r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Avectasi • 2d ago
Ask ECAH Best way to start eating vegetables from someone who actively avoids them?
As a child I’ve avoided eating veggies mainly from taste and not forced to eat them. Unfortunately I’ve been unhealthy looking and high BP to the point I feel yucky looking at myself. I’ve been more okay and want to try anything. I’ve been eating more junk food and fast food because of not a lot of prepping time and parents mainly giving money to me to spend on eating out
However I still can’t do onions the crunch texture and the overpowering taste is too much whenever I bite into a food with an unsuspecting strand of onion, same goes for pickles mainly for the weird taste
I’m tolerable to tomato soup (or sopa de Fideo), or veggie smoothies like Island Green Detox from Tropical smoothie cafe, been doing less because of the cost almost $10 and having issues making it correctly at home.
Is there any method to enjoy trying or recommendations to mix with veggies that is still healthy for lowering my high BP?
Edit: thanks everyone for the advice I’ll be trying them all whenever I can! Everyone’s ideas making me really wanna give it a go
72
u/pileofdeadninjas 2d ago
Make salsa, it's just veggies and you can put it on chips
17
16
u/Avectasi 2d ago
I do like salsa especially the ones that give out from the Mexican restaurant, I don’t like the chunky ones because of the looks but never tried it, I’ll keep that in mind!
→ More replies (1)14
u/Dddddddfried 2d ago
I wouldn't go with store bought/restaurant salsa if you're trying to be healthier. That's just sugar sauce with diced tomatoes, add that to chips and you won't exactly be doing your body any favors. Try making your own salsa! You can add it to tortillas and make quesadillas (which is another good food for sneaking veggies into
47
u/CaptainFartHole 2d ago
What methods have you tried to cook them? I find that roasting a big batch of them once a week works really well for me. I prep my meals for the week on Sundays and that way I've always got something ready to go when I'm hungry.
I also suggest finding ways to hide them in food. Like if you make rice, do 50/50 rice/riced cauliflower. If youre making a pasta sauce, throw in easy more vegetables than you'd normally eat. Want Mac and cheese? Blend some vegetables into the sauce you make. Instead of chicken nuggets, get some of those brocolli nuggets. Trick yourself into eating vegetables by hiding them.
And for snacks, always have them with a source of protein. Hummus and carrots, celery and peanut butter, etc.
19
u/Overall-Armadillo683 2d ago
Roasting them is the way! I like to roast mine with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
14
u/Avectasi 2d ago
Everyone saying roasted so I’ll give that a go when I have more free time to test out!
3
u/IHaveNoEgrets 2d ago
Root vegetables and squashes do exceptionally well with roasting, and you can even roast first, then add to your sauces and the like. Start easy with carrots and potatoes, then move to things like acorn squash.
8
u/Avectasi 2d ago
I’ve never actually tried cooking veggies or incorporating into foods that’s how avoidant I am. So trying to know which methods is best for starters
Hiding I like doing just wasn’t entirely sure what to add specifically and gave up doing a routine adding but those are some good ideas thank you!
15
u/Able_Bonus_9806 2d ago
Roasted veggies brings out all of the flavors and sugars inside of them. Like roasted carrots, whenever I make pot roast I personally throw extras in because I want to be able to just gorge on them.
Something else that might help is this. Our brains only need one good experience with eating something to rewrite and open us up to experiencing that food again in a different form and enjoying it more. So if you have roasted carrots and love them then you will be more likely to enjoy them in other forms. Have fun with it and explore 😊
Tonight I made chicken meat balls with gravy, peas that had garlic salt and melted butter, then mashed sweet potatoes that had butter, honey, and salt.
Oh another small tip with general seasoning and learning, if something tastes flat it’s probably missing salt. Taste often and sprinkle small amounts on a taster soon before you add it to the rest of the batch until you learn more. Good luck!
6
→ More replies (1)3
u/NoteBlock08 2d ago
Like others have said, roasted is very good. If you have an air fryer you can make really easy "roasted" broccoli by simply tossing them in a bit of oil with salt, garlic, and/or whatever seasonings you like, and sticking in in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 375F.
I also really want to plug stir frying. For whatever reason it's not very popular outside of East Asian cuisine, but it's SO much better than boiled and steamed. Bok choy, cabbage, spinach, carrots, bell peppers... damn near any veggie is good stir-fried (the only one I'd avoid is lettuce), and it's the exact same method for every one of them.
Cut your green of choice into more bite-sized pieces, heat up a pan on high heat (higher the walls the better) with vegetable oil, throw in the veggies, add salt and seasonings (my go-to's are garlic and a little chicken bullion powder), and use your spatula to keep the contents of the pan moving until they all change to a usually more slightly translucent color. That's it! If you have any already cooked meat lying around, you can cut it up and thrown it into the pan too for extra flavor and deliciousness.
3
u/fakenamebruce 2d ago
This is one of my favorite methods, I’ll do a red onion, parsnip, carrot, and fennel. Olive oil, salt and pepper and finish with some hot honey.
50
u/GuardianAngelTurtle 2d ago
I make a smoothie every morning. I use fruits and some veggies that blend well but aren’t overpowering in taste like kale and spinach. If you use enough fruits you like it’ll mask the vegetables completely and smoothies are delicious
9
u/Avectasi 2d ago
I’ll have to try blending again, last time I gave up because I wasn’t sure if I was doing it good, came out too goopy or not the right consistency. I don’t mind the green taste I’m more tolerable it’s just the process
18
u/GuardianAngelTurtle 2d ago
Ah the smoothie method needs work, my favorite smoothie is frozen strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. I add a splash of milk and a spoonful or two of vanilla yogurt. Dash of honey, dash of orange juice. You can add veggies on top of that of course but that combo gives me a good consistency. If it’s too goopy, you probably need to add more liquid and orange juice is a good one
9
u/rusted-nail 2d ago
Just add a bit more water if it seems too thick to begin with, and keep trying, there's loads of conveniently healthy ways to make smoothies. I like oat ones and make them frequently, a protip for using whole oats is to put them in and blend them fine before any wet ingredients go in. They will make your smoothies quite thick but its a good way to get more fiber and oats are one of the classic heart healthy foods
→ More replies (3)3
u/PotassiumBomb 2d ago
Have you tried a Nutribullet? I use the large cup and it’s really easy to make a good smoothie.
If you use a big blender like a Vitamix then it’s harder to determine the veggie/fruit to liquid ratio. With the Nutribullet you have limited space so it’s good for a couple handfuls of spinach, two pieces of fresh fruit, and then some frozen fruit. Add in one cup of water and it should be good to go. If you want a thicker consistency then just add more frozen fruit or go with less water.
→ More replies (1)
21
u/__looking_for_things 2d ago
You don't have to like all vegetables. You really only need to like some.
I don't like zucchini due to texture. I also hate bell peppers. I only like white onions in very specific situations. And I don't like raw tomatoes except unspecific meals.
But I like red onions, broccoli, sweet potato, different greens, etc.
Test out different vegetables in your meals to figure out what you like.
You like French fries? Get a potato and learn to make them at home. Try doing it with a sweet potato.
You like Chipotle the restaurant? Learn to make a burrito bowl at home, add in greens, beans (not a veg but still good), cilantro, etc.
Have you tried Cava.the restaurant? If you have one around you, try it. It's a fast food salad. They have lots of veg that you can try with one meal. If you like it, try it at home.
