I don't like vegetables

[Neochronomo]

I'm currently 21, just for the record. Anyway, as I was growing up with my parents, they didn't force me to eats foods I didn't like -- a large portion of these foods, of course, being vegetables and fruits. So I'm currently in a position of considering going vegetarian and faced with the problem of basically only liking non-vegetarian foods.

I've gotten advice from other people which I've tried, such as slowly adding one vegetable I don't like into my meals until I do like them. Well, no matter how much I eat lettuce or tomato, I don't seem to even get used to the taste, let alone begin to like them.

So...do any of you have any other advice?

[twinkle]

Welcome!

You don't have to like either lettuce or tomatoes to be vegan but are there absolutely no veg at all that you like? What about potatoes, carrots, peas, corn on the cob, bell peppers...? And how do you feel about fruit? Also, what about bread, rice, beans, nuts and seeds? I bet there are things you haven't tried which you will love that happen to be vegan.

What foods did you grow up eating and what do you enjoy at the moment, maybe we'll see if we can come up with a similar alternative?

[emmapresley]

hi
are there foods that you do like that maybe you can incorporate appropriate veggies into in a way that you then get accustomed to them and they become part of normal eating. erm. like pizza?

isnt it right that you have to try things several times and even if you dont like them after that it at least becomes 'normal' and acceptable to you that you would eat them?

sometimes trying things in different recipes really lends a different slant to what the veg/fruit is.


tomatoes for example can be used in a huuuuge variety of ways, maybe try experimenting wiht them to make sauces fried, raw, with different herbs you may like?

it does seem unlikely that there are no vegetables at all that you can find palatable??

[khadagan]

I would also love to hear what foods you currently like! I bet we can make some suggestions!

[Back-Space]

Lol, I was like that too I was so lost when I went vegetarian. I hadn't had a single piece of fruit for 2 months, easily... Just have to try different things that you may enjoy, and you'll end up adding the others in as you go. Lentils for instance. The canned ones are loaded with salt They taste awesome, and you can easily add corn(who doesn't like corn?), and/or peas, green beans... Make a bit of a soup. Now I've got broccoli and brussel sprouts in my fridge from being the way I was less than a year ago

[harpy]

Hi. There are a few websites aimed at parents who want to persuade their children to eat vegetables - perhaps you could have a look at these and try some of the ideas on yourself? (Try googling "children persuade vegetables" and you'll find a good few.)

I think a lot of the ideas depend on mixing small amounts of things the children are dubious about with things they already like e.g. make tomato sauce (if you like that) but add in other vegetables pureed. Or make home-made oven chips/fries (not sure what the American for oven chips is - like French fried potatoes but cooked in the oven?) but include some other vegetables along with the potatoes.

As you seem motivated to change I'm sure you'll find a way. There are fake meats and stuff of course but they probably aren't very good as dietary staples so it's worth persevering with the vegetable campaign. All the best -

[Greyowl55]

I suppose you could, initially at least, disguise the veg with sauces, seasoning etc, as suggested. Or perhaps try different, more flavoursome varieties. Take lettuce, for example; I find the Cos and Iceberg types absolutely tasteless, but go for the lollo rosso type and add plenty of herby leaves and it is an entirely different ball game. You could apply this to potato, tomato, leafy veg, root veg - experiment and find one that you do find palatable.

I have a problem with tomatoes. I just don't like them and have not yet found a variety that I do like. It irks me somewhat that so many vegan recipes and products are tomato based. Easily solved though - I leave it out.

[cobweb]

Do you like fruit?

Have you tried eating sprouted beans and pulses as a substitute for veg?

How were you getting your fibre before?

[fiamma]

The problem with veggies as part of a meat-based diet is that usually they're cooked as a kind of afterthought; cooked badly, unimaginatively, often overcooked and bland.

Try experimenting with different ways of cooking vegetables and you might be surprised at the result. Oven roasted sprouts, for example, taste NOTHING like steamed ones.

[Neochronomo]

Thank you all for the advice!

What I think I'm getting from most of you is that there likely ARE vegetables and fruits that I like and I just haven't explored enough. This is very likely true. I should've mentioned this in the first post, but I am an extremely picky eater. As I said, my parents didn't force me to eat things I didn't like. Well, what do most kids like to eat? Chicken, pizza, fries, burgers... so that's the kind of thing I like as a 21 year old.

There are fruits and vegetables I like, such as corn, carrots (cooked only), peas, apples, bananas, pears... there may be more, but not many. I think what I just need to do is TRY foods, which is what a lot of you have recommended, experimenting.

I guess my question now is what exactly IS a vegetarian meal? Not growing up as a vegetarian, all the main parts of the meal were meat, and vegetables, when made, were side dishes only. I'm sure there's tons of links throughout this forum on vegetarian diets, of which I'll look through, but do you have any you find especially helpful?

Thanks again!

