Tired of food

[fiamma]

So I am officially tired of food. I never really feel that hungry, and have no desire whatsover to cook. I was having some success with raw food, but even there when I have to think about prep, even peeling a carrot and chopping it seems like too much work. So I end up just eating fruit, and grabbing whatever there is vegan to hand (chocolate and crackers )

It's bothering me that if I want to eat vegan there's always so much prep involved, whereas carnies can just fling a steak on the grill.

Not that I want to be a carnivore. Or eat steak.

I don't even know why I'm writing this, or what I expect you all to say, because I know all the answers already...

I just have no energy. Or motivation. Ugh. HELP!!! I'm going to try and stop feeling sorry for myself now.

[Est]

{{Hug}} xx

[fiamma]

Aw shucks. Thanks Est.

[vegcurry]

How about making a large pan of soup, as it's quick and easy to make, and you can pick at it should you feel hungry. You can always spice it up on the next day, or use it as a base for a stew or curry. I usually do a lentil soup in the pressure cooker using just a couple of onions and carrots, stock, lentils, etc and it cooks in no time, and best of all feels like no effort at all.

[fiamma]

Hmmm... thanks vegcurry!!! *brain starts ticking over* But do I have to chop the onions? (just kidding )

[ellaminnowpea]

Hi Fiamma! I am like this. Though, I always have been. I just don't care enough about food or eating to prepare things. After a while, I had to start eating better and just accepted that I'd do it by buying pre-made things. I buy cans of soup, prepared veggies, salads, fruit, cans of veggies, cereal.

I sometimes wonder if it's a normal thing or an ED thing. Either way, it really would be good to start enjoying eating and preparing food, huh? Just remember getting enough calories is the main thing and we gotta do what we gotta do until things improve.

[fiamma]

Thanks Ella (((((HUGS))))) Food for thought, eh??!!!

Thanks everyone so far for your replies

[leedsveg]

Per the old cliche, I eat to live, not live to eat.

lv

[mariana]

But do I have to chop the onions? (just kidding )

They sell pre-chopped onions... At least they did in the supermarket nearest me where I lived last year. They were pretty expensive, though. Sometimes I love cooking but sometimes I just don't feel like it, either. (Mainly because I hate doing the washing up after!) So I know the feeling.... But I know it's important to eat healthy meals regularly, because if I skip a meal or eat something unhealthy I feel even less inclined to cook the next one because I don't have the energy...

[Wildflower]

Hi Fiamma,

I don't have great suggestions, but I just wanted to chime in that I have the same thing every few months. I call it, "being bored with food." It's like I go through this phase where absolutely nothing sounds good. I tend to overeat a bit when this happens, cause it's like nothing satisfies me.

And...well...I love to cook, so I don't know what it is. A boredom, depression, vitamin deficiency.

I have no desire to eat meat either...but I know what you mean about sometimes it feeling easier to be able to just eat salmon every night with veggies and rice or something you could swap out.

[veganwitch]

No great advice from me. But I get into food ruts every so often and doing the littlest thing seems like a major effort. Generally I love food and love to cook but sometimes I just can't find the motivation. It eventually passes though.

[buttons]

I always keep some microwaveable (is that a word?) veggie burgers in the fridge in case of food fatigue.

[harpy]

I quite often don't feel like cooking but the OH doesn't mind doing it so that's OK. Shoving leftovers in the freezer is also a help as it means there is an effort-free option available.

Sadly I never seem to tire of eating

[pavotrouge]

I can't relate since I'm pretty much a live to eat person, but I guess there's phases when you have different priorities - I wouldn't worry too much as long as it's not for longer than a few weeks. Don't beat yourself up because of it. Soon it'll be spring and there will be all sorts of new stuff that will inspire you to cook/eat.

[cedarblue]

can you eat some pre-packaged micro meals or something you don't have to worry about for a bit? ....dont' worry, after a while you will soon get fed up with them and want to eat some nicer food again.

love to you!

[Ruby Rose]

I wish I were tired of food. Then my trousers might fit a bit better.

How about eating out or getting some takeaways - Chinese, Indian, Thai, whatever's available where you are - and see if that inspires you to want to try to make something similar yourself?

Also, maybe cook up a load of rice and stick it in portions in the freezer, then you can experiment with just "stuff to go on rice"...

[Blueberry]

I have an omni friend like this. She has a piece of toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a small dinner. I mean small portions. Her fridge is nearly always empty and she has a husband and two kids! She has bags of frozen veg in the freezer to make meals quickly. She hates cooking, and food prep, and sees it as pointless. I've always found it quite funny, as I am the complete opposite to that. But it's not a problem to her as she eats enough to live - just!

[xrodolfox]

Just go out to eat! Let someone else do the work. When I had more money, I blew it all on vegan restaurant fare. It was well worth it.

[fiamma]

We don't really have vegan restaurants here... it's like a completely foreign concept. And financially it's not really a viable option. Thanks anyway

[erynne936]

When I don't feel like cooking I have hummus & veggies for dinner or make nachos or tacos!