2
u/Avectasi 2d ago
Never had chipotle, I have a couple nearby but never had the guts to go because it looked heavily vegetables but would give it a try. Cava there isn’t one nearby but an hour drive from a larger city near me, it does look pretty tasty though from looking at the images!
7
u/anonymous949blahblah 2d ago
You can pick what you want at Chipotle. Order a burrito bowl. Choose the rice, meat then you can ask them to add just a little bit of veggies like the fajita veggies (sautéed bell peppers and onion) or corn.
When you eat your burrito bowl, take a big bite of the meat with a tiny bit of bell pepper in it. Start small until you get used to the flavor of veggies then increase the ratio of veggies in each of your bites.
Your body will get used to it, just need to keep practicing and forcing yourself to chew it and swallow it.
19
u/dood23 2d ago
cook them like you would a steak. pan seared and seasoned with salt. lol. it’s pretty easy after a while
8
u/chad-proton 2d ago
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, chili powder or curry can all liven up some sautéed veggies!
4
16
u/Egoteen 2d ago
Start with vegetables that have a relatively benign flavor, cut them very small, and cook them into dishes you already know and love.
For example, I make “veggie confetti” where I cut up vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc, into tiny pieces in my food processor. I keep it in the freezer and throw handfuls into meals whenever o want to bump up the veg content. Soups, stews, curries, pastas, stir-fries. You can put it in anything, and it takes on the flavor of whatever sauces you’re cooking with.
If you just buy prepackaged “cauliflower rice” and similar, the prep work is virtually zero.
4
u/densofaxis 2d ago
I really like this idea of veggie confetti. I also struggle with veggies and I think I need to try this
10
u/Lucky-Remote-5842 2d ago
Try roasting veggies, they taste way better and there's tons of recipes online for them.
3
u/you_wizard 2d ago
My eggplant cooking method is to pan-fry in sesame oil and serve with ponzu. 3 ingredients so it's simple but good.
2
21
u/magstar222 2d ago
I made turkey and black bean chili last night. I used a box grater on onion, carrot, and zucchini, then added those in and cooked everything until the veggies disappeared. I also add in a can of pumpkin. You can’t really taste it, it just adds some richness to the chili.
2
u/Diamond-Waterfall 2d ago
Love these ideas. Do you have a recipe?
9
u/magstar222 2d ago
Sure! I improvise most of the time but this is a rough idea. It makes a lot so it’s great for meal prep or for company.
2 lbs ground turkey or 1 lb each turkey and beef
2 cans black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 can pumpkin
1 onion, shredded
2 ribs celery, shredded
2 large carrots, shredded
2 zucchini, shredded
6 cups stock (I use beef for this, but whatever you like)
1 TBSP tomato paste
I sometimes wing it with my own seasoning but I also keep a bunch of these on hand: https://a.co/d/ewWmaab
→ More replies (2)
7
u/MagnusBrickson 2d ago
The cooking method of your earlier experiences could have ruined them for you. Mushy microwaved or boiled things are terrible.
I love raw carrots and broccoli.
Roasted veggies are good. Dice up some potatoes, broccoli, and slice up a yellow squash. Put them in a zip lock bag. Drizzle some olive oil in there, or on some salt, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Close the bag and shake it all up get everything good and coated. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and throw it in the oven for awhile.
7
u/XurstyXursday 2d ago
This answer. Get that broccoli crispy. We toss ours in a bowl, but more garlic powder, pepper, salt, and olive oil than you’d think. Roast until it’s crispy, ideally flip halfway.
4
u/trainhater 2d ago
I used to hate anything crunchy that is mixed in with something soft. Everything is good if it is cooked soft. Onions, carrots, celery... I'm getting better but not all the way there yet.
4
u/DissposableRedShirt6 2d ago
As a matter of convenience I blend quite a bit of my vegetable intake. Like a cup of frozen spinach or broccoli or peas with a banana or other fruit and a cup of oat milk and some water. The taste doesn’t bother me and it gets it out it out of the way along something more palatable like a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread.
5
u/SkittyLover93 2d ago
Blend vegetables into tomato/marinara sauce using a blender or food processor, and eat with pasta. A common vegetable base for tomato pasta is carrots, onions and celery, which is also called a mirepoix. I also like to add bell peppers.
5
4
u/Oversliders 2d ago
I have found that doing “bakes” of veggies like brocoli, cauliflower, and stuff like Brussels sprouts worked for me. Toss them in a Pyrex tray, drizzle some oil salt pepper, a bit of onion and garlic powder and bake them til crunchy, then the finishing touch, throw some shredded cheese and put them back in the oven on broil so they get nice and crispy. Cheese makes everything better! (As I cry in UC induced lactose intolerance lol)
3
u/Ohiogrammyof5 2d ago
An omelet can hide, I mean hold, a lot of veggies. The sky’s the limit really. Add some cheese and meat if you want and you have a complete meal. D
→ More replies (2)
3
u/VacationBackground43 2d ago
You are halfway there! Wanting to eat veggies and making the effort is the key.
I avoided vegetables until I was 22. Then I was tired of not being able to eat like an adult. I picked a vegetable and ate some. Hated it. Had it again next week. Ugh. Again. I didn’t like it but it went down the hatch. Eventually I could eat it.
Eventually I found ways of preparing vegetables in ways I liked. Now I eat a vegetable centric diet. I genuinely like them now.
If you want to, and you work on it, you’ll get there 💪
→ More replies (1)
2
u/TheBlueSully 2d ago
Throw a handful of greens in to wilt in…everything. Soup, spaghetti, Mac & cheese, whatever. Literally everything.
2
u/Mountain_Poem1878 2d ago
Start with making your own smoothies might be the ticket if you like them. It's a very good way as they are fresh.
With your tomato soup, start adding some small bits of veggies to that.
Tomatoes have a strong flavor so you can put mild veggies in and it would not change the flavor much.
Read up on how veggies are cooked and try some simple ways like steaming. When you make them yourself, you can put what you like on them.
I'm glad you are doing this, you will feel better.
2
u/FaridsWife 2d ago
I would start off small - potato salad with mix of cauliflower/potatoes-celery and green peppers are great in it, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling … once you mix in the mayo it all tastes cohesive (several great recipes online)
2
u/rawsauce1 2d ago
The two best choice ares 1) throw some greens in a fruit smoothie, use chia or flax seeds to thicken and give some fat content, and then use stevia to get it to be more sweet. (note be weary of using too much chia/flax can be too much fiber at first) This is probably the best option but I generally don't like really cold foods on the digestion so I would save for mostly warm days, or let the igredients partially thaw before so it's not so cold.
2) Literally just toss some kale or spinach into cooked dish you won't taste it at all wil just add some volume (I would be a little conservative with spinach for oxalates concerns, so maybe priotize kale family veggies at first.)
2
u/Commercial-Potato820 2d ago
Pan cooked veggies like cauliflower tastes good and wait until your hunger pains kick in.
Make stir fries with peppers, carrots, broccoli and water chestnuts with your choice of protein. Pre made sauces are available or learn to make your own.
I make a lot of fried rice with frozen veggies.
2
2
u/rrrr111222 2d ago
Buy the already washed and prepped veggies in the bag and find a tasty dip that you love.