[fiamma]

You might want to look at the "What did you eat today?" thread. Typical meals could be:

Breakfast:
Cereal with soy or other plant milks, yogurt (soy yogurt), fruit, smoothies made with fruit, veg or a combination of the two.
Also pancakes, waffles, muffins and cakes, all which can be made without animal products.
Fruit or vegetable juices, tea, coffee, herbal tea.

Lunch:
Soups, salads, sandwiches...
Hummus, falafel, jacket potatoes with vegan fillings...

Dinner:
Meat substitutes (tofu, seitan, vegetarian sausages or burgers), stir fries, casseroles, veggie stews, chillis, burritos and enchiladas...
Potatoes, rice, quinoa...
Veggies - boiled, steamed, sauteed, pan-roasted, oven roasted, marinated, or eaten raw

Honestly the list is endless. You might want to get a cookbook, which would give you lots of ideas, or look on sites such as VegWeb, or here on this forum.

[harpy]

I guess my question now is what exactly IS a vegetarian meal? Not growing up as a vegetarian, all the main parts of the meal were meat, and vegetables, when made, were side dishes only

Sorry, I missed this message until fiamma answered. The good news is, a vegetarian meal can be whatever you fancy I guess a lot of people will go for a combination of (1) beans/peas/nuts/tofu etc, (2) grain/bread/pasta, and (3) vegetables, which vaguely replicates the traditional meal of (1) a food that we think of as a protein source, (2) a food that we think of as a carbohydrate source, and (3)vegetables. But that's probably more habit than anything: as long as you eat a good selection of foods through the day you should get what you need.

Personally I don't like cooking (or washing up) so I tend to go for simple meals like pasta, vegetables and beans in tomato sauce, stirfried vegetables and nuts with rice, lentil and vegetable soup with bread, but if you're more ambitious there are loads of ideas around here, on the web and in books.

[snowflower]

Hi

I was the same as you, had no idea what to even make at first, ended up with a lot of plain spaghetti with sauce and any type of vegan junk food I could find, I figured hey, if there's no animal products in it great, i'll eat it.. i was never really a big vegetable eater at ALL plus I had never really cooked much before, vegan or otherwise... what worked for me was to look up vegan recipes online and bookmark those, and then a lot of times on each page there would be links to more recipes.. that way you can look around and see what looks good to you.. also you can try looking around on amazon.com for vegan cookbooks...

if you're really into burgers, there are a LOT of really good vegan burger recipes out there that are pretty easy to make at home that are made with beans and rice and chickpeas and things. I used to be a really big burger and fries eater so I really like making these.. amazon has a few cookbooks that are all just veggie burgers...

Do you like soups.. lentil, split pea, vegetable..?

Also if you're not in the mood to make something it can help to have a box of vegan chicken nuggets or store bought veggie burgers in the freezer that you can throw in the microwave if this is something that you like..?

Another idea is to take a look around the health food store and see if you see anything there that looks good..

It just takes some getting used to and the more browsing around and looking up recipes, the more ideas you have.. hope this helps

[Andy_T]

Hi Neochromo,

welcome to the forum, and all the more kudos for considering to go vegetarian / vegan, even if you have not liked vegetables so far.
One thing that works for me is Green Smoothies. That is basically taking some fruit (e.g. apples, pears, bananas, pineapples etc.) together with some leafy green vegetables (e.g. spinach, kale, rucola, coriander, salad, whatever) and some water and 'pulverizing' it in a high-power blender. The resulting smoothie should make it easier for you to 'drink' your salad. Why the leafy greens? Because they are loaded with nutrients, vitamins, iron, calcium and all the other things that your body needs and that you most likely also do not really get on the meat diet you are mentioning.

Other than that, fruit is your best friend! It's the perfect food for you (that unrefined - i.e. 'good' sugar is the perfect energy source for your body) and - if you supplement them a bit with leafy greens, they can give you everything you need.

Other than that, you might want to look at the 'Veganomicon', a pretty cool cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Lots of great ideas what to make from vegetables. And the cover text cites a fictional 'letter for help' that has reached them that is practically verbatim what you wrote in your first post....

Best regards,
Andy

[Lenore]

If you are interested in trying vegetables, roasting them can change their flavor and texture quite a bit, so it might be worth looking into giving that a try.

There is an article on Calorie Count (I think, might be SparkPeople) extolling the virtues of roasting vegetables. Great way to enjoy things you may not otherwise.

[RubyDuby]

mmmm roasted veg.

[khadagan]

Soups are nice as well. Just made a light curried potato lentil soup. If you don't like the bits in soups you can blend it smooth. One of my favourites is leek potato soup, some times I add frozen corn for extra sweetness, this is a pretty easy soup. Noodle soup is very nice as well with any choice of veg, bit of soya sauce. Pumpkin soup is nice and pretty easy once you've chopped the pumpkin or squash. Anyway there are millions of soups you can make, you can make soup of most things once you get the hang of it.