Will I be healthier?

[Robert Maxwell]

I prefer most of my veggies raw, honestly.

 

[RoJoHen]

I like mine overcooked and mushy.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

I prefer to grill pungent vegetables, to carmelize the sharper flavors and add great texture.

 

[Canadave]

I like most fruits, but my big problem is vegetables. Most of them I can't eat without gagging. There are a few exceptions, such as some peppers (hot ones, mostly, though bell are okay if they're cooked and cut small), mushrooms, and onions, most notably. Others I simply can't stomach—carrots, for example, I have always hated. They've actually been known to cause me to nearly throw up, in the past.

It's rather annoying, because I want to eat reasonably well, but it can be tough finding good alternatives sometimes.

 

[RoJoHen]

There are a few exceptions, such as some peppers (hot ones, mostly, though bell are okay if they're cooked and cut small), mushrooms, and onions, most notably.

Weird. These are the only vegetables I absolutely can't stand.

 

[CaptainStoner]

I really "got" collard greens last week, cooking at work. They smell a bit like socks for a minute when cooking, but mixed with other veggies and some meat - freakin' yummy.

 

[Canadave]

There are a few exceptions, such as some peppers (hot ones, mostly, though bell are okay if they're cooked and cut small), mushrooms, and onions, most notably.

Weird. These are the only vegetables I absolutely can't stand.

It's funny, actually, because the (admittedly short) list of vegetables I like actually matches up almost perfectly with the ones my girlfriend doesn't.

I think the only real exception is potatoes, we both like them.

 

[kimc]

If you shift your diet toward one richer in vegetables and fruits you will find your tastes will change. The less junk food the eat the less you crave it. The less greasy fatty food you consume the less appetizing it becomes, to the point where you may even find junk foods you used to enjoy unpalatable and fruits and veggies you used to dislike to be craveable. These juices are often highly processed and full of sugar, and may be more detrimental to your overall health than beneficial. I'd suggest trying a large variety of veggies and fruits prepared different ways, and just sucking it up and sticking with it until your tastes change. That's really the best way to improve your diet.

This! Those juices are very sugary which can mess with your insulin levels. Not that a glass now and then is a bad thing but eating the real fruits and vegetables is much better for you.

I've been eating a more natural diet but the other night I ordered a pizza since I was leaving town the next day and didn't want to food shop. I woke up feeling awful.

 

[Holdfast]

I like most fruits, but my big problem is vegetables. Most of them I can't eat without gagging. There are a few exceptions, such as some peppers (hot ones, mostly, though bell are okay if they're cooked and cut small), mushrooms, and onions, most notably. Others I simply can't stomach—carrots, for example, I have always hated. They've actually been known to cause me to nearly throw up, in the past.

It's rather annoying, because I want to eat reasonably well, but it can be tough finding good alternatives sometimes.

Is it a learned psychological aversion or a genuine unusual allergy? If the former, as I would suspect, you could consider trying to overcome it with a course of therapy, if it really annoys you.

 

[Miss Chicken]

This fellow knows about healthy living

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUCJ0ZFh1ec&feature=related[/yt]

 

[thestrangequark]

^Sounds delish. Just remember with cauliflower: overcook it. The same goes for brussels sprouts and any other stinky vegetable. If you cook the smell out it tastes much better.

Hmm, I can't agree.

No vegetable needs to be overcooked. In fact, one the worst things about school dinners was overcooked and mushy cauliflower, brussells sprouts, broccoli, etc. To my taste, they should be cooked enough to retain a bit of crunch. Especially the brussells sprouts.

I do agree with you in regards to most veggies. Perfectly cooked should still have a bit of a crunch, and soggy is never the way to go. But with the veggies that can cause gas, I think it helps a lot to cook the gases out, especially if you're going to puree them (like in the recipe I was talking about), in which case, of coures, mushier is far better. One can also soak brussels sprouts to remove some of the gases, but I'm too lazy for that!

 

[Canadave]

I like most fruits, but my big problem is vegetables. Most of them I can't eat without gagging. There are a few exceptions, such as some peppers (hot ones, mostly, though bell are okay if they're cooked and cut small), mushrooms, and onions, most notably. Others I simply can't stomach—carrots, for example, I have always hated. They've actually been known to cause me to nearly throw up, in the past.

It's rather annoying, because I want to eat reasonably well, but it can be tough finding good alternatives sometimes.

Is it a learned psychological aversion or a genuine unusual allergy? If the former, as I would suspect, you could consider trying to overcome it with a course of therapy, if it really annoys you.

