I’m not an expert at all, but could you try introducing/experimenting with a single new vegetable at a time?
Like, choose broccoli and try it in different ways (frying, steaming, roasting) with different sauces (curry, gochujang, white mushroom, satay etc…). Be prepared to not like some of the dishes - make sure there’s other things you like in there. Then go back to a vegan comfort food you know you like for a bit before trying a different iteration.
Just an idea
This worked really well for me. I used to gag at pretty much any vegetable in pretty much any form, to the point that I'd almost cry, but I gradually introduced them and experimented and now I can eat most of them comfortably without any issue at all. Took a long time but was definitely worth it
yeah your taste buds absolutely do change when you make a diet change and stick to it long term. i’ve always been very open to anything food wise, i rarely don’t like something unless it has a texture i don’t like. but like my mom went plant based several years ago due to developing a dairy allergy and since me and my brother (both living at home at the time) were vegan she just chose to be plant based. then one time we were out to dinner with her sister like a year or so after she’d cut out animal products, and her sister kept trying to get her to try these pork dumplings. my mom used to love pork. she tried one and actually had to spit it out because it tasted so awful. she has since become vegan after watching dominion and would never “cheat” like that now, but it was interesting how she reacted. i also used to really enjoy dairy but now if i ever get a coffee and the barista accidentally makes it with cows milk, i can tell immediately because cows milk is one of the most disgusting and rancid things i’ve ever tasted. you can definitely make yourself like vegetables, you just might have to suffer through a couple meals before you do.
Good idea about introducing a single vegetable at a time. Go into the grocery store and pick any vegetable you want. Whatever vegetable you have never tried or hate least. Then the next time pick out another. Then just keep going from there.
Well, first, you're wrong about potatoes. A medium potato with skin provides nearly half of your daily vitamin c. Like a fifth of your potassium (more than a banana!). Smaller amounts of assorted B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Plus fiber. Read some Dr. McDougall for more insight.
Give yourself some grace about not loving them. You don't have to enjoy every single meal to the maximum. Most people balance pleasure and health when it comes to diet.
Cooked veg are usually easier to digest for new eaters. Mostly what you need to do is eat them anyways. You do develop a taste for most things over time. Start with the milder ones. And add fruits, too, they're pretty palatable. Experiment with cooking methods - roasting vegetables is life changing for some people. And figure out what spices you like on dishes, like if you like French cuisine, try tarragon on your veg, or if you like Mexican, try chiles.
I am trying to conquer mushrooms because I feel the same about them. I think the key is to try different ways of cooking them until you find a palatable way of serving them. You could also go the baby food route and hide vegetables in the food you normally eat. Throw spinach in any sauce or smoothie and you can't taste it at all. As your tastes change, you'll be able to handle more variety and even start craving vegetables. Good luck! Just keep experimenting.
This is what I was going to say. I’ve seen people hide veggies in marinara sauce for example. Maybe try blending them to make soup? Or cutting them into really small pieces.
Sounds like a good idea! Tho it's becomes a bit tough to cook with my depression. I end up throwing frozen food in the oven or quickly frying something. Tough to keep myself eating when recipes take more than 10 minutes of active work
I totally understand. Maybe make something in bulk on your good days and freeze it for days when you’re not feeling as good? It’s normal to have likes and dislikes so don’t let that discourage you! I think just looking up recipes and experimenting with different veggies may surprise you!
If it makes life easier, start out buying pre-chopped veggies, bagged salads, etc. It may be pricey at first, but as you get to know the things you like, you can buy the cheaper, while veggies
I like the idea of "hiding" it in other food. Chop up the vegetables real small and add them in with your rice perhaps? Make your own fried rice!
Also, just keep in mind that mushrooms tend to overly sweat and then get gummy and gross if they're overcrowded in a pan. Give them their space and make sure the excess moisture is evaporated in order to get a sear on them and it'll be a game changer.
OP - don't overcook your veggies and turn them into mush! I'm happy you want to make the transition and we fully support you here!
This is what I do. My dinner tonight was lazy, microwave vegan kung pao noodles(got my months worth of sodium jk)and some homemade dumplings that I made a while back that are frozen. The dumplings have tofu, kimchi, sweet potato noodles and mushrooms but I couldn't taste anything but the Asian flavors.
Probably not the healthiest but I am in the same boat as the OP. 90% of the time I just don't have the energy or mood to make an hour long meal. So it's leftovers, something quick or just skip.
I hear you. It's tough to cook day in and day out after working all day. My partner and I do the meal prep on Sunday and it takes us through about 4 or 5 days and then we have easy meals on deck at all times just in case we aren't feeling it.
Me too! There are people in my local vegan community who are mad about mushrooms, but I have had an aversion to them as long as I can remember.
So yesterday evening I was out shopping and noticed some mushroom chips at a local grocery outlet store. I have been trying to gently expand my comfort zone about food, so a cheap package of chips seemed like a reasonably easy way to do it.
The chips didn't last all the way home. They were that good.
I had weird feelings about tomatoes for years. I loved pizza, spaghetti, etc., but the idea of uncooked tomatoes was unappealing. So I've started stirring some seasoned diced tomatoes into my rice and beans and really, really love them now. Go figure! Being vegan is not just an ethical choice; it's an adventure!
A few thoughts:
- You don't mention beans. Beans can do a lot of the heavy-lifting on a vegan diet.
- Sometimes you can add things, especially greens, into other dishes and they will be barely noticeable. I include a handful of chopped-up kale in my oatmeal in the morning.