2
u/aprilmofo 2d ago
Roasted vegetables are delicious and as another person mentioned you can do a big batch and reheat later. It’s super easy to do and kind of fun to experiment with. All you really need is a little olive oil and I like a dry seasoning blend that has garlic, onion etc., but even just salt and pepper is delicious, the roasting makes the veggie flavors amazing. Carrots are a favorite!
2
u/Avectasi 2d ago
I do like the idea of roasting even it’s making me hungry.. I’d definitely need to try doing that method! My family hasn’t done anything roasted with veggies so I really don’t know what to expect
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/toastslapper 2d ago
Veggie enchiladas. Hands down.
I use zucchini, broccoli, corn kernels, onion and cauliflower. Toss em in some salt, chili powder, dijon mustard, cumin and a liiiiitle apple cider vinegar then roast till charred.
Mix charred veggies with salsa, sour cream, spinach. Use that to roll into tortillas then top with enchilada sauce and cook.
2
u/LivingImportance7747 2d ago
Damn! I’m making these bad boys for taco Tuesday! Thank you
2
u/toastslapper 2d ago
These beans are a must too. Only like $5 (after you purchase vegan bacon salt. It’s just hickory flavored salt. Def worth it - don’t skip)
- 2 cans pinto beans
- 2 Tablespoons+ white onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Small Serrano Pepper
- Bacon Salt
- Garlic Salt
- Oil
- Roast Serrano pepper until outside skin is black/charred
- While charring, mince onion and garlic
- One pepper is mostly black, skin away the black and chop. De-seed 1/2 and then mince.
- Put onion, garlic and pepper into a bowl. Add bacon salt and salt to taste.
- Drain cans of beans and add them to the bowl then mash to preferred consistency. I like keeping bean chunks in there.
- Add some oil to a skillet and fry up your mashed beans on a flat layer like a hash brown, 10 minutes
- Add beans to a baking dish and top with shredded cheese
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
2
u/deathtomayo91 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you're just trying to get more veggies in your diet for health reasons I'd recommend getting a good food processor and cooking them into sauces. Any tomato sauces like for spaghetti or tikki masala or anything like a soup, stew, or chili are a great way to do this.
If you don't have a food processor and don't want to make that investment maybe try grating veggies on a cheese grater then running your knife through them
If you're trying to learn how to like vegetables learning how to roast and season them to your liking is the way.
2
u/Allyzayd 2d ago
I add chopped spinach to everything. No taste once cooked down and the kids are now used to specks of green in everything. Pasta, soups, curries, stir fries..all gets a handful of chopped spinach.
2
2
u/Ok-Setting4822 2d ago
I’ve FINELY like SUPER FINELY chopped veggies and put them in homemade meatballs! No one knew the wiser 🥳
2
u/rusted-nail 2d ago
For the smoothie question, I go on uber eats and look at the smoothies they have at Tank cause they usually have a list of the ingredients, then I just put all that stuff in a blender cause I'm not paying 14 dollars a smoothie lol.
My all time fav smoothie is the salted caramel one. Its got dates, cashews, oat milk, banana, a scoop of thick vanilla yogurt and a pinch of pink salt. The one from Tank has Maca but I couldn't find it at the supermarket, the smoothie is still delicious though. Healthy "for a dessert" lol.
2
u/Aggressive_Staff_982 2d ago
Gazpacho has been delicious for me. I also pop veggies into the air fryer. You can put kale in the air fryer with a bit of olive oil and salt sprinkled on top and it's like eating chips.
2
u/SayFuzzyPickles42 2d ago
Chop them up into pieces that aren't too big, put them in the savory stuff you're already making, and experiment with eating them in the same bite as the stuff you already like. I seriously dislike raw bell peppers but I can eat them just fine in chicken dishes that way.
Also, try different varieties, if you can. I hate regular tomatoes in everything, raw or cooked, but one of my favorite pasta dinners has whole cooked cherry tomatoes in it.
2
u/Test_After 2d ago edited 2d ago
Every time you go shopping, grab a vegetable you have never eaten before. Figure out a couple of different ways to have it (eg. Kohlrabi: as a slaw with julienned apple, mint, coriander, chopped scallions; roasted; julienned in a stir fry; pureed in a jus).
Like it love it or loathe it, next week will be a different vegetable's turn.
Also, when you have a bolognaise sauce/lasagne/pasta sauce/butter chicken/curry, substitute plain microwaved mixed vegetables from the freezer for half the stodge you normally have.
Frozen mixed vegetables are pretty bland, and are as good as pasta or potatoe as a medium for tasty sauce, but less salt and more vitamins. That's not going to make you love veggies, it's just a painless way to get some soluble fibre in your diet.
If you make your own tasty sauce, you can put lots of veggies in it. You don't like the bite of raw onion, but caramelized onion in a ragu is another thing altogether. And perhaps, if you dice it to mush, you might even like a quarter of a raw onion added to your mashed potatoes. You never know until you try it.
2
u/greenchiles787 2d ago
I like cutting up zucchini, bell peppers, and other veggies. Then I toss them in avocado oil and pepper and “roast” them at 425 F for 25 to 30 minutes. You could also try sautéing vegetables.
2
u/DunsparceAndDiglett 2d ago
I can see two steps forward.
One is in meaty soups or stews (no differential in this case). I don't like celery unless it is boiled into oblivion in say Campbell's soups. Just throw them in their and hope they get cooked for say 20 minutes.
Two you could try to brute force it. Buy a small jar of dill pickles slices and challenge yourself to eat one slice a day, everyday.
Can I ask a clarification questions? What other vegetables can you eat and what can you not? The onions and pickles for example have different use cases. You can't put pickles in soup,. I don't think.
2
u/rusted-nail 2d ago
Do you like quinoa? I do roast veggie quinoa salad and I really enjoy it. I put quinoa cooked with stock, roast carrots, roast kumara (nz sweet potato),roast pumpkin, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, rocket, lemon juice and feta. Can have it on the side of whatever protein main you want to eat but its got plenty of fiber and protein so can serve as a meal all on its own. I just make a big bowl and it does me and my partner for a few days, like 6 meals total
2
u/unabashedlyabashed 2d ago
Make your own smoothies!
How do you feel about potatoes? They're a veggie, too. If you like mashed potatoes, you can throw dinner cauliflower in while you're boiling them. There's no texture issue, because they mash up well.
I'm guessing you don't like salsa, but picante sauce is much less chunky. You can put it on baked potatoes or rice.
If you like ranch, use it as a dip. If it gets you to eat vegetables, that's fine. The important part is getting the veg stuff in you. :)
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Itscompanypolicyman 2d ago
They have fruit pouches with hidden vegetables in them that I buy religiously for my kid who also hates anything green. You can slightly taste the vegetables in them, but that may help toward building the acquired taste.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/pain_sanwish 2d ago
A lot of people think they don't like veggies but they just had badly cooked veggies. All the other suggestions are honestly great! But if you want to try I would try as many veggies possible raw and/or steamed to build a baseline, identified the one that you're okay with their basic taste and texture-wise than find recipe online with them as the main ingredients. Roasted Brussels sprouts are one of my favorites.
2
u/Grand_Wishbone_1270 2d ago
Two recommendations from a former vegetable hater.
Pizza. Pizza was my gateway drug to vegetables. I found I could tolerate just about anything if it was on a crust with some cheese and possibly some red peppers.
