I'm veggie challenged as well. AND I don't like fruit! I am doubly challanged! LOL!

What I've come to realize is I can't force myself to eat something I don't like, period. I'm overweight because I overeat. What I do is find healthy foods I LIKE, and eat them in moderation.

Don't force yourself to eat foods you can't stand. That's what makes me quit a "new eating plan" FAST! You are doing this long term. Experiement with different foods, and choose foods you know will satisfy you. Never feel you have to eat something just because it's healthy. I have found lots of foods out there I like that are healthy for me. (some veggies, most not!) Hope this helps!

Heidi

Herbs and spices are what allowed me to gradually learn to 'like' veggies (to the point of finally discovering the veggies-lover seemingly hidden under all those cravings for pizza ), so perhaps it could help? Or mix vegetables with something else, like pasta or rice, so that there's something you like with it to help it 'get through', so to say. Better have a little this way than no vegetables at all, I suppose.

I am very limited as to the veggies I eat. So I eat those, and will puree them and add to sauces and stuff. I try to eat a cup of veggies a day. I almost never eat salads at home, they just don't taste as good as when I get them out.

I have found that different cooking methods have allowed me to try other veggies that I didn't think I would like. Roasting is great for broccoli and cauliflower.
Fruit, I have no problem with and love!

Don't knock the "tricks". The South Beach craze brought about creamed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes. I can eat cauliflower, but it's not my veggie of choice. However...I LOVE creamed cauliflower. I like to add some light cream cheese to it. You can experiment with it, try different seasoning, cream cheese or not, butter flavor or not, and see if you can like it disguised that way. Or like someone mentioned, puree some and add them to things. Experiment. You might be surprised at what you find you actually like, even if you don't normally like that particular veggie in it's recognizable form. But like someone else said, if you can't find a way to fix it that you do like it in, don't force yourself to eat it just for the sake of doing so.

Another option....you could've had a V8.

What about Lean Cuisines? Do you like the vegetables in some of those? That might get you started in liking veggies more (and at least get you a serving o two!). I'm thinking of the chicken with pasta primavera, that has asparagus, small tomatoes, etc. or the roasted garlic chicken that has a creamy spinach.

Also, have you tried putting a lowfat salad dressings on something like steamed broccoli florets? That makes a tasty vegetable without a lot of cooking.

3FC has a forum for Veggie Challenged:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=176

Drop in over there for more ideas!

Jay

I am exactly like you--the only veggies I can tolerate are corn, potatoes, beans, lettuce, cucumbers, and baby spinach. I've tried a ton of different veggies in the hopes of finding some I like, and I've tried them plain, raw, steamed, baked, roasted, microwaved, you name it...with salad dressing, with seasonings, with butter spray, with dips...I just can't do it! And I certainly can't stomach salad every day, either. I can handle some cooked broccoli with cheese, but the whole smothering it in cheese thing sort of defeats the purpose

I agree with others--if you don't like it, don't eat it! Forcing yourself to eat something you don't like just because it's healthy is one of the best ways to push yourself right back into old bad eating habits.

I do find ways to hide veggies in other foods, though. I'm not sure why you think those are bad tricks to fall for. I've never done cauliflower in mac n cheese (then again, I don't eat much mac and cheese due to the calories and the fact that I can easily eat an entire box in one sitting), but I have done a box of frozen chopped spinach purreed and mixed in with pasta sauce--can't even tell it's there because it just mixes in with the sauce. I also LOVE Progresso's new light soups. The bes (IMO) is their Southwestern Style Vegeatable Soup. It is SO good, and if you have the entire can of soup, it's 2 servings of veggies. There are some veggies in the soup I wouldn't normally eat (like celery--YUCK!), but being in the soup, the flavor and texture is comepletely changed so I can't even tell it's celery anymore unless I'm looking at it. The only other veggie I've been able to handle is spaghetti squash; I use it as a pure substitute for spaghetti noodles. But it is quite labor-intensive (says the chick who hates to cook), so I don't have it very often.

Anyway, it's definitely possible to lose weight and to be healthy without choking down foods you hate

LOL And here I'm reading this right after I just polished off a can of the Italian Style Vegetable. That's my favorite. I've got another 4 cans of it in the cabinet. Add a splash, or two, or three, of Texas Pete and it has the makings of a good soup.

