Texture of Lettuce
 

I know this sounds a little crazy however, I want to eat Salads I think that they look so Yummy. However, everytime I taste one I get completely disgusted by the texture of lettuce. The way it grinds in between my teeth completed disgusts me.

Any ideas how I can get over this whole hatred towards lettuce and start enjoying salads??

I would try avoiding any "tender" lettuces and try some of the more crunchy ones like Romaine, I find I enjoy salads a lot more when the lettuce is crunchy. You could also try making a salad with very little lettuce in it until you get used to the feeling the gradually add more and more...

Yes, try different kinds of lettuce! You might like baby spinach. What about shredded cabbage? They sell that now too, I suppose so you can make cole slaw more easily. You can try that with different kinds of dressings. And if you google salads you might find a lot of ideas for salads without a lettuce base! I've had tomato, basil and mozzarella salads before-yummy!

There are so many kinds of lettuce out there- besides the regular iceberg (which I'm not much of a fan of honestly) there is romaine, baby greens, spinach, and so many different mixes- try out the other stuff and see what you like!

Sometimes these things are in your mind only. I have been able to overcome many food types that I used to hate.

I actually used to be the same way with lettuce. It was the slick texture and the sound it made squeaking against my teeth. :) I started out eating small amounts on sandwiches and gradually worked my way up to salads. I found I did better at first when I mixed in some spring mix. Now I'm okay with basically any lettuce.

late reply is late
 

I found a resturaunt that makes ceasar salad by crushing/pounding the croutons and then dressing the lettuce with ceasar and sprinkling the crouton "dust" over the lettuce with parmesan cheese, and then topping with more croutons.


This has been the way that I learned to tolerate lettuce. I'm 26 years old and only ever voluntarily ate lettuce this way when I was 25 1/2.

The crouton dust disguises the texture of the lettuce.

Who says a salad has to be made with lettuce anyway? You can use beet tops, turnip greens, kale, spinach, chard, etc...

oh my goodness I was happy to see that there was someone else who did not like lettuce!

Which type of lettuce are you referring to? Iceberg lettuce, or all lettuces in general? I never eat iceberg, but I love Romaine, and highly suggest it, raw spinach, and other leafy greens and lettuces. Mix up the lettuces and have a whole bunch of different ones together-- you will find something you will like!! And remember, salads don't have to have lettuce at all!! Often I will make lettuceless salads, and just combine a whole bunch of raw veggies together with a light bit of oil and vinegar.

I also done care for iceberg. I like what was posted way earlier about the 'tender' lettuce.

Tis a new love for me but the stuff spoils so quickly. I had it in a salad with some craisens or cranberries and that mad it taste so good. I just wish nit didn't spoil so fast.

I get sick of going tom the grocery store :((((

Agree with the others... don't force yourself to like lettuce, you'll just resent it more. Stick to vegetables you actually like and make salads with them.

I've gotten over my hatred of cabbage, okra, etc. only when I get a good experience out of them... like someone cooked them in a way that I found them so delicious so I would always associate the good taste with the vegetable. In a way, it's all in the mind!

I like to get salad with spinach or just add spinach to romain. I hate iceberg lettuce salads. I also found that adding chicken into a salad helps

I myself am working on my lettuce texture issue. I am not a fan of any type of lettuce. But I think it's just like anything, try a little bit and then a little bit more. I used to never be able to eat any lettuce and when it would get into my mouth I would spit it out, but today I bought a salad and got 4 bites down ;) This is a major accomplishment and next time I'll eat more. I am also making sure I "hide" the lettuce with turkey, croutons, etc. So it might not be the healthiest but once I can eat lettuce I can start cutting back on the other stuff. Good luck to all!

I can't stomach iceberg, but I love romaine and spinach. I started with caesar salads as a kid because of the texture thing, but I've found that any leafier more green lettuce is a huge improvement over iceberg. It's a taste and texture tihng for me on the iceberg. Just try different kinds to see if there's one you don't mind. Also, be sure to use a yummy dressing at least until you get used to lettuce.

Simple. Stop putting lettuce in your salads. I eat salad regularly and haven't had a lettuce salad in years. I don't like it in a mixed salad because it goes soggy. Occasionally I will make myself a salad which is just lettuce, a few pine nuts, and a simple salad dressing, as when you eat it alone it doesn't sog. (I went to stay with a French exchange student when I was 15, and they were so horrified at the idea of eating lettuce mixed in with other veg that they trained me for life.) The rest of the time, if I want a leafy salad I use spinach, usually baby spinach. Nice and leafy, good fresh taste, and most important of all, it doesn't go soggy. Look up some more salad recipes if you're stuck, there are loads of different types out there. Here's one of my favourites, which I think I will make for lunch now we mention it.

Small tin of chick peas
Carrot, diced
Tomato, diced
Various bits and bobs e.g. raisins, olives, sundried tomatoes (may need to watch the fat content with these)
Olive oil and lemon juice for dressing, though sometimes I will use various vinegars e.g. balsamic

Then you get the Japanese approach to salads.

Tomato
Wakame seaweed (you only need a bit, it swells up hugely when it's rehydrated)
Tofu
Sesame seeds
Dressing of sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

My current passion, which is on hold while I'm on a lower-fat diet while they investigate me for gallstones, is a variation on Thai papaya salad. You're meant to make it with green papaya, but I couldn't get that and used ripe papaya instead. The recipe says "if you can't get green papaya, use green cabbage", so I'm being pretty inauthentic here, but who cares, the salad is out of this world. This makes quite a big salad.