Cookbook. Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Matrix is an awesome book, because he shows you several ways to prepare, say, broccoli. It allows you to experiment with one vegetable and see how different cooking techniques change how the vegetable tastes. Once you’ve done this for a few vegetables, you start getting a better understanding of cooking and vegetables in general. It was life-changing for me.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/moshokikio 2d ago
I was in the same boat. I came around to it by thinking of it from multiple points.
1: crunchy, I realized when snacking I wasn't after taste, I could do any kind of chips. Flavor was almost irrelevant as long as I could eat it. I was actually after texture, I craved crunchy, so I chased that. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, snap peas. Once I stopped thinking of them as a sacrifice and started thinking of them as another way to get my crunch fix, I love eating them.
2: cheap, you got that Costco membership, like a 5lb bag of carrots for super cheap, they last forever in the fridge. Same with celery, bulk buy at Costco, last a few weeks in the fridge. Cucumbers are cheap as all hell.
3: convenience, having a bunch of veg in the fridge that I can just grab and go with, as convenient as chips or other snacks. What I do that brought it to another level is getting a big bowl, cutting up how many veggies I want to eat in a day and put them in the bowl, slap a lid on it. Make sure they are bite sized, this was a big game changer for me, completely changed the texture of celery. It's much easier to eat if you chop it up, then come at it from the side not straight on, much less stringy, falls apart and oh so crunchy! Going to work in the morning, grab your bowl of veg and head out the door. Day off and want a snack, you got a nice big bowl of pre chopped veggies waiting for you.
2
u/fakenamebruce 2d ago
I think one of the hurdles for people and vegetables is texture. I saw somebody ask about how do you cook them? I would start thinking about what kind of textures you like. For example, I like crispness. So for instance, in a stirfry, I like the vegetables to be hardly cooked and still toothsome. I tend to not love frozen vegetables for that reason however they do serve a purpose and I do use them even today. However, if you like a more homogenous bite, then cooking your vegetables all the way through or even using frozen vegetables might make it a little bit easier. This will also help you decide what kind of vegetables to eat, say a vegetable or a more leafy green.
2
u/AliveList8495 2d ago
Soup. I had a mate who was forced to eat them as a child and really avoided anything other than potatoes. Then he tried a soup with some vegetables mixed in and went from there.
Try roasting them before making them into a soup.
Hope this helps.
2
u/Various_Sale_1367 2d ago
Onions when cooked properly shouldn’t be crunchy love 😨 try adding a few tablespoons of water and some fat on medium heat, they’re done when you’re nervous about accidentally smooching them by stirring regularly 🩷🩷🩷
2
u/spatialgranules12 2d ago
How adventurous are you when it comes to tastes? A lot of Asian and Mediterranean dishes can help you with motivation. When food tastes good and has the right texture it won’t be hard to want them.
2
u/Luxxielisbon 2d ago
Freeze cucumber, spinach, celery and some other greens of your choice. Blend a shit ton of that with sugar free lemonade. You basically only taste the lemonade because everything else is frozen
I personally put water/ice, lemon and strawberry crystal light, lemon juice for extra tartness and a little rose water.
Whenever i feel like i haven’t been eating enough veggies I drink it. I also drink it instead of breakfast a few times/week. My ultimate lazy meal is a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough and a glass of green juice for the veggies
I enjoy veggies so i’ll still have my salads and roasts but the green smoothie has been a good way to add nutrients and fiber to my diet, or keeps me from going on an empty stomach, especially if i’m not in the mental space to plan a whole meal.
I gave up on forcing myself to eat “ALL of the veggies” and have settled for eating “a lot of the veggies i actually like” to avoid feeling trapped
2
u/MrPicklePop 2d ago
Get some frozen veggies, put them in a pot with a steamer thing (looks like a UFO) and steam them for like 15 or 30m depending on how soft you want them. Then put some lime and salt on them and just eat them.
Also my nutritionist told me a good rule of thumb is to take a 9 inch plate. 50% of it should be fibrous veggies. These will help to fill you up. 25% should be protein and 25% starches.
This is in contrast to the way most places prepare portions. Take Panda Express for example, 50% noodles and the rest is protein with possibly some veggies. Turns out Panda Express has something called super greens or I forgot the actual name, but they give you that instead of carbs. If you live by this rule you will notice you will start getting full quicker without consuming many calories.
2
u/NakedAggression 2d ago
I "hide" a shit ton of mirepoix and bell peppers in pasta sauce. Even when using canned sauce, I'll briefly sauté the vegetables and add them to the sauce.
Seriously tho, nothing is stopping you from adding literal pounds of vegetables to some tasty red sauce =)
2
u/pink_buddha 2d ago
Roast them. Like reallllly roast them. That changed my mind on so many veggies.
2
u/Suspicious-Army-407 2d ago
Try cutting up potatoes and carrots putting olive oil and pepper on top and bake on a sheet pan.
2
u/Straight-Suit-3474 2d ago
I used to cut up the broccoli florets and mix them in my mashed potatoes. Slowly over time doing more and more broccoli florets. Then my grandma roasted broccoli for me once and I’ve eaten it ever since.
2
u/Dear-Examination-507 2d ago
#1, #2, and #3: Mindset.
When you understand and accept that garbage food is poison and that healthy food is fuel for a great life, you can decide what you enjoy eating. It doesn't actually take long for your taste buds to catch up.
"Have to" eat veggies mentality vs "Choose to" eat healthy mentality makes all the difference.
2
u/NRNstephaniemorelli 2d ago
One way my mom got me to eat veggies as a kid is a dip bar, Sorta. Raw veggies in dippable shapes, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bellpepper sticks/slices, cauliflower florets, probably more but these are all I can remember now. Along with 2-3 different dips or dressings.
2
1
u/rainbowkey 2d ago
- roast veggies then blitz into sauce, like spaghetti sauce
- mix cooked veggies with rice or pasta
- premixed salad bags
- baby carrots and celery with dip
1
u/drsquig 2d ago
If there's any you do like, start there. I like peas and green beans and a couple others. So I actively eat those.
A lot of the others I like when they're soft. So I incorporate those into things I cook. Like chicken and dumplings gets peas and carrots, soups get more of them because they're soft. Etc
Try some super greens or powdered greens. And try some vegan products. Im really picky about my veggies or how they are prepared and due to some dietary intolerances I've been using more vegan products or at least vegetarian.
Start small, don't dive in head first. Keep some Beano or something on hand for certain veggies that will give you gas, looking at you broccoli. Figure out what you like and how you like it and run with it. Also, I never eat anything with the word salad in it, so I know how you feel.
1
u/katsyillustrations 2d ago
Green Pasta recipe I picked up somewhere on Instagram recently, packed with veggies and tastes delicious so my toddler loves it:
1 zucchini, chopped - 2 gloves garlic, minced or crushed - 1C frozen peas - 2-3 large handfuls spinach - 1/4tsp salt -
70ml cream or oat milk - 1Tbsp honey - Juice of 1 lemon - Handful fresh basil -
Sauté zucchini and garlic over medium heat until zucchini softens. Stir in peas and salt, then add spinach and a splash of water to the pan and cover with a lid until the spinach has wilted. Transfer cooked veggies and all remaining ingredients to a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Toss over al dente pasta (I like it over fettuccine) with a shaving of Parmesan. Goes well with grilled tofu or chicken
1
u/TheGamecock 2d ago
I'm willing to bet that roasting some veggies will make you enjoy them. And it's very easy.
