It's ok to eat only the foods you like, but you will have I accept the fact that you need to eat less of them in order to achieve weight loss. You will also have to accept that excluding fruits and veggies compromises you nutritionally and puts you at a disadvantage for good health and fighting disease. It's common knowledge that vegetables are good for you buy if you're willing to accept the consequences then why not? You're a big girl and you get I choose what you eat.
However I'm baffled when people say yet don't like fruits and vegetables. There are literally hundreds to choose from and countless ways to prepare them. As adults we have to try to find ways to consume the things we need whether it's for weightloss or not. Eating vegetables is important in so many ways from giving us energy to providing fiber and nutrients and antioxidants, it just seems irresponsible and a little immature to just not eat them.
A little time researching some kick a$$ veggie recipes is time well spent and I'm sure you will come across a few that can covert the most stubborn naysayer. I mean, have you even had a good vegetarian chili? Mushroom frittata? Fresh pea risotto? Real roasted tomatoes?
I agree 100% A pile of steamed plain vegetables on a plate isn't really that appealing to me, but a vegetable samosa, shakshuka with runny eggs, or even a quesadilla and I'm all over it!
I think the easiest way to learn to love veggies is through stir fries. It's easy to flavor the veggies by mixing them with chunks of meat and a simple sauce (e.g. soy & garlic) or even one from a jar these days. Serve on brown rice if you do carbs. Mix different meat/veggies/sauce and it's easy to have a different yummy meals for days on end.
I agree 100% A pile of steamed plain vegetables on a plate isn't really that appealing to me, but a vegetable samosa, shakshuka with runny eggs, or even a quesadilla and I'm all over it!
This is so true. Most people I find who don't like veggies are people who haven't ever had them prepared well. They are either over cooked, unseasoned, or an uninteresting mix. We eat so many veggies in this house (always have) that I can't grocery shop for a week for our family of 5 because our fridge won't hold it all.
Like tonight we had taco salad. Sure there was meat and cheese, but it was piled with spring greens, radishes, peppers, homemade guacamole and a sprinkling of chips on top for a bit of crunch. Delicious!
Most people I find who don't like veggies are people who haven't ever had them prepared well.
^This. X1000.
I hated broccoli as a kid. Hated it in a way I don't even have words to express. Then one day I discovered that it doesn't have to be boiled for, like, 2 hours. Steamed until crisp tender and.... It's now my favorite vegetable. There is always broccoli in my fridge.
Also, eating seasonally makes a huge difference. There is nothing, but nothing, like a pile of produce from a garden or orchard or farmer's market.
This is so true. Most people I find who don't like veggies are people who haven't ever had them prepared well. They are either over cooked, unseasoned, or an uninteresting mix. We eat so many veggies in this house (always have) that I can't grocery shop for a week for our family of 5 because our fridge won't hold it all.
Like tonight we had taco salad. Sure there was meat and cheese, but it was piled with spring greens, radishes, peppers, homemade guacamole and a sprinkling of chips on top for a bit of crunch. Delicious!
I'm coming over for dinner, sounds delicious!
We had mushroom/spinach turkey burgers with baked curly sweet potato fries. My six year old would never eat a bunch of mushrooms or a pile of spinach, but she ate that burger faster than I've seen her eat chocolate! I also got six burgers out of a pound of meat, so now we have three in the freezer for another day.
I do like vegetables, just not the 5 servings a day or whatever is recommended. I grow most of my own and I find the supermarket ones have less flavor and texture than mine. I can or freeze what I grow. We grow broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, peppers, winter squash, tomatoes, cukes, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beets, radishes. I buy corn from the farmer down the road.
My husband has gout, and we've found he can't eat some things - spinach, kale, cauliflower, fresh mushrooms, raw zuchini, sometimes summer squash. He doesn't like sweet potato, (I do!) and neither of us likes eggplant. I don't have time to cook separate meals for him and myself each day, so it limits what I get to eat.
Neither of us like vinegars or soy sauce, mustards or ketchup.
I had a vegetarian chili once, it was pretty blah. I haven't tried to make it myself.
I don't know if hubby will eat a fritatta, maybe for breakfast. I do try to sneak some vegetables in spanish-style rice but he's not happy about it :-) He likes his rice with just a little onion & garlic, and a bouillion cube for flavor, or plain.
Gout is limiting, my husband has some older uncles that suffer from it, it limits meat consumption quite a bit, how do you get around that? Over consumption of meat is usually the leading factor in causing it in the first place - how come you don't let that interfere with your meat and potatoes preferences yet let it stand in the way of your cauliflower consumption? husbands dietary limitations should never stand in the way of you getting what you need. My hubby doesn't eat eggplant but that doesn't mean I never get to cook it, just make some for yourself. Cut some up and toss it with spices and herbs and olive oil and stick it in the oven. As many ways as you can find to say I can't you can find ways to make it work. There is always a Balance between nutrition weight loss and happiness. Why should work obligations and somebody else's dietary preferences come between you and what you really want to eat? If your goal is just weight-loss and that's easy, just eat less. You don't have to eat anything you don't want to, I just have to speak up and say vegetables are too diverse and delicious and vital to our well being to scoff at.