I have no idea, to be honest. All I know is that even when I was a baby, my mom tried to feed me many vegetable-based baby foods, which I would refuse to eat even then.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I have a taste aversion to pickles. You could sneak pickles into something I'm going to eat and I'll gag on it instantly. I have no idea why, since I normally like that sort of flavor. It's just been that way since I was a kid.

 

[JoeZhang]

If you want to be healthier, you'd be better off trying to cut out processed crap from your diet.

 

[Tribbles]

I have a serious aversion to most vegetables, and even that V8 Peach Mango juice was something I had to choke down because I could taste the carrot flavor in it. I stopped bothering when I was informed that the amount of sugar outweighs the benefits.

There's no way I can just eat a spoonful of straight vegetable. The thought of it makes me feel queasy, and I have gagged from trying to do so before. The best way I've found to incorporate vegetables is to cut them up into other dishes. I add chopped bell pepper (red is my favorite) and onion to anything I can, and finely chopped broccoli and/or carrots to many chicken-based meals. Pot roast with chopped carrots and green beans is something I can handle. Barbecue chicken pizza with baby spinach and red bell pepper strips is tolerable, as well. I never particularly *like* the veggies in these meals, but I can make myself be somewhat of an adult and eat them when they are small, softened, and blended with the flavors from meats and sauces.

Maybe I'm just kidding myself and I destroy any nutritional benefits of the vegetables, but that's the best I've got so far. I feel your pain, fellow veggie-haters.

 

[Canadave]

I have a taste aversion to pickles. You could sneak pickles into something I'm going to eat and I'll gag on it instantly. I have no idea why, since I normally like that sort of flavor. It's just been that way since I was a kid.

This is exactly how I react to a lot of vegetables. Carrots being one of the most noticeable for me... I can always, always taste carrots in a dish, and it makes me gag.

Generally, I'm like Tribbles. I have to work at it to disguise the vegetables... for instance, I'll eat tomatoes if they're diced, cooked, and mixed with ground beef, and I try to put onions in a lot of stuff because I like them, but yeah. It's tough.

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Mate veggies do not have to be boring. Let me teach you how to make a killer salad.

Get yourself one red capsicum / bell pepper. Turn your oven on 180C, let it warm up and chuck the pepper in. Roast it for 10-15 minutes, until it softens up and the skin goes black. When done peel the skin off, cut it into two and deseed it. Slice it into thin strips.

Slice up some cucumber, tomato, spanish/purple onions and cos lettuce. Mix them all together inside of a bowl along with the roasted capsicum.

Chuck in some deseeded olives (I like the black ones they are not too bitter) and some cubes of fetta cheese.

Now you make the dressing. Mix three parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar. The more expensive / higher quality oil you use, the better. Give them a good mix so they emulsify. Add some roughly chopped basil leaves, a decent pinch of salt, pepper, chilli flakes and crushed garlic. Mix it well, and then mix it through the salad so that every ingredient is covered in hot, salty garlicy goodness.

ENJOY

I'm going to totally try this. Thanks for the recipe!

I've completely converted over to using balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil as my only salad dressing. Sprinkle in some feta cheese and it's sooooo incredibly yummy!

If you are not experienced in the kitchen I am happy to make a youtube video to show you how to do it

Go for it.

 

[melancholymecha]

are there any bottled fruit juices available without sugar?

also are there any alternatives to lettuce/ spinach for salads? I cant eat salads anymore b/c the greens end up giving me indigestion.

 

[Amaris]

are there any bottled fruit juices available without sugar?

also are there any alternatives to lettuce/ spinach for salads? I cant eat salads anymore b/c the greens end up giving me indigestion.

Kale as an alternative to lettuce and spinach, and it's full of flavor and nutrients. As for your bottled juices, there are some, but there is still sugar in them. What you want are the juices that are flash pasteurized and have no artificial sweetener/sugar in them. This means they will be expensive, but yes. Here are some brands that I trust (as a diabetic):

Bolthouse Farms
POM

Keep in mind, though, that none of these will replace real fruit. They are a poor substitute at best.
It is still much wiser to eat fresh fruit whenever possible.

 

[Holdfast]

also are there any alternatives to lettuce/ spinach for salads? I cant eat salads anymore b/c the greens end up giving me indigestion.

Not helpful, but this discussion of salads and gastrointestinal health reminds me of a joke I once heard:


"Doctor, Doctor, I've got a lettuce up my arse!"
"How on earth did that happen?"
"You don't want to know; that's only the tip of the iceberg!"