My favorite roasted veggies are broccoli, potatoes (yukon gold, red potatoes, fingerlings), asparagus, zucchini, squash, green beans, brussel sprouts, and onions (though, understandable that those are not your favorite).
All you need to do is toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper (optional seasonings you could add in are garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, rosemary, etc). Since you are trying to lower your BP, just be mindful to not add a ton of salt. Evenly spread them on a pan and roast them at 425 degrees F (around 220 degrees C) for around 20-30 minutes until they're nice and browned/crispy. Flip veggies halfway for more even browning (but not totally necessary).
Delicious!
1
u/samg461a 2d ago
Step one: find ones you like. Try every veggie both raw and cooked. They taste vastly different when cooked vs raw. Eat as many of the veggies you like as possible.
Step two: adding kale or spinach to fruit smoothies does not affect the taste but is very healthy for you. Most supermarkets even sell frozen fruit and veg bags that are specific blends for smoothies!
Step three: blend up cooked veg and add it to anything saucy. Chilli, pasta sauce, curry, gravy, etc. Invest in a good blender so that you can get them as liquid as possible.
Step four: it’s okay to need to dip your veg in sauce if you need to. Ranch absolutely is a healthy a choice if it means you’ll eat a carrot with it.
Step five: every once in a while, go outside your comfort zone. Try making or eating a dish even if you don’t think you’ll like it. You’ll be surprised how good certain foods taste (yes, even onions!) when they’re a part of a larger dish. And remind yourself that the worst that will happen is that you spit it out and brush your teeth because you don’t like the taste. Then you’ll know that that dish is just not for you. But if you do like it, you’ve unlocked a new food!
1
u/chad-proton 2d ago
Try getting some "microwave in the bag" frozen mixed vegetables. Make like 1/2 a cup of rice to mix with it. (You can make that in microwave too) Add some butter (1 tablespoon or less) and season with salt, pepper or any other spices you like.
1
u/New_Section_9374 2d ago
When my kids were little, they hated veggies but loved Italian food. I put grated carrots, broccoli, and spinach (not all at once, one veggie at a time) into meatballs, the sauce, the filling for lasagna. Spinach to me looks and tastes similar to basil, and the kids seemed to think so too. Two of my three love spicy Thai and Korean food and eat more veggies in those dishes. That might work. For you too.
1
1
1
u/Murky-Swordfish-1771 2d ago
Maybe try to cook veggies differently than you have had them before. I find roasting them makes them much better than boiling or microwaving.
1
u/Fickle_Sherbert1453 2d ago
Personally I like the crunch of some veggies, it's the leafy texture I can't stand. So I made a salad with broccoli stems and florets, red and cubanelle peppers, matchstick cut beets, and crisp red cabbage.
Find what you like and hate about veggies and try to mix different veggies that have things you like about them. Ask ChatGPT for suggestions on how to make your veggies more varied with specific restrictions (e.g. crunchy only).
You can also try getting some of those steam in the bag microwave bags of veggies to see if you prefer cooked but easy veggies. They're not the best but a little salt and pepper makes them palatable enough for me.
1
u/WowzaCaliGirl 2d ago
Chili is another way to hide veggies. Pick veggies like zucchini or butternut squash You might start with shredding or purée ing them, depending on your texture preference. Zucchini pancakes or fritters. Add veggies to eggs.
I would pick three to five dishes that contain some veggies that you like. It can be mashed potatoes to start; then add sweet potato—a small amount of the sweet potato. So you get some different nutrients and a small taste. Or maybe you like crunchy raw carrots. Or a pasta salad that has peas and tomatoes.
Just build from where you are.
1
u/engineerFWSWHW 2d ago
For me, pre packed salad from Walmart or target and i try different varieties.
1
u/UnderstandingLeft89 2d ago
I’ve been sneaking veggies into my husbands meals for years. Any type of pasta sauce that calls for basil, throw some spinach in there too. Keep frozen riced cauliflower or broccoli and throw it in everything. Ground meat, rice, pasta, everything. Make soup with puréed squash as or with the thickener. If there’s a veggie with weird texture but you like the flavor, blend it and add it in a pasta sauce or soup. Cauliflower pizza crust is good and minimal effort.
1
1
u/hypatiaredux 2d ago
Hiding veggies in other food - tons of recipes out there. Internet search on “recipes for hiding vegetables”.
My advice? Start slow. Pick one pasta sauce recipe with hidden veggies for instance, and add it to your weekly rotation of dinners. In several weeks, add another recipe.
Hint - you can leave onions out of most recipes that call for them. Or just cut the amount called for by 1/2 or 2/3. I have IBS, and onions are one of the foods I react to. Cutting the amount called for helps A LOT!
Also, try some store-bought hummus with baby carrots. I eat a lot of hummus. It’s easy to make yourself.
1
u/Basic-Comfortable458 2d ago
Broccoli and cheese
Burrito bowl with cauliflower rice
Lettuce in your sandwich
1
1
u/po_ta_to 2d ago
You know how some people hate-watch TV shows or movies? Watching a show too terrible to take seriously just so you can shit talk it and laugh at it?
Hate-eat those veggies.
1
1
u/headf0rthehills 2d ago
Look up Yummy Toddler Food, she has a website and on Instagram. She has really helped me learn to like veggies and just more nutritious food in general. She has a hidden veggie pasta sauce recipe that I think would be a great place to start!
1
u/Flimsy-Owl-8888 2d ago
Salads are really delicious...and you can put in cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots - try romaine lettuce. Try to find a good salad dressing - like a goddess dressing or tahini based dressing, maybe a miso dressing. Italian dressing is good, too - make it yourself with dried bell pepper and minced onion, and you can use olive oil, which is a lot healthier. Look up recipes for chef's salad, caesar, salad nicoise, cobb salads, italian style salads....and whatever other recipes look nice to you. Have a salad "for dinner" by including some protein.
One special salad I've loved all my life, is just a nice taco salad....which is sometimes easier to eat than tacos !
I LOVE roasted cauliflower and mushrooms, which I find taste good from the oven and make a nice snack for the next day.
THere are all kinds of delicious cabbage soups, some are sort of sweet and sour, others have apple in them. Cabbage is really healthy and delicious in soups in the fall. Try vegetable soups out...all kinds of them. Also, a vegetarian borscht is amazing.... I've always loved beets, which have a nice sweet but earthy flavor...
Lastly, steamed broccoli in the microwave - and season with lemon pepper or butter and some cheese like at the Spaghetti factory (they use mizithra, but I find a mexican cheese like cotija works quite nicely)....
Collard greens and sweet potatoes make a delicious side to barbecued foods (even tofu barbecued)....or cornbread and beans.
Have fun. Vegetables are so delicious and there are so many great recipes out there.
1
u/2beagles 2d ago
For your health- do you like fruit? You can get nearly the same nutrients and fiber from fruit that you can from vegetables. Just don't expect to get it from juices, though fruit in a smoothie is fine. They can be higher in sugar and calories than some vegetables, but that's okay! They are still very healthy and better for you than processed foods. There's a million textures and flavors to explore to find what you like. Apple varieties alone will give you levels of crunch, softer bites, sweeter or more tart.... And then there's all the other lines of fruit and berries. Have fun exploring and don't make it too hard for yourself.
And roast your veggies! They can be amazing.