I do like vegetables, just not the 5 servings a day or whatever is recommended. I grow most of my own and I find the supermarket ones have less flavor and texture than mine. I can or freeze what I grow. We grow broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, peppers, winter squash, tomatoes, cukes, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beets, radishes. I buy corn from the farmer down the road.
My husband has gout, and we've found he can't eat some things - spinach, kale, cauliflower, fresh mushrooms, raw zuchini, sometimes summer squash. He doesn't like sweet potato, (I do!) and neither of us likes eggplant. I don't have time to cook separate meals for him and myself each day, so it limits what I get to eat.
Neither of us like vinegars or soy sauce, mustards or ketchup.
I had a vegetarian chili once, it was pretty blah. I haven't tried to make it myself.
I don't know if hubby will eat a fritatta, maybe for breakfast. I do try to sneak some vegetables in spanish-style rice but he's not happy about it :-) He likes his rice with just a little onion & garlic, and a bouillion cube for flavor, or plain.
That is awesome that you grow your own veggies! I cook separate meals for myself and my husband and kids by making one meal and then altering half or a 1/4 or whatever. Like with casseroles, I make most of it one way and then add a bunch of vegetables to my side. It doesn't really take any extra time and the pay off is big.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Novus
^This. X1000.
I hated broccoli as a kid. Hated it in a way I don't even have words to express. Then one day I discovered that it doesn't have to be boiled for, like, 2 hours. Steamed until crisp tender and.... It's now my favorite vegetable. There is always broccoli in my fridge.
Also, eating seasonally makes a huge difference. There is nothing, but nothing, like a pile of produce from a garden or orchard or farmer's market.
ewww eww ewww, your description of broccoli sounds horrifying. I love broccoli. I think it is my favorite vegetable. When I was a kid zuchini and yellow squash were the constant vegetables my parents made and I was forced to eat. I have tried for years to try to get myself to like them but I still shudder when I eat them. We mostly had them sauteed. Eggplant is another one I have tried to eat and haven't been able to make myself like it.
Pink hippie have you tried slicing it very thinly,running it with salt to take out the bitterness (leaves he salt on for a good 20min) then rinsing it and dredging it in flour before fryin golden crisp? Then dip it into a garlicky yogurt sauce or a spicy marinara. You're welcome
The gout restrictions are based on history. Those foods, and some others, cause flare-ups. Meat usually doesn't, starches/carbs don't cause flare-ups either. I will sometimes cook an extra vegetable for me. I just enjoy the meat and pasta stuff much more than vegs. In the summertime we generally eat lighter due the garden production. Aging has made a big difference in the weight gain, I'm 59 and it's harder to lose now, it seems.
I've had eggplant and cauliflower a couple of different ways and wasnt' impressed.
Pink hippie have you tried slicing it very thinly,running it with salt to take out the bitterness (leaves he salt on for a good 20min) then rinsing it and dredging it in flour before fryin golden crisp? Then dip it into a garlicky yogurt sauce or a spicy marinara. You're welcome
Wow, I have to say I have never had it that way. That does sound good. And yes I always found eggplant to be really bitter. Im going to keep my eye out for eggplant at the store or farmers market and I will check it out. Thanks!
Munchy, I have seen the recipe for baba ganoush before but seeing it was eggplant always kept me from trying it. I suppose I ought to broaden my horizons a bit.
The gout restrictions are based on history. Those foods, and some others, cause flare-ups. Meat usually doesn't, starches/carbs don't cause flare-ups either. I will sometimes cook an extra vegetable for me. I just enjoy the meat and pasta stuff much more than vegs. In the summertime we generally eat lighter due the garden production. Aging has made a big difference in the weight gain, I'm 59 and it's harder to lose now, it seems.
I've had eggplant and cauliflower a couple of different ways and wasnt' impressed.
Well, again, you really don't need to eat any vegetables to lose weight, but you would probably be hungry if you just cut out a chunk of what you're used to eating without anything else to fill you up. A 2oz (dry) portion of pasta is not very much in a bowl! That's why you're getting a lot of suggestions on how to add veggies to your diet, not to mention the nutrition.
Have you tried cauliflower mash? If you're intimidated by the full cauliflower, you can always add it to half mashed potatoes.
Another option is puree - I add cheese and a few ingredients to cauliflower puree and end up with "alfredo" sauce. It's thick, creamy, and tastes like it shouldn't be healthy. I also make a puree of cauliflower and cheese to add with pasta as macaroni and cheese. My daughter loves it. I've successfully made cauliflower rice, cauliflower couscous, and cauliflower pizza crust, and sometimes we simply roast it until golden brown with olive oil, salt and pepper.
It's just one example of the many ways that just one vegetable can be eaten. How about other produce like tomatoes, okra, bok choy, varieties of squash, artichokes, cucumbers, edamame, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, asparagus, etc? There are just too many fruits and vegetables and too many ways to prepare them that I can't believe there would be a small number of options!
Have you tried stopping eating before you're full? It's hard but can be done, it just takes practice. If you don't want to count calories or eat more foods with less calorie density then you're going to have to do that.
It's now my favorite vegetable. There is always broccoli in my fridge. 