[Marrers]

Even in a food rut you have to make sure you eat for fuel, for nutrition. I also hate cooking and have rarely bothered in the past but now I'd say letting your health suffer by not taking care of what you are eating can lead to feeling poorly and health problems, and having to take loads of medication and/or supplements is much more of a drag. (I wish I hadn't been so 'lazy' about eating a healthy balanced diet in the past.)

[loveganism]

So I end up just eating fruit, and grabbing whatever there is vegan to hand (chocolate and crackers )

I work on a computer all day (and sometimes at night) and end up doing the same (my boyf. said to me last night as he went out 'eat something proper... not just crackers! ).

Chocolate and crackers are really bad to snack on if you aren't getting any other nutrition. Maybe stop buying them for a while and buy a decent nut/seed mix instead (maybe with cacao nibs mixed in?).

I'm not sure if it's related, but I've done the raw food thing too and become a bit disillusioned with cooked food (even though I'm not raw at the moment).

[Wayfare]

I suggest make something in large quantity that you don't normal eat but that is super easy to prepare. I don't usually eat green split peas but last night I made a huge pot of them. Wow!

1 big bag of green split peas (32 .oz)
1 carrot shredded or chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 big red tomato chopped (or some tomato sauce/paste but I'm not sure how much that would be)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (heaping!) cumin
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 tablespoon salt
(add in other spices you like or vary the amounts according to preference)

Cook the green split peas according to the directions on the package then set them aside. Fry everything else in the oil and mix well. Add in the split peas and enough water to cover (and then a little bit more). Simmer and allow the split peas to cook down.

It felt like I was in the kitchen for 5 minutes total with the chopping and measuring and stirring. I never eat split peas and now I might be hooked!

[Sarah_]

I get what you're saying. Just the idea of cutting up tomatoes or carrot for a salad feels draining. I would gladly eat a full salad with all the trimmings but it's just too much work and seems so expensive to buy. Therefor my salads consist of lettuce. Just lettuce.

It might help if I knew how to cook, but the point is I see where you're coming from.

[fiamma]

... takeaways - Chinese, Indian, Thai, whatever's available where you are ...

You may not believe it, but the only takeaway places where I live are pizza (surprise surprise). Even in Bologna I don't think there are many ethnic takeaway places.

[kaybee]

this wont solve all your problems, but it might help with the nutrition: GREEN SMOOTHIES. 60% fruit, 40% mild greens, like spinach. its quick and easy and at least you'll be getting some nutrition in you. you wont really taste the spinach either, especially if you use berries or mango or some other stronger tasting fruit. add a banana to make it creamier, or a pomegranate--the seeds blended will make it creamy. you can also do savory...i used to do a bunch of basil, some spinach, garlic, lemon, raw almonds, and olive oil, a sort of "pesto soup" in the blender then put pieces of dulse seaweed in it for some texture (you could also blend in an avocado for creamier or add other things for texture like corn or mushrooms.) you could then heat gently if you wanted it warm, but again, its quick and easy and gives you some nutrition.

sometimes on the raw food boards when people get bored with food, other people recommend that they might try fasting for a few days.... i dunno, but i can def relate to the not wanting to make the effort to prepare things...i do mostly raw food because thats what makes my body feel better but it takes alot of prep time and i often wish i could just grab these instant meals that so many other people do. less prep and less cleanup. but they make me feel like garbage too...ive found if i eat less healthy food for a while, after a while im craving the fresher stuff so ill start going through the effort to make it again.

[Sunkist]

I think you may have underlying problems that are not even related to food,- if you don't feel like cooking can't you just buy some ready prepared food,- I know, i've got three children to feed and sometimes we just eat ready made sausages , burgers , steamed veg, -followed by some fresh fruit. I primarily eat for my health and simple ,fresh food, takes little time to prepare

[puca]

Smoothies!

Bung in kale and greens and stuff.... Mmmmm...

Or soups...

Get a blender or one of those wands.

[happy]

I understand what people are saying.I have the problem myself,little motivation etc.,but sometimes if I am hungry I end up preparing anyway.Sometimes it just gets annoying and prepared food can be so expensive,the fake meats,ready meals etc.£ 2 and £3 + each with only student money,lol. People have given really good suggestions fiamma.I particularly like the green smoothie idea,really good for nutrition. Make a list of foods you really like and create meals around them.I love beans of nearly all types so use them-good for protein.I do buy more expensive things every so often to try things out.Happycow.net is very good for finding vegan eating places worldwide.I have used it a few times when travelling.I've just found places in Bologna.You should have a look

[puca]

Meat substitutes on a student budget = ouch

I recommend lots of cans of pulses (I like chickpeas and kidney beans), canned tomato and other veggies with El Paso spices (the vegan ones).

I made a kick ass chilli last night, but then I am very lucky. I live 10 minutes from a large South Indian supermarket which is almost entirely (if not all) vegetarian. You can get huge bags of TVP for a lot less than health food shops, as well as loads of pulses, flours, veg ghee and even incense.

One of my current loves are the ready made spices you can get for around 50p. You just need around two tablespoons of them, mixed with veg to make really big curries. So you can cook communally or make it last a few days.