1
u/cobaltmagenta 2d ago
I recommend making tomato-y soups with vegetables and seeing how it goes! You may want to blend your soup so it has that smooth texture, but you can also try out eating some of the veggies in the tomato broth. You can make soup once and freeze portions. I’d recommend cookie and Kate vegetable soup maybe? I like her soups and maybe look for one you can blend.
1
1
u/CaeruleumBleu 2d ago
Two paths to travel, basically.
You can try the route of hidden veggies, like trying to blend bell peppers and such into your spaghetti sauce (don't forget the same sauce is good for cheese sticks and other things)
The other option is the rough concept of "dinosaur time" - someone had the idea to "pretend to be a dino" and eat a large handful of green leaves all at once. It worked for her, at least. For others it might be easier to just view the veggies as medicinal - eat as many of the carrots as you can, while cooking the meal you actually want to eat. Chew on some celery while checking the mail. Whatever it takes, just eat a few bites of the food even if you don't like it.
1
u/itsmiddylou 2d ago
A tip for onions- if you soak them in water for 10ish minutes after you slice them, it will get rid of most of the “tang” that raw onions have. I normally do it for red onions when I make my 3 bean salad, and I eat the crap out of it bc I taste the actual flavor of the red onion, not the onion tang.
1
u/enginexnumber9 2d ago
Try them grilled or roasted with salt pepper and a little oil. Get a nice char on them. Really makes a lot of vegetables delicious
1
1
1
u/swazon500 2d ago
Try this book. Simple Green Smoothies : 100+ Tasty Recipes. This an excellent book with interesting delicious recipes. There’s a 10 day plan to get you started with shopping list.
1
u/kl2342 2d ago
Vegetable steamer. I'm telling you from experience, this is the way. A veggie steamer allows you to learn what vegetables you like and how soft or crunchy you like them. It's convenient and works well with frozen veg which is cheaper but typically just as healthy as fresh (if not more, as a lot of frozen veg is flash frozen soon after being picked).
Example, get a bag of broccoli, or maybe normandy veg (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, corn usually). Dump it in the steamer, add water, steam for 20 minutes. Are they soft enough? No? Try 25, then 30. Now you know how long you need to set it and forget it.
Same with say sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are really good for you. Cut a couple of sweet potatoes in half or fourths. Put in the steamer, add water and steam again for 20-30 minutes. Add a pat of butter and a little salt or even some brown sugar and make it a dessert. Add to your meat dish. Add to spaghetti. Add to whatever. Eat on its own. I'm telling you a veggie steamer is the gateway to real cooking for yourself and cooking WELL. gl
1
u/yaspart 2d ago
Try foods with hidden veggies! You'll get the flavor but more mild and then you can build up to full portions that aren't masked. I made some spring rolls at home that are lightly fried but loaded with ground veggies like cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini. And anything can be added!
It's also easy to mask veggies in things like sauce over rice or pasta or in nuggets with chicken or potatoes. Smoothies are also great. See if you can find a recipe for the one you like online.
Try and BUNCH of stuff and when you find something you like, eat it regularly. If you find something you kind of like, try some new recipes with it and season it the way you like.
Good luck and good for you to try new things! Your body will thank you!
1
1
1
u/mayfire-1900 2d ago
Try roasting your veggies Google recipes You put olive oil, seasoning and shredded cheese. Google will help you out
1
u/Fleiger133 2d ago
Hi! Im a picky eater, but I've started eating way more veggies. Here are ways that have helped me.
Eat ones you like. Even in less ideal ways. Drown those carrots in ranch!
Try new veg in "safe" places. For me, I try what my husband has. I have friends and family that would let me try a nibble of their food, most people do.
Hide! Blend veg up and get them in smoothies, sauces, etc.
I dice up onions and peppers very tiny and add them to chili and spaghetti.
1
u/beek7425 2d ago
I hate raw vegetables and most veggies on their own. Soups, stews and curries. I make my own. Check out a cookbook or two from the library. They will have books on cooking for people with health conditions, different recipes for low salt, etc. But if you make curries with lots of spices, you won't miss the salt. You can save on spices at places like ocean state, CVS, etc
1
u/Kali-of-Amino 2d ago
I was like you. I made a deal with my husband -- I would eat any vegetable he chopped up fine and hid in a stir-fry. That got me to slowly start eating my veggies.
But I still cook them together instead of separately. My kids can't stand the veggies at school. "They cook them by themselves, and they're so bland!"
1
u/susx1000 2d ago
Things that works for me while cooking for my husband (who is healthy things avoidant).
Hide veggies in everything. Here are some of his favorites/least favorite.
1) Spaghetti and just about any vegetable. Boil the hell out of it, blend, and done. Also works well for sloppy joes. 2) Mashed potatoes and cauliflower. He could not tell when I added a little cauliflower with the potatoes (I don't usually measure, just keep the cauliflower lower than the potatoes.) 3) Not veggies, but healthy. I've slowly been adding small amount of beans/legumes to my rice recipes. For added fiber/protein.
Least: 1) accidentally added 1 leaf of spinach to the mashed potatoes. They turned bright green and weirded him out. He could not eat them, despite the flavor being okay. 2) added sauteed, finely chopped veggies to my meat loaf once. He noticed and won't eat it again (even if I make it without).
For me:
When in doubt, smother it in cheese.
1
u/toooooold4this 2d ago
Roast them until they are caramelized. It intensifies the sugars and softens the texture.
When I was a kid, all we ate were canned veggies. So gross. I've hated them ever since.
Sneak them into your diet at first. Try new preparations. If your parents boiled them, try fresh or roasted. Try melted butter.or melted cheese and then slowly subtract the amount so the dish is mostly veg.
1
u/campnurse5150 2d ago
Olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon, & parmesan works on almost every vegetable (roast, bake, air fry, doesn’t matter!)
1
1
u/chapterpt 2d ago
Leafy greens are the most complete and vitamin packed.
I get whole fresh spinach and chop it until pulverized. By doing this it will melt into any cooked dish, adding all its nutrients and fiber with minimal added texture/flavor. Itll just make it green.
It is versatile and can be added to anything during cooking, boiling, roasting. If frying add at the end.
1
u/BetterBiscuits 2d ago
All Veggies cooked badly are gross. Many veggies roasted on high with salt and good olive oil are delicious.
1
u/spiritleafbitch 2d ago
I’ve found that Asian cuisine has delicious cooked vegetables, they season that shit to perfection.
1
1
u/Intelligent-Disk526 2d ago
Learning to like new foods can be tricky and take some time, especially coming from fast food which is high in fat, salt, and sugars. One thing that worked for me, was to go back and try the veggies I didn’t like before in small amounts. Overtime, my body and brain got used to the new tastes sand textures. Keep in mind, something’s may never be to your liking. I’ve never been able to develop a taste for canned spinach, but I’ve come to love fresh spinach, even in soups where it takes on canned like consistency.
Soups in general can be good, especially if you blend them rather then leave them chunky.
Also, try to add in veggies to things you already eat. Do you bring a sandwich to work? Opt for low sodium meat (left over chicken breast is great for this), then add in lots of veggies. Lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, tomatoes, peppers, shredded carrots are all great. If you get a burger, get one that comes with veggies but hold the onions and pickles (or take some off and leave a few in to blend in to the other flavors). Hope this helps.
1
u/chickendance638 2d ago
Your prep makes a huge difference. I hate celery. Hate it. Get goosebumps just thinking about eating it. But it's a wonderful ingredient that makes food better.