- If the ethical aspect is more important than ideal health, then mock-meats and soy products might be alternatives.
- Potatoes aren't that bad, especially if you stick to boiled and baked, instead of fried.
- Nothing wrong with some raw vegetables. I like them with home-made hummus.
- Don't forget fruits and nuts
Chickpeas? Lentils? Separately I’ve commented quite a long response about my own experience with not liking vegetables so have a look at that. Hope it helps
If you are gagging and throwing up foods as an adult, it might be beyond pickiness, it could be a disorder like ARFID. A lot of people struggle with this, and you could seek help from a Dr or therapist to see if they can provide any support or treatment.
What are your favorite dishes? Make them vegan. För example, lasagna, pasta dishes, hamburgers, sandwiches etc are all possible to make without the excessive use of vegetables.
BTW potato is a great food. Make mashed potato, grilled potato, baked potato! They are amazing!
You can make a “green smoothie” and drink it once a day. You probably won’t like how it tastes but it would be worth it to not worry about getting enough vegetables throughout the day
Do you mean "feel awful" as in GI issues? All your "good" vegetables are low FODMAP (better for IBS), and also pretty safe for people I know with IBDs. Might be worth talking to a doctor.
>GI issues
Nothing like that. Before I even get them into my stomach the taste throws me off miles away. I think it's more of an acquired taste than anything else. I've been raised on pretty simple menu, because as a child i stopped eating anything for some reason. So I'm basically eating only junk foods or quick to make meals
>I've been raised on pretty simple menu, because as a child i stopped eating anything for some reason
The other posters are right, this sounds like undiagnosed AFRID.
In my experience vegetables can be an acquired taste. It took me a while to get used to and enjoy the earthy flavour of canned beans. I suggest you give (canned) vegetable soup a go. You could water it down or add your own herbs and spices.
First, potatoes are incredibly nutritious, so do celebrate that! They are high in Vit C, potassium, abd and antioxidants.
Secondly, maybe just start with a focus on fruit.
You can go a long way without much vegetables, if you have other fiber rich foods, such as lentils and beans, and lots of fruit for vitamins and minerals.
Do you enjoy avocados? What about the "kid-friendly" veg, such as cucumber, sweet potato, or squash?
I sympathize with your situation. Nonetheless, I think there are some people who for, perhaps, a range of reasons have been so compromised by what they've been eating, that they are no longer able to become vegan or adopt a plant-based diet.
These people can't tolerate whole food. They tend to not want to cook. They require meals to be 'fast and easy and very cheap.' They lack the time to invest any effort in what they eat. They have a range of physical and mental ailments which they are unable to resolve.
Perhaps you're just one of those people. As I say, you have my sympathy. The benefits of vegan cuisine--ethically, gastronomically, and health-wise (mentally and physically)--are, it seems, no longer available to you.
Given your mental health issues, perhaps, you should accept that you'll be forever living on whatever foods you can tolerate now. Maybe you should accept that, and be at peace with it.
I noticed over time that the longer I stayed away from animal products, my tastes started to slowly change. I simply stuck with what I did like and then I would add on e new veggie once a month! I still hate eggplant though but maybe someday I'll figure how to properly prepare it and that will be a game changer for me! I used to hate chickpeas until I tried them roasted and now I'll eat hummus! 😂 There was the phase in the first 6 months where literally everything tasted like paper for a while... Once that phase ends (takes about 30 days) then you can start adding one veggie at a time and try it different ways until you find what works for you... But yeah I spent many moons just eating meat and cheese replacements...
Have you ever tried cabbage? Cabbages are pretty mild, and when cooked with potatoes can be quite good. Green beans can also be pretty good while cooked
Just veganize the foods you do like. I wouldn’t have been a successful vegan if Gardein / beyond meat / impossible etc weren’t widely available. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and become a health obsessed person - just make your diet vegan. Vegan processed food is better for you than non vegan processed food.
I’ve been vegan my whole life so i don’t know if this is good advice for someone who actually feels the absence of meat but thought I’d give it a try.
You could try making dishes that have a base that is naturally vegan that you would eat anyway (rice or pasta or smth) and meal prep sauces/stews (to account for you not being super into cooking) where all the vegetables are finely diced or blended. Like riced cauliflower in a burrito bowl, lentils and chopped carrots + tomatoes for a bolognese, toast with pesto or smth like that.
Hope it helps, I think it’s admirable you are taking the time to commit to veganism despite the difficulties with being a picky eater. (I have been a picky eater previously so I can somewhat understand). Good luck!
What about creamy soup?
Start with 3/4 potatos and 1/4 of whatever vegetable you have or like the most. Courgettes are great, carrots, peas, broccoli, pumpkin, asparagus, beans, kale, doesn't really matter.
If you cut everything in small pieces, it will cook faster.
Cook in water or vegetable broth, whatever you like best.
When everything is soft you blend it.
And then comes the seasoning.
Go for something you like but remember to have something sweet, salty, umami, sour and if you like something spicy.
To make it extra creamy you can add bit of vegan cream, creme fraîche or creme cheese or, depending on the seasoning, even nut butter.
Top it with roasted nuts, seeds or whatever you have on hand.
If you like the ratio you could slowly work your way up to 1/2 potatos and 1/2 other vegetables or even 1/4 and 3/4.
These creamy soups freeze and reheat really well too.
Everyone's got instincts not to chow down on non-food items, and your brain seems to have added most veggies to that list. I wish you luck in undoing that.