Thanks everyone for the input!! Some great ideas -- now if I can just get my head to ignore the fact that "they're still in there" -- LOL -- then maybe I can try some of these ideas, and play tricks on my head!

I appreciate the advice, and will let you guys know how it works out! I'm going to start with fruit smoothies for breakfast tomorrow - and will take it a step at a time!! Happy New Year's everyone!

My husband hates all cooked veggies, but if I make a veggie soup and puree it until there are absolutely NO chunks he loves it. If you like sweet potatoes or winter squash (they are both sweet) you can put those in your soup and that will be the main flavor and then you can pile in the other veggies and they just add seasoning.

You have to keep trying. Some veggies you may never love. I will never like cauliflower no matter how it is prepared (I do NOT think the "mock mashed potatoes" taste anything like mashed potatoes) but I love almost everything else in SOME format....you have to keep twiddling and tweaking!

I dont think you should force yourself to eat anything you HATE, but I do think you should force yourself to keep trying new things, new ways and see if you can find ways to at least tolerate.

I agree with ennay 100% on this. After all, we are calling this a "life-style" change, and to me that means try some new things.

I am 65 years old, have been on lots of diets and only now have I decided that I can drink skim-milk. Go figure. I always hated it, said I couldn't do it etc etc, then I read somewhere that one of the easiest ways to cut fat from one's diet is to choose fat free dairy, and all of a sudden I was fine with it.

Ahhh, and here's the kicker. I could never stand yogurt. HATED it. But, because I wanted to lose weight and knew yogurt was a healthy food choice, I kept trying different brands and flavors to see if I could find one I could stomach. I eventually found a brand I liked ok, then I found one I liked better, and so on. Until the day I realized I'd already tried that brand before and hated it. It wasn't that the brand had gotten better, it's that my taste buds had been conditioned. I now LOVE yogurt.

But if you're just not developing a taste for something, don't force it to the point you start slipping up because you're sick of eating food you don't like. If you see that juncture coming, lay off the stuff you don't like.

almostheaven has a good point! I once went on a "diet" where I had to eat egg white omelets and lots of turkey breast. After 5 weeks, I had lost weight but I couldn't stand turkey anymore--and I had always disliked egg whites. Clearly, this was not a sustainable way to eat in the long run!

Jay

Hrm. I think I'm lucky, because though there's a whole list of vegetables I don't like (including collard greens, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and eggplant) there's still a whole list of them that I do.

Soup is a good idea. I know you said you didn't like hiding them in other foods, but spinach I've found to work well in lasagna. Tomato sauce is in there too. I never did get into the mashed cauliflower thing. It's not mashed potatoes, I'm not falling for it.

Or you can make dessert out of it. There's pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pie. I don't like sweet potato pie so much as pumpkin pie, which I do kind of love.

If you really don't like veggies, I suggest making sure you get a good variety of fruit in, then. It'll be higher in calories, but it has good fiber and nutrients and vitamins. You might even want to research some online about what fruits and veggies are rich in what nutrients, to make sure you're getting a good mix in.

And do try vegetables again now and then, in different ways. I used to hate spinach. Then I realized I actually loved it raw, in salads. And now, five years later, I sort of like it cooked, in moderation, when it's just a component of other dishes. Raw carrots I'm not all that fond of (too many bad memories on Weight Watchers as a kid), but I like them cooked. For a long time I hated asparagus, then suddenly one time I tried it, and I liked it.

Then there are things that I try and still hate. I don't think I will ever like brussel sprouts, though every 2-3 years, I gamely give it another try. You never know.

here's my biggest tip - i made this up because the alzheimer's mom isn't eating much, and i needed to get some decent food in her.

i grate/chop/shred all kinds of veggies into MEAT LOAF!!!! first, i shred or finely chop a bunch, up to about 2 cups per pound of meat: zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, tomato, and cook them slowly in a frying pan until they're cooked and soft. then, i mash a can of drained chick peas. mix in the meat, veggies, some bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, an egg or two.

form into a meat loaf [or individual ones] top with ketchup or tomato sauce or whatever, and then bake.

honest - you don't even know the veggies are in there!!!!