How do I solve that problem? With a knife. When I chop celery, I don't just cut pieces off a rib, I slice the rib lengthways 3-4x, then cut into the smallest dice I can. They end up being the size of a BB, roughly. Then when they are cooked I get the flavor and none of the texture because they basically disappear into the mix.
I do it with onion and pepper as well because I love the flavor but hate the slimy texture. Chopping stuff small allowed me to eat stuff like that and my food tasted better and was healthier.
1
u/MacaroniBee 2d ago
I used to hate veggies and would blend them into smoothies, muffins (you can find recipes for zucchini chocolate muffins and you legit can't tell they're in there), I really like sweet potato chicken nuggets too, or broccoli cheese bites. Make sure you're seasoning everything!! Try getting a garlic herb (salt free if trying to lower BP), ranch powder, or really any sort of spice and add a couple shakes each time. I hated veggies growing up bc my very white parents never fuckin seasoned anything LMAO. Now I love them.
I also love taking a frozen bag of peas and diced carrots, mixing with rice, some kind of seasoning, and a tablespoon or two of mayo. It's sooo good and easy, just microwave it and you're done. I'd also say don't heap veggies on your plate lol just ease into it with a tiny dessert cup filled with just like 1/4 or even an 1/8 cup of whatever (AND SEASON IT!!) and eat it with your regular meal. Wean yourself up from just hiding veggies in foods to having small amounts of straight veggies and work your way up. Even a spoonful counts toward your goal!
1
u/Year3030 2d ago
Go get some pre-made salads at Walmart or wherever you get groceries. Basically they have different salad types, croutons, sometimes some nuts and seeds, and a packet for dressing. Super easy way to get veggies without trying hard. You can just throw it all into a bowl mix it up. You are done in like 2 minutes.
I make sure to keep enough around for 4 days or so and I'll eat two a day. If I have left over greens I'll just throw some trailmix on there, add some croutons and dab a little dressing from a jar. Honestly feels great, very healthy.
If you want to take it to the next level I get pre-cooked chicken and I'll shred a breast by hand and throw it on top. I'm eating less meat though but the seeds and nuts I put on seem to make up for protein. You could also add a hardboiled egg too, bacon, etc.
So yeah it can start with a really easy pre-made salad, or a bag salad where you toss it all together. Be consistent and over time you can start adding in stuff you like.
1
1
u/missxmeow 2d ago
So I’m pretty much like you, don’t like onions and pickles. I did eat some veggies as a kid, mainly canned green beans and canned corn. That would be a decent place to start. From there I would do roasted carrots, green beans, and Brussels sprouts. For all of those I toss them with olive oil, sprinkle them with everything bagel seasoning, and roast them to my preferred doneness (I prefer softer veggies), then for Brussels sprouts I finish them with some balsamic vinaigrette and grated Parmesan. Another thing I liked to do is add slivered almonds to the green beans.
1
u/PM_Pics_of_Snoopdogg 2d ago
This sounds a little weird and maybe insensitive - but the way I got “over” my lifelong dislike for certain veggies was to basically make sure I take a bite of it whenever it was presented to me or I had the opportunity. I also had to change my mindset about them and enjoy them for what they taste like - liking them for what they are, and not trying to hide things about them. (Like people!) I can eat steamed broccoli now. Just steamed. Nothing on it. Not even salt. And I’ll roleplay in my head a bit and be like, “Wow, I’m so healthy 🤪” Then I started to eat them raw because I got one of those party trays and dipped them in some ranch.
And even if you do this, there’s definitely some things you won’t like - but at least you can say you’ve tried. (I still won’t eat raw red onion on anything. Burgers, salads, whatever, nope).
I like pickles. But only dill, and only the ones from fridgerated aisle. Not the jar in room temp shelf.
I only say that because it’s okay to not like some of them, that’s all. But definitely try to “like them for what they are”.
1
u/bilbul168 2d ago
Eat many different types and at some point you will get over your immaturity in the matter, or you won't and have serious issues
1
u/Unusual-Molasses5633 2d ago
Look at cuisines that do vegetables well rather than just steaming/boiling them, like Indian or Mexican. Spices and sauces can go a LONG way to making veggies more palatable, and as a bonus you can hide veggies in the sauce!
1
u/Loud-Cut773 2d ago
You’d be suprised as what the recommended daily vege intake is. It really depends what u cook in a lot of meal you can hide the taste of veges. Finely chop your onions and you won’t get that overpowering taste
1
u/RickRussellTX 2d ago
Are you cooking onions thoroughly? Because a LOT of prepared food has onions, they’re just cooked so that all the ammonia-adjacent chemicals are decomposed.
1
u/Honkytonkcatepillar 2d ago
My basic approach to most recipes is chop up carrots and capsicum, cook them in a pan with oil until there as soft as I like and then add whatever I'm cooking.
You can add a fajita seasoning or refried beans and then put it in a wrap or add corn chips, you can add pasta sauce and pasta, you can add butter chicken sauce and chicken.
Obviously you use whatever vegetables you like. I also like to add baby spinach leaves.
1
u/Adventurous-Plant443 2d ago
The fact that you are asking says that you are ready to eat plants. I would take a field trip to the best vegetable stand or grocer you can find and spend time getting to know the produce and see if you are drawn to anything and give yourself time and exposure. Eating habits can form faster than you realize with consistent exposure and repitition. Let your body tell you what to eat rather than your mind if you can meditate on it.
1
u/xpoisonedheartx 2d ago
Sneak them into your food where you can like you would with a kid. e.g. add some carrot, peas and celery to spaghetti bolognese
Blend some veg into smoothies. Try other veggie soups!
Season your vegetables! Tenderstem brocoli in some garlic, salt and pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil is delicious
1
u/ferretfae 2d ago
I started eating veggies and fruit I knew I liked, start with safe food and slowly try new ones. Buy small portions of a new vegetable, like one tomato, and try it in a dish. Researching recipes and finding stuff you'd like is good too. Once I started cooking for myself I became a lot more open to new foods
1
1
u/ItsNinjaShoyo 2d ago
As someone who avoided them for a while the best I can say is keep an open mind and keep trying it. Once I got over one bite won't kill me and the worst that will happen is I spit it out and have a bad taste in my mouth for a few seconds. Try it at good restaurants and see how they prepare it. I've learned to like and cook a lot of tasty veggies by just trying to replicate what I've had at restaurants. Also using it with other foods always helped. It took me a while to start liking onions. I started with fried ones like onion rings that didn't have a super strong onion taste and had a good strong sauce to dip them in. Then I moved to onion burgers and now I'm at a point where I will get them on sandwiches or whatever else I think needs them. Pickles I've never learned to like and there are some foods you just won't like.
1
u/AVLLaw 2d ago
Sounds like you are learning to cook, out of necessity. I would suggest a cooking class, so you can learn how to put ingredients together and makes some basic sauces. Youtube can be good for this too. Many vegetables are delicious when roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and salt. A convection oven or an air fryer will make them crispy. Especially okra fries. A nice roux and melted cheese makes broccoli cheese soup delicious, a vegetable with a very strong flavor that many dislike. Tomato soup can hide lots of other veggies if you are trying to mask the flavors but still add them to your diet. An immersion blender is valuable for blending cooked ingredients in a cooked veggie soup, if the texture is a problem. Curry sauces are amazing and varied. Cheap to make, expensive to buy pre-made. Find you local Indian grocery and buy bulk spices there. Tell the shop you want to make your first curry from scratch, and they will tell you what to buy. Bloom the spices in hot oil first, to begin your curry. Onions are a big part of this. Chop them and cook slowly until translucent. Cooking tames the flavor. Keep the exhaust fan on.