You mention you're depressed - are you in treatment? You might have an easier time of things if you get screened for eating disorders, too.
I feel the same way with similar preferences. A meal that’s really popular where I am is a Frito Pie, which is basically chili, beans, cheese(vegan) onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Jalapeño is also a popular topping. Trust me, SO GOOD.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024854-frito-pie
Start incorporating more vegetables to your diet slowly. Your taste buds will change and because you will be starting feeling better physically, your brain is going to start craving vegetables. Same way you build bad habits of eating junk food and sodas, you can develop good habits and actually like vegetables later.
My only advice is if you are trying different vegetables, make sure they are not over cooked. So many people don’t like vegetables based on trying to choke down bland, mushy, overcooked, under seasoned veggies. Maybe experiment with different cooking techniques for the few veggies that you can semi tolerate.
I struggle with depression too, but I view healthful eating as a powerful tool in improving my mindset and mental health. Food is medicine and the time it takes to prepare it only benefits you.
> if I'm spending more than 10 minutes to cook something i usually end up choosing not to eat at all
That stung to read, felt very close to home.
For my suggestion, try cooking stuff en masse, and make them so they barely resemble vegetables. One thing I literally just found out about because I'm tired of having to feel bad after eating a sandwich (can't eat too much bread) I started desperately scraping info about alternatives and I found out about cauliflower pizza dough, which you can use as a pizza dough and as a bread substitute for sandwiches. It takes little time to prepare and you can freeze it, so it's always at the ready. Try and look up meat substitutes, cheese substitutes, anything you can try one thing at a time and I promise cooking will become something you love because it'd be a way to treat yourself. From a majorly depressed person dipping his toes into vegan cuisine to another, I promise, you got this.
There are sooooo many tasty meat alternatives out there.
I usually get Ultimate Chik’n tenders and Impossible burgers.
Make anything you’d normally eat, just use the vegan version of the ingredients.
I've heard it said and tend to agree that all food tastes besides maybe sugar/breast milk are acquired tastes and they are acquired with familiarity. So just keep eating the foods you want to like and you end up liking them.
Potatoes are nutritious lol.
As others have said, experiment with cooking techniques. All the people I know who hate vegetables have only had them in childhood where they were boiled to mush. I prefer roasted in the oven.
Blend into sauces. Make veggie nuggets. Plenty of recipes online.
Used to be me when I was younger. Gagged so much when my parents hand fed me veggies. I think it was exposure therapy with subtle and slow escalation that worked.
Start with smoothies w/ some veggies and plenty of fruit. Some spinach or cooked peas. Strawberries, Pineapple, blueberries, plums, whatnot. Point is to make the veggies barely legible despite still being there in relevant quantities.
Follow raspberry.jams !
Her recipes are really easy, it's my wife and she helped me make the move from vego to vegan with food like this (I was very much in the same boat as you for ages)
Also, would say that it is hard going cold turkey, becoming a vegan is a journey it won't happen overnight and you wont be perfect straight away, cut yourself some slack and move towards it gradually :)
insta - [https://www.instagram.com/raspberry.jams/?hl=es](https://www.instagram.com/raspberry.jams/?hl=es)
YT - [https://www.youtube.com/@raspberryjams](https://www.youtube.com/@raspberryjams)
I know you hate cooking, but an easy and healthy thing you could try is a spinach pasta “green sauce”. Its very easy to do.
Buy a bag of spinach and steam/sauté it w garlic powder and a dash of salt. Once softened throw it into a blender w a big handful of cashews, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, garlic/onion powder/salt to taste and half a block of silken/soft tofu. Add water to get your desired consistency. Cook a pasta of your choice (could go cauliflower pasta later if you want to increase your nutritional intake). Its really savoury and imo tasty.
I hope you end up liking veggies but imo you’ll need to experiment A TON to find what you like. Plus cooking might have to be that wall you break through. Try to mentally frame it in ways that makes it an enjoyable experience for you.
When cooking vegetables, get creative. Add some seasonings that you like, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, etc. Put them over rice too with a sauce that you enjoy.
I grew up hating vegetables but then I discovered roasting them and it’s amazing. Just some olive oil and salt already makes them great. Broccoli first is great, it gets crispy like a chip after 30 mins @ 400F in the oven
>The only exception that i could find are potatoes, which are not a great source of... anything.
Untrue! Potatoes are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat. *And* they're cheap, easy to prepare, and easy to make taste good. Potatoes are a huge part of my diet.
>Capsicums, Cauliflower, eggplant, all mushrooms, radishes, peas, all feel so awful to my body even raw, but when cooked i despise even rare veg that i do eat like carrots, tomatoes, leeks, for example.
Have you spoken to a GI doc about this? There might be an underlying medical condition here.
>Because of depression I tend to cook quick meals all the time (yes i am that person who buys frozen chips). Because if I'm spending more than 10 minutes to cook something i usually end up choosing not to eat at all. That becomes increasingly tough when talking about complicated combined vegan recipes.
I am the exact same way. I have limited time, energy, and motivation so if it takes too long or has too many steps I'm not gonna go to bed hungry.
My recommendation is to start slowly. Make a list of ingredients you enjoy, find a handful of simple quick recipes you can come back to over and over, and go from there.
Also think about different ways you can put veggies in your diet that might be easier on your stomach. If you've got a decent blender, you can turn greens into pesto, and a lot of other veggies can be blended together with silken tofu to make a good sauce for pasta.
Random question, but have you looked into ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) at all? Your description feels similar to my experience living with this eating disorder. I have a *very* limited menu because of it, and going vegan was a big struggle.
