Can I rant for a second.

I HATE VEGTABLES

I HATE VEGTABLES

I HATE VEGTABLES

I hate tomatoes, I hate cucumbers and I HATE lettuce. There is no taste or point to this food because it doesn't fill you up and it doesn't taste good.  There is a reason its called rabbit food...... cause its for RABBITS.

 

Ok rant over.....  anyone have any ideas how I can enjoy salads more? It really is a struggle for me to force myself to eat this stuff.  I realize that is why I'm probably not seeing the weight fall off like I want (still on my cal limit... just not the right kind?)

 

sigh.

 

Calories are calories.  If you're eating the right amount for weight loss (along with exercising, of course) then it doesn't matter.  Eating calories from veggies won't help you lose weight.

 

Although I, along with a ton of other people, wholeheartedly disagree that vegetables are neither filling nor appetizing.  That sucks for you that you think that.

 

I hate cucumbers too yuck! the best thing to do with them is cut them in half and throw both halves away!

I HATE iceburg lettuce but love red leaf, green leaf , and romaine. As for tomatoes I like cherry tomatoes but not regular tomatoes.

I do however love vegetables.

Maybe salad isn't your thing.

Do you like cooked vegetables?

Maybe you would have better luck with steaming or boiling veggies instead of salad?

Vegetables doesn't necessarily have to be salad.

My daughter hates salad but loves steamed broccoli and asparagus,squash sweet potatoes,zucchini,green beans you get the jist.

 

Are you talking about salads in particular or vegetables in general?  How do you feel about steamed broccoli, carrots and snow peas?  Cool them, add salad dressing and you have a filling meal. 

Or switch to vegetable soups.  They're not hard to make.  Salad isn't the only way to get your daily 5 servings.

Yea I was going on about cold veggies/salads.

I like that idea of steamed veggies and letting them cool!   

 

I love the salads some places do that throw lots of fun funky things in there - but then the calories start to add up with all the extra fixings.

 

Original Post by clairelaine:

 Salad isn't the only way to get your daily 5 servings.

 I was thinking the same thing.  I get my 5 daily servings in, but I only occasionally have a leaf based salad.

Veggies are so varied, as are the methods to prepare them.  Grilled, roasted, steamed, broiled, sauteed...the number of seasoning and sauces to be created for them is amazing. 

I suggest you look around for veggie recipes, both here and at other websites, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Veggies aren't just for salads!

I like baby spinach or mixed greens instead of iceberg.  I add hard boiled egg w/ half the yolk, reduced fat feta, banana peppers, jalepenos, black or green olives (only 5), broccoli, onion, green peppers, green onion and turkey/chicken/ham/salmon/tuna and add a light vinaigrette (usually rasberry). Very filling and low cholesterol/fat/cal high protien.

What exactly is it that you hate about vegetables? They're not all the same and there are so many different ways you can prepare them - if you don't like them cooked, then most of them can be eaten raw or lightly blanched so they're still crisp, and if you don't like them raw, then you can cook them! You can steam them, saute them, roast them, bake them, make them into a slice, put them into chilli or casserole or curry...

If you don't like salad, that's okay - don't eat it! I'm not a big salad fan - lettuce is just a vehicle for carrying the parts of the salad that have the flavour in them. Spinach salad or 'baby greens' taste far better than iceberg or romaine too... since you say you don't like 'rabbit food' I hereby give you permission never to eat it again! Eat some cooked veggies instead.

DH isn't a big vegetable fan, so I just buy assorted frozen veggies and I'll dump a cup or two into a bowl and microwave it at lunchtime to get some more of them into my diet. Five minutes in the microwave, a generous spoon of salsa, and they're ready to eat.

Well they are an excellent source of nutrition...but I used to hate them too.  I think through dieting, my palate just changed.

But if you just can't handle straight veggies, I suggest looking at a cookbook called "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld.  You can barely taste the veggies in those recipes at all.

Broccoli salad is the thing for you.  Lots of dressing, raisins (or chopped fresh grapes, even better), some sunflower seeds, maybe a few crispy fried onions on top.  Maybe not quite as healthy as a green salad, but better for you than potato salad, macaroni salad or jello.

I have steamed Broccoli all the time, and its really delicious. I also eat Baby Carrots. Those have to be my two favorite veggies.

My Suggestion is just keep trying different veggies and when you find some you like, throw them in together and enjoy them.