Curries I always think seem impressive, but most are really easy. I mean once you've chopped some veg, cooked the onions, you can just leave 'em simmer and read a book.

[fiamma]

I live 10 minutes from a large South Indian supermarket which is almost entirely (if not all) vegetarian. You can get huge bags of TVP for a lot less than health food shops, as well as loads of pulses, flours, veg ghee and even incense.

*goes green with envy*

[crazy_4_veg]

Have you thought about investing in a slow cooker? You can pick them up rather cheaply (although I don't know how much from where you are) and make food in bulk. You can get ones that make 8+ portions in them and then use plastic containers (any on hand that have a lid should be fine) and put them in the freezer. When you don't feel like cooking you can defrost (on the side for a few hours or in the fridge over the day/night) and then microwave for 3-5 mins making an easy meal. Works well for huge vegan Shepherds pies/lasange etc as well if you portion them up the same way. Costs are very low and you don't need to put too much effort in as you could do a batch day like this where you do enough main meals for the week/fortnight/month etc.

Another way is to make sure you always have things like houmous and bread/rice cakes/oat cakes/crackers/pre-prepered vegetables to snack on, or maybe beans on toast/baked potatoes as a meal. All rather cheap and easy when you look at it. Although I am another who thinks a blender is a very good way of getting food. Maybe even just raw vegetables or fruit as they require very little prep (I don't peel carrots I just cut off the top after washing it and eat it ).

[Purple]

Hey Fiamma, I know what you mean, sometimes it's all just too annoying

Do you know any other vegans/veggies or live with anyone else? Cooking with someone else can be a lot more fun, especially with some music on.

If you have a freezer, making bigger portions and freezing/refrigerating them is great, means you can cook once but have 2-4 meals out of the effort.

Jacket potatoes are great too - bung em in the oven for an hour and a bit whilst you do something else then spend the last 5 minutes either cooking some beans or frying some tofu steaks. Minimal washing up too!


p.s. Anyone else do kitchen dancing?

[Marrers]

Soup is another thing that is fairly easy and can be cooked in bulk and frozen for another time. You can include all-sorts of veg but don't forget to add something for protein too (tofu, pulses etc).

[Stig]

Wildflower, you hit the nail on the head for me. I tend to overeat because it feels like the food doesn't hit the spot. Its interesting because its not always just once in a blue moon, sorry I don't have anything worthwhile to input..

[fiamma]

^ Aw, don't worry Stig, your reply is greatly appreciated in any case

Thanks everyone so much for your replies - they really mean a lot. Now that my boyfriend has decided to go vegan too, that's given me a bit of an incentive to make good meals. Plus he's a great cook, so he's been a real inspiration too.

Thanks again all.... you are THE BEST!!!

[RubyDuby]

congrats on the newly vegan boyfriend!!

ps- getting the bf to cook always helps me through food ruts.

[Marrers]

Good to hear fiamma!

[cedarblue]

i'm sure that extra support will help you, fiamma

[missbettie]

you know i kinda feel tired of food right now...when this happens i tend to switch to eatting more fruit...and i'm definately not a fruit person, but for some reason its the only thing that appeals to me...

[fiamma]

I'm the same, only i LOVE fruit... I could live on the stuff!

[missbettie]

i'm a veggie girl. but for some reason fruit is just...mmmmmm...right now...maybe cause its freaking hot outside...lol...sorry all you people in 20 feet of snow...

[Tigerlily]

I get into food ruts too. I think everyone does. There needs to be more vegan convience food (that's affordable and healthy). When I'm in a food rut, I just stick to cereal, veggie burgers, and canned soup. Bleh.

Alternatively, you can come live with me and I will cook for you.

[fiamma]

Alternatively, you can come live with me and I will cook for you.

Don't tempt me...

[ellaminnowpea]

NO! Meeeeeee!!

[Tigerlily]

I'll feed everyone! Mama Lily!

[operasinger2686]

As many have already suggested, make mass quantities of a food and freeze it. It doesn't really help you with your not wanting to cook for the time being, but it will make it easier for you to pull something out of the freezer. I need to do this more myself as I am lazy and my parents gave us a big freezer for Christmas. (Do you have a big freezer?) I'm trying to find more recipes that say they are okay to freeze. I plan to make lentil burgers tonight and although I only plan to eat 1 tonight, they make 8-10 total! So I will be freezing the rest. Here's the link for that recipe and good luck!: http://www.theveggietable.com/recipe...ieburgers.html

[danaeonyx]

I have this trouble. I also have a sensitive stomach and keep finding out new things my stomach doesn't like. Gah

[Veganrose]

I find that I can be extremely motivated to cook if the boyfriend does all of the dishwashing! Maybe that would help? hehe

LOL at danaeonyx picture! That's funny

[danaeonyx]

I find that I can be extremely motivated to cook if the boyfriend does all of the dishwashing! Maybe that would help? hehe

LOL at danaeonyx picture! That's funny

Haha thanks my friend made it for me. It has a '' at the end but but the colour hides it.