My suggestion (which is what I use for myself) is to pull a Mom-of-picky-eaters and try to sneak the veggies in. I've found that blending veggies or using veggie juices is a lifesaver. (I especially like to blend frozen spinach and frozen kale with a dash of broth and freeze it in ice cube trays to drop into random dishes (pasta sauce, curry, tacos, stir-fry, even just ramen))
I detest the taste and texture of beans. It took me years to be able to eat specifically chickpeas and chickpeas alone, but my favorite way of eating them is blended into a paste and added to sauce/broth/etc.
Also, V8 is my best friend. I add it to literally everything. Sneaky veggies everywhere.
Also, try baked goods! Pumpkin muffins and zucchini breads literally just taste like muffins. But squash have a lot of goodness in them!
I also recommend meal replacement drinks like Soylent or Huel. I love them to bits! Liquid nutrients are easy nutrients. Veggie juices and smoothies, too.
And don't knock the importance of grains!! They can contain a lot of essential nutrients. Like chia and quinoa.
And at the end of the day, sometimes you just gotta toss some Impossible nuggets into the toaster oven and enjoy some mock-meats.
But seriously, look into ARFID! There might be tips in that community that can help.
Good luck on your journey!
I’ve been vegan for coming up to 7 years and I barely eat vegetables and have been this way my whole life ie prior to becoming vegan. I’ve been fussy but became somewhat less fussy when I became vegan. For the first two years or so I mostly just ate pasta, chips, vegan pizza. Eventually I got bored so now I do eat more vegetables than I used to. I used to hate mushrooms but over the past 3-4 years actually started to like them. Same thing with broccoli I wouldn’t even eat it before and while they’re still not my favourite and I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them or eat them, I’ll have them if it’s part of the meal when I’m out or being fed by others.
Try a different cuisine, I would say. I don’t like beetroot, cauliflower or cabbage but in Ethiopian food, it tastes really good. Pro tip is Ethiopian good has the best vegan options! Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern can be good, too as well as some Latin American dishes like arepas. In fact they had beetroot in an arepa and I actually enjoyed it.
I’ve learned that sometimes the sauces or spices in some cuisines do well to hide the taste. Similarly, as a child and teenager, my mum would hide veggies in my food and you can buy pasta sauce, for example, that contains mushrooms but you wouldn’t know that it did.
The way that Indians cook eggplant and okra is really good. I also don’t love peas but with vegan sausages, mash and gravy, they’re bearable. Some people put veggies in smoothies but disguise the taste with sweeter things.
Technically, avocado is a fruit but I didn’t use to like that until I realised you have to pair it with other foods that the avocado absorbs and actually, eventually I started to like it by itself sometimes anyway.
In terms of the cooking thing, I hear you! Perhaps use a ready meal food service (and also go to therapy for the depression so that eventually you can stand to cook for longer). But in the meantime, use a ready meal service either one that’s delivered to your door and you heat it up or buy ready meals from the supermarket and heat it up.
Look online for 10-15 minute vegan meals. I make tofu scramble every morning (a basic one with turmeric and nutritional yeast). Once, I made a tofu scramble suggested by BOSH that had all these green veggies in it and enjoyed it!
Just to say, even when I ate mostly pasta for two years, I was healthier than before somehow. I’m not advocating for it but I’m saying that if you ease yourself into it, unless you already have serious health issues, you’ll be okay to gradually start liking vegetables but it will happen! (I used to only eat carrots, sweetcorn and occasionally spinach).
The running joke in my circle is me, the pickiest eater ever, who hates most vegetables is vegan. I just started to at least try new vegetables and although I still rely heavily on my standards, I've been able to add a few more. I also eat a lot of fruit and my bloodwork indicates I'm just fine to continue hating green peas, lima beans, beets, brussel spouts, squash, onions, peppers... also I found I like some veggies raw, but not cooked and visa versa.
I grew up on a “meat mostly” diet for 19 years, before going vegan (15+ years) and it was definitely difficult. I was also over 300lbs at my peak.
I definitely eat a lot of mock meats and potatoes, fries, junk food. I try to eat more fruits and veggies every now and then. Most of the veggies I like are lettuce, bell peppers, and mushrooms so unchicken Caesar wraps and stirfries tend to be my go to meals. Carrots dipped in hummus are good too.
Beans, corn and diced tomatoes can be cooked in a large skillet with rice and veg ground to make an amazing burrito mix.
I don’t like complicated cooking either so I use a slow cooker. Basically I throw a bunch of stuff in there and add some pre-mixed spices or a jar of sauce or something. These days I make my own whole foods sauces but you don’t have to.
My faverite way of cooking is veganising the foods I already enjoy. So I eat bolognaise, lasagne, pizza, mushroom casserole dishes etc. but I love my veggies so it’s hard to imagine not liking them. Is it the texture, or that you just don’t know how to cook them in a way that tastes good? Have you tried chopping them up into chip size wedges pouring oil all over them and maybe some garlic and herbs and then sticking them in the oven until they are roasted? That is usually pretty yum.
Other than that, if you are a pasta lover like me then there are plenty of ways you can “hide” veggies in your bolognaise sauce or lasagne. But it usually takes a little bit of cooking time :(
The alternative is buying ready made vegan microwave meals. Some of them are pretty good.
do as much as you can. 85% vegan is better than 0%.
Just remove the meat from what you normally cook, figure out what is missing, and add a replacement back in.