1 ripe papaya, cut into chunks
8 or so snow peas or similar
1 red onion, finely chopped and blanched in boiling water for 5 min
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup (brown) Thai rice, cooked
1 red pepper, cut into fine strips

1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp? light soy sauce
pinch cumin
dash cayenne
squeeze of garlic purée
bit of water to make up the sauce

Then there was a salad I had years ago which my mother copied from a rabbi's wife. I can't remember the exact recipe, but it involved raw broccoli, blanched red onion, mayonnaise as part of the dressing (I made it with vegan mayonnaise), and googling those ingredients will bring up lots of ideas.

My usual variation on Israeli salad goes something like this:

Diced tomato
Diced cucumber
A few black olives
Spring onion, chopped (optional)
Bit of fresh tofu, diced (a white cheese would work here too)
Za'atar
Olive oil
Salt
Lemon juice (optional)

A leafy salad, since I'm trotting out every recipe I can think of:

Baby spinach
Avocado
Tomato
A few green olives
Olive oil and lemon juice dressing

And these are fairly unimaginative salads, to be honest, there are far more veg out there which I should be using. There really is no reason to be stuck miserably prodding at a few limp tomatoes and a bit of soggy lettuce!

lettuce + cabbage with a bit of dressings !

My gosh that sounds like me! Most people don't know what I am talking about when I describe lettuce as being "too crunchy". I also don't like the essence flavor to touch any of my food.

I'm a picky eater, and I am pretty sure I am a Super Taster, a person who has more taste buds with more sensitivity to particular foods. I learned about this when I read Suffering Succotash, and basically some foods you can be more and more exposed to and then not mind eating them. But I have a hard time eating greens. I have to eat spinach leaves with my hands, and even then I still don't eat it that much.

I am going to try and sneak in spinach leaves into a fruit smoothie, and hopefully the taste of the greens will be masked. :broc:

The best way to mask that is with bananas. You could also try half carrot and half spinach. Just a thought!

I get my lettuce once a week from a local grower. The varieties vary by season but I make one HUGE salad and then keep it in mason jars to take to work during the week. I will tell you that everybody that eats some absolutely begs me to bring more for them. I have lettuce but about 50% is veggiesTry this...

2-3 types lettuce or greens (spinach, baby kale, romaine, buttercrisp etc.) wash, chop and throw into huge bowl.
1/2 shredded cabbage
5 or 6 shredded carrots
6-8 shredded radishes
1-2 diced yellow or green zucchini (chop small if you don't like veggies but they add substance)
one bunch chopped green onions
1 huge bundle or cilantro (sometimes basil but cilantro rocks)

Other veggies as I come across them. I use this as my base salad and it lasts all week. I keep it in a large kitchenaide salad spinner. I take it for lunch and we have it for dinner each night.

To really kick it up (I know you will think you won't like this but humor me and try it) take a bowl full, drizzle on olive oil, juice a lemon or lime over it and sprinkle with sea salt. It will catch the cilantro and BANG SO good!! My kids eat this every day and will eat more then a cereal bowl at a time!

I add chicken, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, eggs or other proteins for lunch. I don't add tomato or cucumber or other "wet" veggies because by the end of the week they are yucky.

I think if you try this you will reduce your texture issue. There is a lot of "crunch" due to carrots, cabbage etc. Try going for half the lettuce. I never use iceberg and I find that mixing greens helps a lot! I LOVE cabbage and kale fresh!

I don't like crunchy lettuce myself. Iceberg and Romaine are gross. I'll stick with Spring Mix or Spinach for my salads.

I don't like crunchy lettuce. Iceberg is blah, and I don't like the big stems in Romaine. I like green/red leaf lettuce. Something you might consider is making a salad with warmed toppings. For example, I made a chicken fajita salad. I cooked some chicken breast in fajita seasoning and added onion, bell pepper, corn, and beans to heat through. Put it all on a bed of lettuce while it was warm and topped with cheese, salsa, and some mashed avocado.

I totally thought this was just me! I can't stand the texture of lettuce! I know it's been suggested multiple times already, but spinach really does work for me.

I'm a picky and a supertaster too! ;) I did start out when I was a teenager with iceberg, which was what everybody I knew ate (this was the 70s). Then as romaine and other leafy kinds became more available, now I prefer them and think iceberg is a waste of time. I also have pet rabbits and rabbits aren't supposed to have iceberg so I don't buy it. Baby spinach I find enjoyable as well. I do get the texture thing - these days for me, though, it's more about things like onion - too crunchy AND too strong - or tomato (slimy and seeds).

I have done the "eat spinach leaves by hand" thing too! :D It makes them seem more like a snack, I guess, and kind of fun. Sometimes I get myself to eat lettuce more when I nom on it while I'm prepping it for the rabbits. Hee hee! I live with only one other person and we have pretty different tastes in foods so basically it's like living alone; I get to choose what I eat and not have to eat in front of other people much. That takes some of the pressure off. Although it can also result in laziness . . . right now I do need to try and eat more salad and stuff again.

Or you could always find alternative places to stick your leafy greens. I put kale and spinach in smoothies, or steam kale and put it in soup or pasta with other veggies.

I personally have stopped keeping delicate greens around because they go bad so quick. But I do like romaine lettuce and eat a bag of it for breakfast every day.

arugula is a good choice, it has a nice nutty flavour and a crunchiness. I'm not a fan of iceberg. I don't mind spinach too much, but mostly my salads do not have any lettuce at all, just peppers, celery, tomatoes and cukes.