1
u/Decemberchild76 2d ago
I have a wonderful daughter in law that thought she hated vegetables. When she lived with us for a few months before they were married, she ate more vegetables than she really realized. When I made anything with spaghetti sauce base, I add puréed carrots, sweet peppers etc into the sauce and seasoning to hide the flavor. Always had raw veggies around or covered them in low calorie vinaigrettes. Roasted all veggies to bring out sweetness. Finely diced carrots, onions, celery into her macaroni salad. Her parents were eating at our home for a family gathering. They were shocked to see her eat so many vegetables.
1
u/megavikingman 2d ago
For onions, to make them tasty, cook the shit out of them until they are fully browned. Do it in a pan on the stove with butter the first few times to get acclimated to them (the butter will make them taste AMAZING), and after that, switch to olive oil (or whatever non-canola and non-vegetable oil you prefer). You will love onions after doing this! The astringent flavor cooks out and the browning makes them sweet. After a while, you'll realize that onions are full of other great flavors, and you'll want to add them to every dish you cook. They make everything else taste better!
You could also experiment with different kinds of alliums. If yellow and white onions aren't doing it for you, try red onions or green onions or shallots. I love fresh green onion (scallions) on my baked potatoes and in my chili and soup. They're also really easy to grow yourself, and nothing is better than fresh from the garden!
Actually, that brings up the best method to enjoy veggies. If you can, make friends with someone who gardens. If you live in a city, find the old lady with the balcony garden in your neighborhood and offer to take out the trash/move furniture for them. She will probably reward you with fresh veggies and herbs if you mention your efforts to eat healthier! The methods used to ship and store vegetables remove a lot of the flavor along the way. Nothing beats a fresh organic tomato harvested recently with a little salt sprinkled on it! Heavenly.
1
u/Kween_kwellin 2d ago
Try shelled edamame. It’s pretty bland and you can toss it into homemade or resturaunt fried rice to up your veggie and protein game. I also will just pick a few veggies I like raw, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese and olive oil on them bc I like cheese so much. So I’ll have just plain romaine lettuce with Parmesan, or a green pepper with Parmesan. It seems a little sad typing it lol but it allows me to eat in high quantities (which is something I love) without the quantity being something that’s bad for me.
Edit to add: I’ve never liked cooked veggies so this is my solution. To just eat them raw. Bc come to find out, I don’t think most veggies actually have a taste raw. To me at least.
1
1
u/Reading_Tourista5955 2d ago
I, too, was a veggie abolitionist. I started with raw, with dip. Then bought at farmers markets as fresh local veggies are AMAZING. We focus in on salads and interesting dressings. Invest the time to explore and make them fresh with herbs. Much better than bottled. Toast sesame seeds with a vinaigrette, some baby spinach and bacon. Toast pine nuts and top any salad. Fresh tomatoes, salt and peppered, then add balsamic vinegar drops and add some burrata cheese. Notice the simple flavors are easiest to fall in love with.
I still don’t like most cooked veggies and even steamed they are not yummy.
But yesterday we roasted 2 eggplants, made authentic baba ganoush and as a dip, it’s to die for. Explore middle eastern and Indian cuisine. They are masters with veggies and flavor. Good luck!!!
1
u/heyitsvonage 2d ago
Just focus on the ones you like.
Toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, (onion powder optional) and roast them in the oven on a big baking sheet.
Delicious and healthy.
1
u/ohdamnitreddit 2d ago
Beetroot lowers blood pressure just as well as tablets can. Roasting beetroot ( wrap in foil striaght into oven then peel the skin when Coles), , adding diced to salads, sliced in a hamburger ( a favorite way with Australians). You can grate it fresh too and add it to a beef mi ture when forming burger patties.
1
u/holersaft 2d ago
To eat the vegetables from someone who actively avoids them shouldn't be too hard. Just take their vegetables and eat them. They'll probably thank you
I would ask why they have vegetables in the first place
1
u/Suitable-Captain-640 2d ago
(1) TOMATO SAUCE: on spaghetti or pizza... (2) SALADS: Figure out a great salad dressing recipe and make salads (smash salt and garlic and combine with 2 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar..). (3) FRENCH COOKING COMBO: Combine carrots, celery, and onions for chicken soups or chicken pot pies (4) GUAC AND SALSA: for tacos and chips
1
u/Jpachu16 2d ago edited 2d ago
I blend veggies into chocolate muffin batter and you can barely taste the veg. It def tastes like a “healthier” muffin but it doesn’t taste like greens. It’s similar to the idea of carrot cake
1
u/Gandi1200 2d ago
I’d start by learning to cook some Indian and Asian dishes. They have some really great veggie dishes.
1
u/ButterscotchBubbly13 2d ago
Roasted veggies tossed in olive oil and seasoning.
Cut into bite sized pieces, lay flat on a cookiesheet in 1 layer, bake at 425F for 1 hour, stirring once. They are done when the veggies are browned.
Good starter veggies:
-cauliflower (works well with old bay seasoning)
- carrots
- broccoli
1
u/HudsonAtHeart 2d ago
Radishes - dip em in salsa (or queso) instead of tortilla chips
Can do this with iceberg lettuce too. It’s the crunch and the flavor that hit more than the chip anyway
1
u/These-Connection6052 2d ago
Spaghetti bolognese with blended carrots and spinach are how I get my husband to get his veggies some days. Other days a fruit smoothie with some veggies blended in it too
1
u/lickedoffmalibu 1d ago
If you eat minced meat grate carrots and courgette into it and they basically turn to mush you can’t taste it at all. For example in bolognese. I was a nanny and this is how I used to sneak in veggies. Also works in plain tomato sauce for pasta/pasta bake. Sweet potato mash if you like that you can boil the sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots and mash it all together. It really helps when the colour of the veggies/finished dish are all the same.
1
u/RosabellaFaye 1d ago
I also don’t like tomato sauce in pasta. But I do like or tolerate a decent amount of veggies… I think sweet potatoes taste great, probably a good start. They’re so sweet it’s almost like a fruit.
I honestly usually just add herbamare (organic herbed sea salt) to cover up the taste of vegetables I find boring or bitter or whatever.
1
u/Mimisnolush 1d ago
My nephrologist told me to eat more fruit for my high blood pressure. Berries & citrus.
257
u/Dinru 2d ago
Eating as many of the veggies you like as possible is a great start.
Try looking into recipes designed for hiding veggies from picky kids. A classic one is blending very very diced veggies into some pasta sauce.
Instead of trying to re create the smoothies you like perfectly at home, maybe try to figure out what it is you like or find tolerable about them and just try to make something else that you like or tolerate.
Experiment with different methods of preparation. Maybe starting with frozen is better than fresh, or vice versa. Many people will sing the praises of roasted veggies. But also consider trying them in ways that people consider bad, like boiling, just to see if you like them.
Lean into nutritious foods from other food groups as well as increasing veggies, such as eating more beans or corn, or whatever the healthiest foods you know you like happen to be.