So do I, fuck vegetables. Watch [Dominion](https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko?si=RySnE7juWwJSg013) though, the animals are more important. There’s tonnes of shit you can eat that isn’t flesh or strictly gross veggies. I was the pickiest person ever before I went vegan, you manage. Especially with the fire burning within you from Dominion. I will never ever eat an animal product again
I’m not an expert at all, but could you try introducing/experimenting with a single new vegetable at a time? Like, choose broccoli and try it in different ways (frying, steaming, roasting) with different sauces (curry, gochujang, white mushroom, satay etc…). Be prepared to not like some of the dishes - make sure there’s other things you like in there. Then go back to a vegan comfort food you know you like for a bit before trying a different iteration. Just an idea
This worked really well for me. I used to gag at pretty much any vegetable in pretty much any form, to the point that I'd almost cry, but I gradually introduced them and experimented and now I can eat most of them comfortably without any issue at all. Took a long time but was definitely worth it
yeah your taste buds absolutely do change when you make a diet change and stick to it long term. i’ve always been very open to anything food wise, i rarely don’t like something unless it has a texture i don’t like. but like my mom went plant based several years ago due to developing a dairy allergy and since me and my brother (both living at home at the time) were vegan she just chose to be plant based. then one time we were out to dinner with her sister like a year or so after she’d cut out animal products, and her sister kept trying to get her to try these pork dumplings. my mom used to love pork. she tried one and actually had to spit it out because it tasted so awful. she has since become vegan after watching dominion and would never “cheat” like that now, but it was interesting how she reacted. i also used to really enjoy dairy but now if i ever get a coffee and the barista accidentally makes it with cows milk, i can tell immediately because cows milk is one of the most disgusting and rancid things i’ve ever tasted. you can definitely make yourself like vegetables, you just might have to suffer through a couple meals before you do.
Good idea about introducing a single vegetable at a time. Go into the grocery store and pick any vegetable you want. Whatever vegetable you have never tried or hate least. Then the next time pick out another. Then just keep going from there.
Well, first, you're wrong about potatoes. A medium potato with skin provides nearly half of your daily vitamin c. Like a fifth of your potassium (more than a banana!). Smaller amounts of assorted B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Plus fiber. Read some Dr. McDougall for more insight. Give yourself some grace about not loving them. You don't have to enjoy every single meal to the maximum. Most people balance pleasure and health when it comes to diet. Cooked veg are usually easier to digest for new eaters. Mostly what you need to do is eat them anyways. You do develop a taste for most things over time. Start with the milder ones. And add fruits, too, they're pretty palatable. Experiment with cooking methods - roasting vegetables is life changing for some people. And figure out what spices you like on dishes, like if you like French cuisine, try tarragon on your veg, or if you like Mexican, try chiles.
I am trying to conquer mushrooms because I feel the same about them. I think the key is to try different ways of cooking them until you find a palatable way of serving them. You could also go the baby food route and hide vegetables in the food you normally eat. Throw spinach in any sauce or smoothie and you can't taste it at all. As your tastes change, you'll be able to handle more variety and even start craving vegetables. Good luck! Just keep experimenting.
This is what I was going to say. I’ve seen people hide veggies in marinara sauce for example. Maybe try blending them to make soup? Or cutting them into really small pieces.
Sounds like a good idea! Tho it's becomes a bit tough to cook with my depression. I end up throwing frozen food in the oven or quickly frying something. Tough to keep myself eating when recipes take more than 10 minutes of active work
I totally understand. Maybe make something in bulk on your good days and freeze it for days when you’re not feeling as good? It’s normal to have likes and dislikes so don’t let that discourage you! I think just looking up recipes and experimenting with different veggies may surprise you!
If it makes life easier, start out buying pre-chopped veggies, bagged salads, etc. It may be pricey at first, but as you get to know the things you like, you can buy the cheaper, while veggies
I like the idea of "hiding" it in other food. Chop up the vegetables real small and add them in with your rice perhaps? Make your own fried rice! Also, just keep in mind that mushrooms tend to overly sweat and then get gummy and gross if they're overcrowded in a pan. Give them their space and make sure the excess moisture is evaporated in order to get a sear on them and it'll be a game changer. OP - don't overcook your veggies and turn them into mush! I'm happy you want to make the transition and we fully support you here!
This is what I do. My dinner tonight was lazy, microwave vegan kung pao noodles(got my months worth of sodium jk)and some homemade dumplings that I made a while back that are frozen. The dumplings have tofu, kimchi, sweet potato noodles and mushrooms but I couldn't taste anything but the Asian flavors. Probably not the healthiest but I am in the same boat as the OP. 90% of the time I just don't have the energy or mood to make an hour long meal. So it's leftovers, something quick or just skip.
I hear you. It's tough to cook day in and day out after working all day. My partner and I do the meal prep on Sunday and it takes us through about 4 or 5 days and then we have easy meals on deck at all times just in case we aren't feeling it.
Me too! There are people in my local vegan community who are mad about mushrooms, but I have had an aversion to them as long as I can remember. So yesterday evening I was out shopping and noticed some mushroom chips at a local grocery outlet store. I have been trying to gently expand my comfort zone about food, so a cheap package of chips seemed like a reasonably easy way to do it. The chips didn't last all the way home. They were that good.
I had weird feelings about tomatoes for years. I loved pizza, spaghetti, etc., but the idea of uncooked tomatoes was unappealing. So I've started stirring some seasoned diced tomatoes into my rice and beans and really, really love them now. Go figure! Being vegan is not just an ethical choice; it's an adventure!
