably an excuse not to eat more healthy. I can't imagine what a diet without them would look like. Good luck! He's lucky to have a caring wife!
  • calikimi
    calikimi Posts: 30
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    My sister was having the same problem, but with her son... he wouldn't eat ANY veggies! She got this book by Jerry Seinfelds wife, Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptivley Delicious. It's a bunch of different ways to hide veggies in other foods! It worked out great too, until one day he watched her make dinner. As long as its disguised as something else maybe he wont mind it so much?
  • Kym1610
    Kym1610 Posts: 333 Member
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    I am not sure you can do much about the texture but you could make a vegetable satay for instance, or make him a healthy dipping sauce. I use natural greek style yogurt, some garlic and lemon juice when I get a little sick of veggies.

    If you check my blog I have a pumpkin, chickpea, cauliflower satay receipe in there... ooops forgot the link

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Kym1610/view/my-tried-and-true-reciepes-119373
  • VeganInTraining
    VeganInTraining Posts: 1,321 Member
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    I have the same issue but hubby doesnt need to lose weight. Basically we've agreed that I'll make my "fancy" dinners 3 times a week and he will fend for himself and make his own dinner. That doesnt really happen but I usually make him dinner along the lines of what i'm having with the kids. Like if i'm making chicken i'll make a separate one for him and make him a baked potato or whatever. If i'm making spaghetti then he'll have regular noodles and I'll have wheat. It's not the best solution but he wont eat better and i cant and wont make him.

    wow, you're more loving than me (and we've only been married a month LOL) My husband has realized that he can either eat what I cook or fend for himself. Once or twice a week I make something that's a little less healthy than I normally eat and suits his tastes.

    Oh and as far as the salt goes, I got my hubby using hot sauce now rather than salt. Still sodium but not as much
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    You can't do anything for him. If he doesn't want to eat it, he won't. And it shouldn't be on you to make him. If he wants to "diet" (terrible word btw), then he'll come around in time and realize he has to eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, healthy fats and lean protein.
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,052 Member
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    Tell him to put on his big boy underwear and start figuring out what he likes. :wink:

    There are sooooo many different fruits and veggies with different textures and so many way to eat/cook them. Maybe he'd like roasting? My kids LOVE roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Just some Olive oil, salt and pepper. He just needs to experiment. I think that's a big blanket statement and probably an excuse not to eat more healthy. I can't imagine what a diet without them would look like. Good luck! He's lucky to have a caring wife!

    ^^^ exactly!

    Once he decides to be serious about being more healthy he will learn to love veggies... right now my favorites are grilled zucchini or summer squash.
  • onevision
    onevision Posts: 36
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    How about soups? I'm not a big fan of fruits or veggies, so I bought a soup maker and chuck all the green stuff in there. 30 minutes later I'm getting my 5 a day.

    I also moved from porridge oats for breakfast to having a smoothie with oats, blueberries, banana and some protein powder. Best tasting breakfast ever.
  • floatylight
    floatylight Posts: 7
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    How about blending a load of veggies and making a soup, which you could add chicken too to make it a bit more meaty and manly. Call it Chicken Broth, but really it's Vegetable and Chicken Soup. Should be easy to make a hearty meal with very little fat / calories. I make this and add lentils too.


    You could also use this blended veg to make sauces and gravy to add to meatier dinners, so he's still getting the goodnes, bulk and fibre etc from the veg but without the glaringly obvious veg on the plate.
  • FTIM2015
    FTIM2015 Posts: 460 Member
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    try cooking them in different ways. roast carrots are really tasty, and the tiny baby ones are really sweet. If you do mash potato use carrot and parsnip in it as they taste sweet. Butternut squash is tasty
  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
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    How about telling him to man up and either eat up or shut up?

    He is old enough now to cook for himself if he doesn't like what you make.
  • hosegirl
    hosegirl Posts: 157
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    My husband doesn't like veggies and he will eat some fruits. I put the veggies in a stir fry and he will eat them. You try some of the fruit and veggie drinks- V8, Fusion. Not sure how they taste but at least you will know he is getting some veggies. I can understand the texture thing. Our daughter wouldn't eat certain vegtables. Unitl we asked she said that they feel weird on her tongue. After checking with the pediatrician. He confirmed that the senses for everyone is different and she indeed maybe experiencing a problem with the textures. But for the most part she will eat veggies but just certains ones. have you tried fresh cucumbers, squash? My husband will eat those while in season. If that doesn't work a viatmin will help him get the nutrients his body needs if he ate the veggies.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    I agree with posters that say your hubby is an adult so he really should get a grip and at least try to find a few veggies / salad stuffs / fruit that he likes.

    He can of course still lose weight without increasing the amount of veggies he eats but personally salad and veggies are the biggest part of my daily food intake these days so I'd be lost without them.

    You could always try very thinly dicing things like peppers / courgettes and adding them to sauces.

    Have you tried adding a little sweet & sour sauce to veggies [along with some pan-fried chicken] and serving with some noodles. He may find eating veggies easier if they are in some kind of sauce?

    Try serving up a little side salad with dinner, again if is a meal with sauce he may find eating salad easier with a little sauce? Or you could try some low fat dressing?

    My Mum pandered to us kids being fussy eaters when we were younger and it was a nightmare - for her!!

    As I am the main chef at home the rule is if the OH does not like what is served he either cooks something different for himself or eats cereal for dinner!! Surprisingly he always eats what he is served :noway:
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Haven't read the whole thing, so forgive me if I'm repeating.

    I have gone from not being able to eat any raw veggies to now being able to eat and enjoy salad. I used to literally get sick when I bit into a raw veggie due to the texture. But now I'm eating lots of raw veggies, and loving them. I've done it by just continually trying. Have him try the veggies prepared in different ways. I found that I loved almost every vegetable roasted with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. I also started putting finely chopped carrots in celery (and sometimes onions) in everything I could think of: meatloaf, lasagna, casseroles, potato salad, or anything that could be mixed up to kind of "hide" those veggies. After a while, I looked for minimally-offensive veggies to put on my sandwiches like a couple of leaves of baby spinach. Then when I got used to that, I'd put on a few more. Then I added tomato slices. Then I tried shredded lettuce. If I found I couldn't stomach it one day, I'd just eat as much as I could and then pick them off, and try again the next time. And now, like I said, I'm eating salads almost every day. There are rules -- I have to have something dry and crunchy like sliced almonds or crispy onions, because I still have texture issues with just the leaves, and if I have chicken or tuna in the salad it's better. But I'm eating them, and that's the important part.

    But at the end of the day, HE has to want it. You can give him suggestions and help him, but if he doesn't want to learn to like fruits and veggies, he won't be open to it.

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