What to do when you don’t like vegetables.

Two Saturdays ago, my hubby and I were returning from the mini-market when he suddenly remembered his toothbrush fell into the toilet bowl. Even though we were furiously hungry, we decided to stop by the pharmacy to pick up a toothbrush

As usual, I sat in the car and waited for him; less than 10mins later, he was back holding a black polythene bag that looked like it held much more than a tooth brush. Before I could ask what was inside the bag, he brought out a cold can of wait for it……LUCOZADE BOOST!

Immediately I saw it, I was filled with so much disgust.

“Baby, of all the things to buy, lucozade boost, didn’t you see some other nice drink?” I asked squeezing my face so hard you’d think I had been gravely offended.

“Babe, first of all, I didn’t buy it for you. Secondly, what’s wrong with lucozade boost? It tastes okay if you ask me. You’re still using sickness abi hospital eye to look at it. Maybe if you try it again this time you’ll see that it’s not so bad”.

Of course I rejected his offer over and over again, but my hubby can be quite persistent and after several rejections I eventually decided to take a sip.

I closed my eye, held my breath so I wouldn’t smell it and took a sip of the dreaded lucozade boost.

I looked back at my hubby who was looking at me intently, waiting for my response. I could not believe the next thing that came out of my mouth.

“Hmmm baby, it’s not so bad o! It’s actually nice.” I said as taking some more sips.

Before I knew what was happening, my hubby and I were struggling for the can of lucozade boost.

So much for swearing on my sick bed 15 years ago that I would never ever taste lucozade in my life again.

You see, if not for my husband, I would have continued spreading the word on how Lucozade boost was the most disgusting drink ever.

Perhaps it’s because I’m older now, or because the drink was extremely cold, or because I was hungry and thirsty, whatever the case, after 15 years (the last time I tasted lucozade boost), I finally realized that lucozade boost actually tasted okay and it was the nasty taste in my mouth from being ill, the fact that I was forced to take my drugs with it and the general feeling of malaise that scarred my lucozade boost experience.

This is exactly how most of us approach our veggies. We have one horrible experience or watch someone declare their hate for a certain or all vegetables and either consciously or unconsciously, without even giving it a shot, we conclude that we hate vegetables and avoid them like a plague.

So what can you do when you have serious health and fitness goals…but you just don’t like vegetables?

First, you should know that you’re not abnormal, neither are you alone. In fact, many of my clients hate them, because many vegetables are bitter or bland tasting. It could also be that they ate it at a bad time or under the wrong circumstances just like I did with lucozade boost.

We know vegetables are good, loaded with beneficial nutrients and extremely important for our wellbeing, so how do we get the benefits if we do not want to eat them?

The fact remains that no matter what trending diet or meal plan you decide to embark upon, almost all “health-conscious meal plans” preach the same thing.

“You should eat your vegetables.”

So, in this article I’ll explain:

1. Why some people don’t like vegetables.

2. Why they’re not wrong for disliking them.

3. What to do about it.

First, why you should be eating your vegetables.

1. Veggies are bursting with vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. These nutrients not only keep you healthy but also prevent many deficiencies that make you feel terrible and even stall weight loss!

2. Vegetables have a lot of volume, but not a lot of calories. This keeps you fuller for longer and helps you maintain a healthy body weight, or lose body fat without feeling too hungry. 

3. The fiber in vegetables not only keeps us full, it feeds our intestinal bacteria, prevents constipation and helps excrete unwanted waste products.

4. Vegetables are mostly composed of water which helps us stay hydrated. 

5. Vegetables add variety. There are so many kinds and they can be eaten in so many different ways. 

6. The nutrients in vegetables prevent aging and promote radiant looking skin. 

So, why aren’t we choking down bag loads of vegetables?

Hating vegetables is coded into our DNA.

For most people – especially those who hate vegetables – bitterness is plants’ dominant flavor i.e. they taste bitterness in plants much more than most people. There are four flavors – salt, sweet, sour and bitter. In recent years, four more flavors have been identified:

1. Fattiness

2. Spiciness/hotness

3. Savory Meatiness

4. Heartiness i.e. wholesomeness.

For those who don’t mind the taste of veggies – even the bitter ones –

1. It could be their genetic makeup is more tolerant of plants’ bitterness or they simply do not taste it at all.

2. The flavors they were exposed to while in the womb (if mom eats veggies during pregnancy, chances are that the flavor preference will be passed to the child. The amniotic fluid contains biological scent molecules and children can get exposed to flavors even before they can even eat).

3. What they have learned or practiced.

Not many people (if any at all) were born automatically appreciating the taste of beer, coffee and dark chocolate, but the more we tried them, the more our taste buds adjusted till we eventually started craving the flavors .

I’ll, use myself as an example. I never really liked the taste of salad growing up. I hated beans, soups and all the good stuff basically. But the day I made the decision to become a healthier me, I forced myself to eat salads, smoothies and try more of the good stuff and in no time, I was eating oatmeal without sugar and drinking green tea plain.

1. It could also be that they know how to cook them better.

The more processed, fatty foods you eat, the more your taste buds prefer them over the flavors of whole, healthy, unprocessed foods.

Even if you take nothing home from this article, take this – you can change your taste preferences by eating more of the healthy stuff you don’t like.

Here are 3 steps to help you get started.

There is a simple formula you can use to make bitterness less intense, more palatable, and much more enjoyable:

1. Challenge.

2. Complement

3. Cushion.

1. Challenge.

Find a bitter food that you absolutely hate and you wouldn’t normally eat.

Give yourself some motivational talk to get you psyched. Really get into your more-than-conqueror mode. (Think… What is a little piece of vegetable going to do this super woman…?)

Close your eyes and hold your breath if you have to, just like I did when I was tasting the lucozade boost and then do it.

Taste that veggie!

You may hate it, love it or be indifferent.

But the fact is that, you did something you dreaded doing – you faced your fears and tried it and that makes you brave.

It may not be today or tomorrow but I can assure you that the more you keep conquering your fears and challenging yourself to eat healthy, the more it grows on you and one day, you’ll be preaching the benefits of vegetables to someone else and encouraging them to give it a shot.

2. Complement.

Because flavor is so complex. Some other flavors from spices, foods etc. can interact with the flavor of your veggies to either mask, enhance or create a whole new flavor that is more palatable to your taste buds.

3. Cushion.

By pairing bitterness with other flavors, you can turn its volume down. Cushion your vegetables by pairing them with salad dressings, nuts, butter and other foods that complement them. E.g. eating green leafy vegetables with beans or rice.

So anytime you want to eat a nasty vegetable, always remember you can spice it up by mixing in other vegetables or food groups, adding complements or even cooking them in different ways that preserve all the natural goodness and nutrients.

Check out the infographic below:

Keys to success.

1. Ignore those who say you have to eat veggies in their rawest form.

2. Try a new vegetable every week.

3. Start where you are. Move from eating 0 vegetables a day to eating one vegetable a day and progress from there. If you’re already eating 2 servings then aim for 3. If you’re already drinking smoothies, throw in some greens and make it a green smoothie.

4. Get out of your comfort zone and experiment to see what works for you. Remember your comfort zone is a cozy place to be but nothing great ever happens there.

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Resources: Precision Nutrition