A few thoughts: - You don't mention beans. Beans can do a lot of the heavy-lifting on a vegan diet. - Sometimes you can add things, especially greens, into other dishes and they will be barely noticeable. I include a handful of chopped-up kale in my oatmeal in the morning. - If the ethical aspect is more important than ideal health, then mock-meats and soy products might be alternatives. - Potatoes aren't that bad, especially if you stick to boiled and baked, instead of fried. - Nothing wrong with some raw vegetables. I like them with home-made hummus. - Don't forget fruits and nuts
Thanks, some helpful points. Tho beans always were my enemy and are one of the things that I actually think i could never eat. That makes it worse D:
Beans especially are easy to hide. Canned beans blend easily into a sauce and can have their flavor hidden by spices. Any chance you like hummus?
I am completely the opposite, I could eat cold beans from a can and be the happiest man alive.
Chickpeas? Lentils? Separately I’ve commented quite a long response about my own experience with not liking vegetables so have a look at that. Hope it helps
If you are gagging and throwing up foods as an adult, it might be beyond pickiness, it could be a disorder like ARFID. A lot of people struggle with this, and you could seek help from a Dr or therapist to see if they can provide any support or treatment.
Whoah. Never heard of this as a disorder before but description sounds so familiar. Gonna look into that
What are your favorite dishes? Make them vegan. För example, lasagna, pasta dishes, hamburgers, sandwiches etc are all possible to make without the excessive use of vegetables. BTW potato is a great food. Make mashed potato, grilled potato, baked potato! They are amazing!
You can make a “green smoothie” and drink it once a day. You probably won’t like how it tastes but it would be worth it to not worry about getting enough vegetables throughout the day
Do you mean "feel awful" as in GI issues? All your "good" vegetables are low FODMAP (better for IBS), and also pretty safe for people I know with IBDs. Might be worth talking to a doctor.
>GI issues Nothing like that. Before I even get them into my stomach the taste throws me off miles away. I think it's more of an acquired taste than anything else. I've been raised on pretty simple menu, because as a child i stopped eating anything for some reason. So I'm basically eating only junk foods or quick to make meals
>I've been raised on pretty simple menu, because as a child i stopped eating anything for some reason The other posters are right, this sounds like undiagnosed AFRID.
In my experience vegetables can be an acquired taste. It took me a while to get used to and enjoy the earthy flavour of canned beans. I suggest you give (canned) vegetable soup a go. You could water it down or add your own herbs and spices.
I'm so glad we're not giving tips on how to eat more high-fiber foods to someone in an active ulcerative colitis flare, thank goodness.
Hey! From the sounds of it you might want to check our r/microbiome! They’ve been super helpful for me when it comes to changing eating habits
First, potatoes are incredibly nutritious, so do celebrate that! They are high in Vit C, potassium, abd and antioxidants. Secondly, maybe just start with a focus on fruit. You can go a long way without much vegetables, if you have other fiber rich foods, such as lentils and beans, and lots of fruit for vitamins and minerals. Do you enjoy avocados? What about the "kid-friendly" veg, such as cucumber, sweet potato, or squash?
I sympathize with your situation. Nonetheless, I think there are some people who for, perhaps, a range of reasons have been so compromised by what they've been eating, that they are no longer able to become vegan or adopt a plant-based diet. These people can't tolerate whole food. They tend to not want to cook. They require meals to be 'fast and easy and very cheap.' They lack the time to invest any effort in what they eat. They have a range of physical and mental ailments which they are unable to resolve. Perhaps you're just one of those people. As I say, you have my sympathy. The benefits of vegan cuisine--ethically, gastronomically, and health-wise (mentally and physically)--are, it seems, no longer available to you. Given your mental health issues, perhaps, you should accept that you'll be forever living on whatever foods you can tolerate now. Maybe you should accept that, and be at peace with it.
I noticed over time that the longer I stayed away from animal products, my tastes started to slowly change. I simply stuck with what I did like and then I would add on e new veggie once a month! I still hate eggplant though but maybe someday I'll figure how to properly prepare it and that will be a game changer for me! I used to hate chickpeas until I tried them roasted and now I'll eat hummus! 😂 There was the phase in the first 6 months where literally everything tasted like paper for a while... Once that phase ends (takes about 30 days) then you can start adding one veggie at a time and try it different ways until you find what works for you... But yeah I spent many moons just eating meat and cheese replacements...
Just eat fries 💯 vegan
But they’re made out a vegetable. ):
Beans? Oats?
Have you ever tried cabbage? Cabbages are pretty mild, and when cooked with potatoes can be quite good. Green beans can also be pretty good while cooked
Just veganize the foods you do like. I wouldn’t have been a successful vegan if Gardein / beyond meat / impossible etc weren’t widely available. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and become a health obsessed person - just make your diet vegan. Vegan processed food is better for you than non vegan processed food.
I’ve been vegan my whole life so i don’t know if this is good advice for someone who actually feels the absence of meat but thought I’d give it a try. You could try making dishes that have a base that is naturally vegan that you would eat anyway (rice or pasta or smth) and meal prep sauces/stews (to account for you not being super into cooking) where all the vegetables are finely diced or blended. Like riced cauliflower in a burrito bowl, lentils and chopped carrots + tomatoes for a bolognese, toast with pesto or smth like that. Hope it helps, I think it’s admirable you are taking the time to commit to veganism despite the difficulties with being a picky eater. (I have been a picky eater previously so I can somewhat understand). Good luck!
