how do I eat healthy if I hate veggies?

Here's a dilemma. I'm a sugar junkie trying to wean myself off of many years of bad eating habits. I'd like to inject more vegetables into my new lifestyle but aside from the 4 basics (potatoes, green beans, corn and peas) I don't like veggies! Any advice? Has anyone else been there/done that? Any good recipes to try?

I'm on the same boat sis/bro! (can't tell because you have no profile) I just recently started eating lettuce and tomatoes in my sandwich!! I sometimes make myself eat a salad but it's very hard for me! So if you get any suggestions, let me know!

Keep trying new ones until you find stuff you like.

That and try new ways of cooking things.

More fruit to.

Oh I go to town on fruit. At least a few peices everyday. And that's helped with the sweet tooth. Cinnamon helps too. What about throwing more beans into soups or stews inthe crockpot? Would oyu use dried beans for that?

Bean are good for you but they aren't veggies. Legumes?  Good for adding protein etc to meals.

Experiment until you find ones that you like or ways you like them prepared.

Squash - Cut In half, remove seeds, microwave until tender.  Pour Lite or Sugar-Free pancake syrup on and enjoy.

Zuccini is almost flavorless when used in tomatoe dishes - peel it if you prefer.

Create a vegetable soup with your favorites.  Yummy.

Peas - try snow peas in a stir fry.

Honey Glazed Carrots.

Endless possibilities.

Get a package of california blend (brocoli, zuchini and carrots) add a little bit of olive oil and garlic to it when you cook it.  Then top with a spinkle of parmesan cheese

I've also recently came addicted to soy.  Safeway has a mixture of shelled soybeans, mushrooms and green beans that is really good.

Well, you sound like 2 persons I know lol. One doesn't like to eat vegies either, not on his own volition that is. Second just not touching that green stuff at all! (unless if he doesn't see it of course ~.^)

Curious, what don't you like about vegetables? the taste of certain kind? the textures? of just simply not used to it? It is hard to live in this world without accidentally eating a form of vegie or another. It is in soup, in food, some diced so small that you just practically swallowed it without thinking twice.
Perhaps finding out what you don't like specifically about vegie can help us hep point you to the right direction. No point of making you eat something you hate. It will make doing this 'diet' a torture. ^_^

I found the profile set up and took care of that. Can you tell I'm new to this forum and internet stuff? Thanks, dd

I don't care for cold crunchy foods except for fruit (b/c it's sweet) & cereal. I've tried dozens of salads with a bunch of dressings but haven't found one I like yet (i'm still tryin'). I've even gone as far as to heat up a salad in the micro wave but then it's soggy. I find myself loading the salad plate with anything to make the taste of the lettuce hidden. And celery...no. Although I am willing to try it with peanut butter.

Eat more fruit... there's lots of the same nutrients in fruits as there are in veggies... but have different colors of fruits - grapes contain different anti-oxidants than oranges for example.

As far as veggies are concerned... it may be the texture of a particular veggie.  Cooked broccoli may be "yucky"  but raw broccoli dipped in salsa is a "different" veggie altogether.  Since you like green beans and peas, try different varieties of them.  For example snow peas, Chinese long beans (they may be harder to find in some areas - but easier in Asian markets).

Quick and easy recipe for green beans:  Use a heavy cast iron frying pan.  Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil (I use a garlic olive oil).  Put about 2-3 cups of green beans (fresh or frozen both work well) into the pan with the oil, turn up the heat to medium high, cover and cook for about 5 minutes - stirring a couple of times.  Flavored green beans with a small amount of "good for you" oil.  You can give it a squeeze of lemon juice too.

Garlic Olive Oil:  Cut the tops off of 2 garlic bulbs.  Place on a sheet of double thickness of foil, pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the bulbs and wrap tightly in foil.  Bake in the oven for an hour at 325 degrees.  Let cool and then squeeze the soft garlic out of the bulb and into a jar.  Add enough olive oil to cover and let stand for a day in the refrigerator before using.  Presto!  Homemade garlic oil.  Important to store in the refrigerator.  I then use the oil in many dishes or spread on bread for healthy garlic bread.  It's easy to measure a teaspoon of oil onto something.  And the roasted garlic is also easy to add to quick dishes.

