Brenda Khan
It can be challenging to eat healthily if you don't like vegetables, but it's not impossible. Vegetables are packed with dietary fibre, nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals, and most people are encouraged to eat five servings per day. However, if you're not a fan, there are ways to incorporate them into your diet discreetly or make them more appetising. For example, you could add vegetables to sauces, smoothies, soups, or casseroles, or experiment with different spices and seasonings to enhance the taste. If you don't like the texture, try blending or pureeing them. You can also try different cooking methods, such as roasting or sautéing, to find a taste and texture that suits you.
How to diet if you don't like veggies
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nutrients found in veggies | Dietary fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins |
| Health benefits of veggies | Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, digestive issues, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease |
| Recommended servings of veggies | 5 servings per day |
| Reasons for disliking veggies | Taste, texture, trauma |
| Strategies to eat more veggies | Add to favorite dip, blend or puree, add to sauces or smoothies, season with spices, cook differently, hide in other foods |
| Nutrient-rich alternatives to veggies | Fruits, whole grains, legumes, dairy, protein, complex carbs |
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What You'll Learn
Hide veggies in your favourite meals
If you're not a fan of vegetables, you can still find ways to incorporate them into your favourite meals. One way to do this is to hide them in your favourite dishes. Here are some ideas:
Hide veggies in sauces and dips
Pureeing vegetables is a great way to add them to your meals without changing the texture or taste. You can add pureed vegetables to sauces, such as tomato or cheese sauce, and use them as a dip for other foods. For example, pureed carrots can be added to a tomato sauce, while pureed cooked peas or broccoli can be a base for dips.
Add veggies to eggs
Vegetables can also be added to scrambled eggs, omelettes, and egg muffin cups. Spinach cooks quickly, so it's a great option to cook with eggs. You can also add other vegetables, such as onions, bell peppers, black beans, and zucchini, but be sure to cook them before adding them to the eggs.
Bake veggies into your favourite dishes
Baking vegetables into dishes like meatloaf, muffins, or chips is another way to hide them in your meals. You can also try making veggie-rich Sloppy Joes or salmon and sweet potato cakes. If you're a fan of pizza, try using a vegetable-based pizza base, such as one made with finely chopped veggies and tomato sauce, or opt for English muffin pizzas with hidden veggies.
Substitute veggies for grains
Another way to hide vegetables in your meals is to substitute them for grains. For example, you can substitute white rice with riced cauliflower or spaghetti squash, or use mashed butternut squash as a quesadilla filling. These substitutions provide a mild-flavoured base for your favourite meals while boosting the nutrient content.
Experiment with different vegetables and preparations
Not all vegetables are created equal when it comes to taste and texture. If you don't like the taste of certain vegetables, try experimenting with different subgroups, such as legumes (beans). You can also try different preparation methods, as steaming may not be the best option for some veggies. Roasting or baking vegetables in a healthy fat with your favourite seasonings can make them more palatable. Don't be afraid to get creative and try new things!
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Puree vegetables and add to sauces
Pureeing vegetables is a great way to add them to your diet, especially if you don't like the taste or texture of whole veggies. Pureeing vegetables can help you retain the nutrients, fibre, antioxidants and minerals they contain, while also making them easier to consume.
Pureed vegetables can be added to sauces to thicken them and add nutritional value. You can use starchy vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, winter squashes, or beans to thicken a sauce, as they are neutrally flavoured and will not alter the taste of the sauce as much. For example, pureed beans or pumpkin puree can be added to chilli, and pureed brown rice can be added to cream soups to reduce the amount of cream. Pureeing vegetables that have been used to make a broth or soup is also a great way to thicken the consistency, without wasting any ingredients.
You can also make a vegetable puree sauce from scratch, by pureeing cooked vegetables and adding spices and herbs for flavour. This can be used as a pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or even as a dip. For example, pureed cooked peas or broccoli can be seasoned with garlic powder, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice. You can also try pureeing cooked eggplant with tahini or olive oil, along with garlic and lemon juice.
If you are looking to add more vegetables to your diet, it is important to be creative and experiment with different subgroups of vegetables. You can also try adding legumes, such as beans, to your meals, or blending vegetables into smoothies.
