What do you hate about them? I guess I mean is it the texture or the taste?
I freaking LOVE fresh vegetables but canned vegetables are soooooo gross. Maybe you could try preparing them differently. I grill most everything I eat (George Foreman grill with pam & Mrs Dash).
Its the texture and the taste. I never had to eat them when i was a kid and just never liked them. Exactly what Im looking for is different ways to prepare them so I would like them a tad better. Like sauces or anything.
I try to drink V8 to help but its so full of salt.
I hate vegetables too. Or at least I used to. We started buying a co-op produce basket and I couldn't stand to waste soemthing that I had paid for. I always try different ways to fix veg whether I thiunk I like them or not. I still can't stand beets or turnips, but I found a way to make brussels sprouts awesome and sweet potatoes amazing. We had a cream of broccoli soup tonight that I can't believe had broccoli in it.
A lot of times, adding some of the really aromatic spices like the kind used for Moroccan or Indian food really helps the taste a lot.
I like eatinwell (dot) com for all sorts of healthy recipes. You can just search for whatever vegetable you want to use and it will show lots of options. Best advice from a fellow veggie hater is to just keep trying different ways until you find a way for ech kind that tastes good. It is very often just a matter of a different preparation, at least for me.
I grill or roast most of my veggies in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Doesn't change the taste completely but makes them bearable. I would just suggest trying some new and different veggies, you'll be surprised at what you might like and of course search for some new recipes that incorporate veggies in. I find that I can mask the taste of most veggies in soups and stews!
Not that I am advocating it, but I don't eat vegetables. The only veggies I will sometimes eat are ones that don't count (corn and potatoes) or occasionally small pieces of bell pepper. I do just fine counting my calories and losing weight without eating veggies, for me the key is protein and things that aren't particularly low fat, as backwards as that sounds. I know that will keep me full longer.
BUT eating veggies is healthy, so I still suggest eating as many as possible. My suggestion is to hide them, or stick with ones you like. Another option is to reward yourself for eating them! Allow a certain amount of calories for treats, GOOD ones, ones that you would kill for. But only allow yourself to eat them after you have eaten a certain amount of veggies. Personally, I will do just about anything for a rolo, and am not ever allowed to have them, even when I am not counting calories, unless I have first eaten something I don't like.
So what you can do is pick some treat you REALLY like and don't let yourself eat typically, something that is small enough that it won't kill your intake. And once you have eaten, say, a serving of veggies, then have your treat. Once you are used to that, you only get the treat every couple of servings of veggies, and slowly make it less and less often that you get the treat. Eventually your taste buds will adjust to the flavors of the vegetables, or at the very least your brain will associate them with something you really like, and you won't hate them anymore.
I don't like vegetables too but I do have a few that I have no problem eating like lettuce, tomatoes, cauliflower and the occasional broccoli. I usually eat it with meat so a typical meal would look like:
100g of pork/chicken/tuna
1 cup of mixed tomatoes and lettuce
But if you'll ask me to eat just veggies..oh heck no lol.
How many different kinds of vegetables have you tried? If you haven't branched out too far, I suggest buying a new vegetable you've never had every week or two, search the internet for serving ideas, and give it a shot. Maybe you'll find something you like the taste of, or a texture you can stand? When I was a kid my daycare used to have weird fruit Fridays, it was pretty fun.
I find spaghetti sauce is a good place to hide veggies. You can either buy a standard one or just a can of tomato sauce (cuts the sugar), then slowly heat with spices. I like to add carrots, onion, zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, and/or onion and spice with oregano, basil, and red pepper flake. Another I like is to cook some tomatoes in a little olive oil, squish them, and add something like onion, bell pepper, and basil and put it on pasta with fresh shredded parmesan cheese. Grilling gives veggies a sweet flavor. Brush with oil and add a seasoning. If the limper, cooked texture of vegetables bothers you though, it might not work or you can try cooking for only a short time to retain crispness.
Is the low sodium V8 available where you live? It still has a lot of salt, but quite a bit less than the regular.
When you say "the texture" and "the taste" it makes me think you haven't tried different types of vegetables in different preparations. The entire universe of vegetables is a vast category with a wide range of textures and tastes. So perhaps it would help if you were specific about what types of vegetables and what preparations you have in mind when you make a very, very broad statement like "I hate vegetables."
In the meantime, here are some of my simplest, most common preparations that will give you a wide variety of tastes and textures to sample:
* Diced cucumber, tomato, and onion, tossed with salt, lime juice, and a little cayenne if you like heat. You can also add sweet peppers to this salad.
* Roasted anything. My favorites are cauliflower, or string beans, or asparagus or even carrots (four very different tastes and textures for you right there). Toss the vegetables in a little bit of olive oil, roast in a very hot oven 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Dust with salt and pepper and any other spices you might have lying around - I sometimes use Indian spice mixtures for this, garam masala or chana masala.
* Broccoli, or broccolini, or spinach sauteed with a little bit of olive oil and some garlic, salt and pepper.
I like the fresh taste and texture of most fresh vegetables - adore it, actually - so perhaps my suggestions won't have much appeal to you. But just keep in mind that there is not "the taste" and "the texture" when it comes to vegetables - there is a vast, vast array. It's doesn't have to all be boiled peas and defrosted frozen mush.
I puree onion, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro and use in my cooking. It's called sofrito. You probably have seen it premade in the latin section of the freezer in your store. It's delicious to marinate chicken or steak and it keeps in the fridge for a long time.
I steam broccoli and add it to stir fry with low sodium soy sauce and other spices such as garlic, ginger, etc.
Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red bell peppers- I usually use these for salads but you can add them to sandwiches as well.
Potatoes- I microwave them and top them with Laughing cow cheese and black pepper. No butter and it's delicious.
Carrots- I steam them and add a bit of honey and a pat of butter, salt and pepper. This makes the most delicious carrots ever. My kids love them!
These are just a couple of ideas. Start with one vegetable at a time and you'll know which ones you can tolerate and which ones you can't. For me, I can't stand mushrooms. I've tried to love them but I just can't...lol
I sometimes buy frozen mixed Asian-style vegetables. When I'm feeling lazy and want to have a quick dinner, I thaw out a heaping pile and stir-fry them in olive oil. I add almonds, salt and freshly ground pepper and it makes a satisfying meal full of interesting tastes and textures.
Vegetables