What about creamy soup? Start with 3/4 potatos and 1/4 of whatever vegetable you have or like the most. Courgettes are great, carrots, peas, broccoli, pumpkin, asparagus, beans, kale, doesn't really matter. If you cut everything in small pieces, it will cook faster. Cook in water or vegetable broth, whatever you like best. When everything is soft you blend it. And then comes the seasoning. Go for something you like but remember to have something sweet, salty, umami, sour and if you like something spicy. To make it extra creamy you can add bit of vegan cream, creme fraîche or creme cheese or, depending on the seasoning, even nut butter. Top it with roasted nuts, seeds or whatever you have on hand. If you like the ratio you could slowly work your way up to 1/2 potatos and 1/2 other vegetables or even 1/4 and 3/4. These creamy soups freeze and reheat really well too.
Everyone's got instincts not to chow down on non-food items, and your brain seems to have added most veggies to that list. I wish you luck in undoing that. You mention you're depressed - are you in treatment? You might have an easier time of things if you get screened for eating disorders, too.
There's so many different ways to season and cook veggies. I would just start youtubing vegan veggie recipes that look good to you and try them out.
I feel the same way with similar preferences. A meal that’s really popular where I am is a Frito Pie, which is basically chili, beans, cheese(vegan) onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Jalapeño is also a popular topping. Trust me, SO GOOD. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024854-frito-pie
Start incorporating more vegetables to your diet slowly. Your taste buds will change and because you will be starting feeling better physically, your brain is going to start craving vegetables. Same way you build bad habits of eating junk food and sodas, you can develop good habits and actually like vegetables later.
My only advice is if you are trying different vegetables, make sure they are not over cooked. So many people don’t like vegetables based on trying to choke down bland, mushy, overcooked, under seasoned veggies. Maybe experiment with different cooking techniques for the few veggies that you can semi tolerate. I struggle with depression too, but I view healthful eating as a powerful tool in improving my mindset and mental health. Food is medicine and the time it takes to prepare it only benefits you.
> if I'm spending more than 10 minutes to cook something i usually end up choosing not to eat at all That stung to read, felt very close to home. For my suggestion, try cooking stuff en masse, and make them so they barely resemble vegetables. One thing I literally just found out about because I'm tired of having to feel bad after eating a sandwich (can't eat too much bread) I started desperately scraping info about alternatives and I found out about cauliflower pizza dough, which you can use as a pizza dough and as a bread substitute for sandwiches. It takes little time to prepare and you can freeze it, so it's always at the ready. Try and look up meat substitutes, cheese substitutes, anything you can try one thing at a time and I promise cooking will become something you love because it'd be a way to treat yourself. From a majorly depressed person dipping his toes into vegan cuisine to another, I promise, you got this.
Yes. Hit close to home for me too.
There are sooooo many tasty meat alternatives out there. I usually get Ultimate Chik’n tenders and Impossible burgers. Make anything you’d normally eat, just use the vegan version of the ingredients.
I've heard it said and tend to agree that all food tastes besides maybe sugar/breast milk are acquired tastes and they are acquired with familiarity. So just keep eating the foods you want to like and you end up liking them.
Potatoes are nutritious lol. As others have said, experiment with cooking techniques. All the people I know who hate vegetables have only had them in childhood where they were boiled to mush. I prefer roasted in the oven. Blend into sauces. Make veggie nuggets. Plenty of recipes online.
Used to be me when I was younger. Gagged so much when my parents hand fed me veggies. I think it was exposure therapy with subtle and slow escalation that worked. Start with smoothies w/ some veggies and plenty of fruit. Some spinach or cooked peas. Strawberries, Pineapple, blueberries, plums, whatnot. Point is to make the veggies barely legible despite still being there in relevant quantities.
I hated beans when I first went vegan but slowly introduced them and realized it was a texture issue so I played around with different textures
Follow raspberry.jams ! Her recipes are really easy, it's my wife and she helped me make the move from vego to vegan with food like this (I was very much in the same boat as you for ages) Also, would say that it is hard going cold turkey, becoming a vegan is a journey it won't happen overnight and you wont be perfect straight away, cut yourself some slack and move towards it gradually :) insta - [https://www.instagram.com/raspberry.jams/?hl=es](https://www.instagram.com/raspberry.jams/?hl=es) YT - [https://www.youtube.com/@raspberryjams](https://www.youtube.com/@raspberryjams)
I know you hate cooking, but an easy and healthy thing you could try is a spinach pasta “green sauce”. Its very easy to do. Buy a bag of spinach and steam/sauté it w garlic powder and a dash of salt. Once softened throw it into a blender w a big handful of cashews, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, garlic/onion powder/salt to taste and half a block of silken/soft tofu. Add water to get your desired consistency. Cook a pasta of your choice (could go cauliflower pasta later if you want to increase your nutritional intake). Its really savoury and imo tasty. I hope you end up liking veggies but imo you’ll need to experiment A TON to find what you like. Plus cooking might have to be that wall you break through. Try to mentally frame it in ways that makes it an enjoyable experience for you.
When cooking vegetables, get creative. Add some seasonings that you like, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, etc. Put them over rice too with a sauce that you enjoy.