Try them stir-fried, in casseroles, veggie lasagna, smoothies, or other combos.  There's no rule that says veggies have to be eaten raw in a green salad form.

Lastnight I made broccoli/tofu stir-fry.  (first time I've ever used tofu before!), adn it was great.  I packed in two servings of broccoli plus a serving of carrots - into one, low-cal meal.  My sceptical husband even went back for seconds.

Honestly, there is no point in even asking if you have such a negative view of vegEtables.
You could always try to fix or add them to some sort of food that you do like, and try to gradually add them into your daily diet. 

Original Post by technicolor:

Honestly, there is no point in even asking if you have such a negative view of vegEtables.
You could always try to fix or add them to some sort of food that you do like, and try to gradually add them into your daily diet. 

I was just ranting for a second... I don't reeeeally hate them that much.  They are more in the bottom half of my preferred foods - but that is why I am here.  I  need to make a healthy lifestyle change and try to learn to enjoy things better for me.

Really like some of the suggestions here.  And you are right - I don't have to force myself to eat the things I don't like... but learn to make other options different ways.

I LOVE cooked/steamed/grilled veggies.  

 

thanks for everyones suggestions :)

Ha - I could relate to your I Hate Veg (even though you dont entirely) because I always had thought the reason were so full of nutionients was so that people would eat them. :D

In reality, earth's creatures live on them by choice. Is this because their isn't bunny Taco Bells or cow Macaroni Grills?  Would our furry friends choose french fries over raw carrots? 

There's a reason some like yourself use the term Rabbit Food.  Thankfully, humans DO have ways to enhance our vegetables.  Popcorn Cauliflower ROCKS - diet or no diet!  Vegetable flavors can be enhanced if theyre just not cutting it anymore. 

I agree about the weight. Calories counting is the bottom line but upping vegs can drop overall calorie consumption and therefore affect weight loss. Get creative - you deserve to eat your vegs and enjoy them too!

I am not a big fan of most veggies but I have found a few favorites. Try greenbeans with a litlle peanut butter mixed in, you can eat them hot or cold . Another thing I like to make is soup from left over vegs.(tastes best if you have mixed vegs.) I puree the vegetables so they resemble babyfood, add them to some veg.broth and put in some barley, rice or pasta. You can add some other herbs or spices. I like to add some curry paste but you can go any direction and it is super easy and quick.

sounds like you need to make more solid salads.  And don't forget the dressing, your body needs some oils to absorb the nutrients.  Try adding beans, seeds, or croutons to give the salad some kick that will fill you more.  Try eating some denser vegetables that don't have as much of a water content such as spinach, radicchio, snow peas or carrots. 

Or forget the salads all together.  I sometimes make a stew type thing with canned diced tomatoes and throw in any vegetable i can get.  You can eat this with some toast, couscous, rice, or quinoa(probably the best carb).

put some veggies on the bbq and then cool them and add some balsamic vinegar and some garlic salt.  SO GOOD

i have lots of ideas if you need more lol.

enjoy!

How about a pasta salad?  Cook some flax or whole grain noodles, just one serving size or 1/2 a serving size if calories are your concern.  Add cherry tomatoes, a few artichoke hearts (frozen or marinated, but the frozen are a better deal), a handful of olives, a bit of diced chicken if you're a meat eater.  Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese, some oregano, pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt.  All the flavors combine to be really yummy and there's always a bite of something yummy awaiting you.

Do you like Chinese takeout?  Then make yourself a healthy stir-fry.  Throw in a bunch of veggies (bagged frozen stir-fry veggies work well) and cook them in a skillet or wok with a little oil or nonfat cooking spray.  Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, chicken breast, shrimp, sesame seeds, or whatever you want!  I like to add a tsp of sugar free orange marmalade to make it taste like orange chicken.  Then add a little cornstarch and chicken broth to thicken it up, and I swear it tastes just like Chinese takeout, except healthier.  The veggies (Especially broccoli) absorb the delicious sauce and actually taste GOOD (and trust me, this is coming from a fellow non-vegetable fan).  Hope this helps!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread while eating a salad with tomato, romaine, cucumber, radish, green pepper, avocado, tuna, oil and vinegar. Uuurp.

You did remind me that I have in the past substituted green beans for pasta underneath a marinara with some parmesean. Note to self for this weekend.

I guess potatoes don't count, so I will notmention that sweet potatoes mashed with orange juice with some walnuts and cinnamon added in is about my favorite side dish these days. Ooops.

It's the bang for the bulk that keeps me coming back to veggies.