I'm like you, it's definitely been a challenge trying to incorporate veggies in our new lifestyle change. I get some of my servings by stir-frying it in with my meats for dinner. For example, I'll stir-fry bell peppers with my steak or broccoli or else I buy the mixed stir-fry veggies in the frozen section and cook that up with chicken or beef.  Fruit is no problem it's the vegetables. I've recently taken a liking to snacking on cut up celery sticks with a tbsp of peanut butter. That way I get a serving of vegetables and good fats at the same time.

XD I'm sorry, I gotta laugh at your comment about heating salad in microwave. You are funny :) It does show you put in effort tho!

So no crunchy cold stuff? hm....
How about vegie/fruit juice mix? You can mix carrots + celery + apple + lime/lemon. It's delish.

Italian squash (is that vegie? I thought it is...) is not as crunchy especially after you cooked it.
Simple, sauted it with olive oil and garlic + dash of salt (you can also add italian herb to make it tastier), add in 2 tbs worth of water then cover for 1-2 min on low heat. It will steamed it and soften it a bit. And done. Good for side dish for your meal.

Here is simple vegie stew I always make at home and the vegie in the soup/stew is warm and not crunchy:
Cut all these into 1 inch long sticks (julienne style) or buy frozen ones thts precut: carrots & green bean.
Cut 1 russet potato into small cubes (if you want it disintegrate, if not, cut it bigger)
A can of dark red kidney bean.
1 can Chicken broth, dash of nutmeg, salt & white pepper to taste (black is ok too), and 1 tsp bbq sauce (or bits of ham/bacon for fragrance)
You can put as much or as little carrot of green bean. I'd suggest 2 carrots and a handfull of greenbean. And add water to make sure the liquid covers the top of the ingredients in the pot.
Boil all ingredients until they are soft. (if the beans comes from can it can be added when the rest is halfway cooked). Add spices (nutmeg, salt, pepper, and bbq flavor of choice). Let it boil then lower it to simmer until the vegies are as soft as you want. At this point, if you want the soup to be richer, can add a cup of low fat milk, and continue simmer.
There, you got a stew with has vegie, protein & carbs all in one!

gert - thanks for sharing the Garlic Olive Oil thingy!

One of the ways I like veggies is - in the summer we get summer squash and zucchini, slice them up medallion style, add slices onions and green peppers, a little bit of butter or olive oil (either works) and some of your favorite seasonings, then put them in an aluminum foil packet.  You can put it in the oven (or my fave) the grill!  Soo goood!!!

Another way to get some veggies - I made up a recipe that uses veggies, pasta and chicken - here

Even my husband and son - who *hate* anything "diet" - love it!

Ironically... I used to be the same way...

I wouldn't dare touch any veggie that wasn't one of the "basics" with the exception of uncooked Broccoli (and I'd only eat it if it was covered in Ranch)...

And then one day, I decided I wanted to eat healthier... And that's when it changed??? I'm still to this day not sure why... But once I decided I wanted to eat healthier foods, my taste buds changed somehow and I acquired tastes for celery, tomatoes, onions, peppers and a couple others that I can't think of at the moment...

I think it's really all in your head... I don't know how this helps you at all, but I just thought I'd share my experience...

You'll have to try new veggies until you find some you like, there are hundreds of different vegetables out there.  You can also find creative ways to eat your veggies.

Try stuffed peppers, or sauteed mushrooms and onions.   Slice up some eggplant/aubergine and bake it in the oven with italian spices and some cheese.

HOT SAUCE!!!!!

I used to be somewhat the same way. When I started trying to get healthier I made it a point to try at least one new veggie a week. I would pick out something at the store that I didn't normally eat, find a recipe for it and give it a change.

a few were a miss (brussel sprouts - yuck) and some were big hits (egg plant and asparagus for sure).

One I realized that fresh veggies are worlds better than canned and that they don't have to be cooked to resemble baby food a whole world opened up for me.

I prefer most veggies raw, but some are better cooked. the right seasoning can make a world of difference.

so can dips such as hummus, which always sounds gross to me, until I tried it once and quickly became addictited.

Also once I stopped eating a lot of sugar my tastes changed. I didnt need everything to be so  intesely sweet anymore. I could appreciate more subtle flavors.

Soups and hotdishes are also great for getting veggies into your diet.

experiment around, you may be suprised at what you like.  Dont' let any bad experiences as a child turn you off.

My mom always made spinach, seaweed style. I wouldn't touch it until I was well over 30. Now I love it, fresh in salads or sandwiches.