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Experiment with different subgroups of vegetables
If you're not a fan of vegetables, it's worth experimenting with different subgroups of vegetables to find some that you like. This is a good idea because vegetables are filled with dietary fiber, nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals, and they help keep blood pressure levels low.
Firstly, it's worth noting that if you're sensitive to bitter-tasting vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, arugula, kale, and cabbage, you might prefer sweeter options like carrots, corn, capsicum, snow peas, and beetroot. You could also try legumes, such as beans, which are another subgroup of vegetables. If you're not keen on the texture of vegetables, try blending or pureeing them and adding them to a sauce or smoothie.
You can also experiment with different cooking methods to find one that makes vegetables more palatable for you. For example, if you usually boil your vegetables, try sautéing them with butter or roasting them with olive oil. Roasting vegetables in the oven can also help to reduce bitterness and enhance their natural sugars. You can also try pickling, steaming, or stir-frying.
Another way to experiment with subgroups of vegetables is to try different combinations of vegetables and other ingredients. For example, you could try adding vegetables to an omelet or frittata, such as mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes. You could also add grated zucchini and carrot to a pasta sauce or lasagne, or use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles or carrot ribbons as an alternative to pasta or noodles.
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Try fruits instead
If you don't like vegetables, you can still maintain a healthy diet by trying fruits instead. Fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals, and they tend to be sweeter and more appetizing than vegetables. You can purchase canned, fresh, or frozen fruits, and they can be mixed with vegetables in smoothies for a delicious and nutritious drink.
Fruits are relatively low in calories and high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals. They can help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, and they are filling, which can aid in weight loss. For optimal health, it is recommended that half of your plate be filled with fruits or vegetables at each meal.
Some fruits that are lower in calories and high in water include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. These can be a great way to get started on including more fruits in your diet. Additionally, avocados, berries, and broccoli can be added to your breakfast, providing a nutritious start to your day.
If you are dining out, salads are often available and can be a great way to include fruits and vegetables in your meal. When eating at home, pre-washed greens can be used for convenience. You can also spare some time to cut fruits and vegetables like carrots, celery, and sweet peppers and store them in the fridge for easy snacking and meal prep.
Overall, by including more fruits in your diet, you can improve your health and well-being, even if you don't like vegetables.
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Season vegetables with herbs and spices
If you're not a fan of vegetables, seasoning them with herbs and spices can be a great way to make them more appetising. This can be as simple as tossing them in olive oil and seasonings before roasting them in the oven.
There are many different combinations of herbs and spices that can be used to season vegetables, and these can be tailored to the type of cuisine you are cooking. For example, rosemary and thyme can be added to the water when boiling vegetables, giving them a strong and fragrant flavour. Cajun, tandoori, lemon and garlic vegetables are also delicious and can be cooked on a barbecue.
Some herbs and spices are natural companions to certain vegetables. For instance, cinnamon goes well with pumpkin, and rosemary complements boiled vegetables. Other pairings include dill, ginger, garlic, parsley, tarragon, cumin, curry, nutmeg, turmeric, and cinnamon.
You can also experiment with fresh or dried herbs and spices, depending on how you plan to use them in your cooking. Dried herbs and spices tend to be more potent than fresh ones, but both forms will add flavour and nutrition to your vegetables.
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Frequently asked questions
There are many ways to eat healthily and get the nutrients you need without eating vegetables. You can add fruits to your diet, as they contain many of the same vitamins and minerals as vegetables. You can also try different cooking methods and seasonings to make vegetables more appetising.
You can try roasting or sautéing vegetables with butter, olive oil, herbs, and spices to enhance their flavour.
You can try adding pureed vegetables to sauces, dips, soups, casseroles, and baked goods. You can also grate, dice, or spiralise vegetables and add them to pasta, rice, or noodles.
You can add spinach, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes to omelettes, frittatas, and scrambled eggs. You can also try adding grated zucchini and carrot to pasta sauce or lasagne.
You can try snacking on pre-washed greens, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, or carrots with your favourite dip. You can also make vegetable-based smoothies or juices with bananas, spinach, or kale.