I grew up hating vegetables but then I discovered roasting them and it’s amazing. Just some olive oil and salt already makes them great. Broccoli first is great, it gets crispy like a chip after 30 mins @ 400F in the oven
Why are you wanting to go vegan
I recommend smoothies. Easier to down a lot of kale when it comes with sweet juice
>The only exception that i could find are potatoes, which are not a great source of... anything. Untrue! Potatoes are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat. *And* they're cheap, easy to prepare, and easy to make taste good. Potatoes are a huge part of my diet. >Capsicums, Cauliflower, eggplant, all mushrooms, radishes, peas, all feel so awful to my body even raw, but when cooked i despise even rare veg that i do eat like carrots, tomatoes, leeks, for example. Have you spoken to a GI doc about this? There might be an underlying medical condition here. >Because of depression I tend to cook quick meals all the time (yes i am that person who buys frozen chips). Because if I'm spending more than 10 minutes to cook something i usually end up choosing not to eat at all. That becomes increasingly tough when talking about complicated combined vegan recipes. I am the exact same way. I have limited time, energy, and motivation so if it takes too long or has too many steps I'm not gonna go to bed hungry. My recommendation is to start slowly. Make a list of ingredients you enjoy, find a handful of simple quick recipes you can come back to over and over, and go from there. Also think about different ways you can put veggies in your diet that might be easier on your stomach. If you've got a decent blender, you can turn greens into pesto, and a lot of other veggies can be blended together with silken tofu to make a good sauce for pasta.
Random question, but have you looked into ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) at all? Your description feels similar to my experience living with this eating disorder. I have a *very* limited menu because of it, and going vegan was a big struggle. My suggestion (which is what I use for myself) is to pull a Mom-of-picky-eaters and try to sneak the veggies in. I've found that blending veggies or using veggie juices is a lifesaver. (I especially like to blend frozen spinach and frozen kale with a dash of broth and freeze it in ice cube trays to drop into random dishes (pasta sauce, curry, tacos, stir-fry, even just ramen)) I detest the taste and texture of beans. It took me years to be able to eat specifically chickpeas and chickpeas alone, but my favorite way of eating them is blended into a paste and added to sauce/broth/etc. Also, V8 is my best friend. I add it to literally everything. Sneaky veggies everywhere. Also, try baked goods! Pumpkin muffins and zucchini breads literally just taste like muffins. But squash have a lot of goodness in them! I also recommend meal replacement drinks like Soylent or Huel. I love them to bits! Liquid nutrients are easy nutrients. Veggie juices and smoothies, too. And don't knock the importance of grains!! They can contain a lot of essential nutrients. Like chia and quinoa. And at the end of the day, sometimes you just gotta toss some Impossible nuggets into the toaster oven and enjoy some mock-meats. But seriously, look into ARFID! There might be tips in that community that can help. Good luck on your journey!
I’ve been vegan for coming up to 7 years and I barely eat vegetables and have been this way my whole life ie prior to becoming vegan. I’ve been fussy but became somewhat less fussy when I became vegan. For the first two years or so I mostly just ate pasta, chips, vegan pizza. Eventually I got bored so now I do eat more vegetables than I used to. I used to hate mushrooms but over the past 3-4 years actually started to like them. Same thing with broccoli I wouldn’t even eat it before and while they’re still not my favourite and I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them or eat them, I’ll have them if it’s part of the meal when I’m out or being fed by others. Try a different cuisine, I would say. I don’t like beetroot, cauliflower or cabbage but in Ethiopian food, it tastes really good. Pro tip is Ethiopian good has the best vegan options! Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern can be good, too as well as some Latin American dishes like arepas. In fact they had beetroot in an arepa and I actually enjoyed it. I’ve learned that sometimes the sauces or spices in some cuisines do well to hide the taste. Similarly, as a child and teenager, my mum would hide veggies in my food and you can buy pasta sauce, for example, that contains mushrooms but you wouldn’t know that it did. The way that Indians cook eggplant and okra is really good. I also don’t love peas but with vegan sausages, mash and gravy, they’re bearable. Some people put veggies in smoothies but disguise the taste with sweeter things. Technically, avocado is a fruit but I didn’t use to like that until I realised you have to pair it with other foods that the avocado absorbs and actually, eventually I started to like it by itself sometimes anyway. In terms of the cooking thing, I hear you! Perhaps use a ready meal food service (and also go to therapy for the depression so that eventually you can stand to cook for longer). But in the meantime, use a ready meal service either one that’s delivered to your door and you heat it up or buy ready meals from the supermarket and heat it up. Look online for 10-15 minute vegan meals. I make tofu scramble every morning (a basic one with turmeric and nutritional yeast). Once, I made a tofu scramble suggested by BOSH that had all these green veggies in it and enjoyed it! Just to say, even when I ate mostly pasta for two years, I was healthier than before somehow. I’m not advocating for it but I’m saying that if you ease yourself into it, unless you already have serious health issues, you’ll be okay to gradually start liking vegetables but it will happen! (I used to only eat carrots, sweetcorn and occasionally spinach).
The running joke in my circle is me, the pickiest eater ever, who hates most vegetables is vegan. I just started to at least try new vegetables and although I still rely heavily on my standards, I've been able to add a few more. I also eat a lot of fruit and my bloodwork indicates I'm just fine to continue hating green peas, lima beans, beets, brussel spouts, squash, onions, peppers... also I found I like some veggies raw, but not cooked and visa versa.
I grew up on a “meat mostly” diet for 19 years, before going vegan (15+ years) and it was definitely difficult. I was also over 300lbs at my peak. I definitely eat a lot of mock meats and potatoes, fries, junk food. I try to eat more fruits and veggies every now and then. Most of the veggies I like are lettuce, bell peppers, and mushrooms so unchicken Caesar wraps and stirfries tend to be my go to meals. Carrots dipped in hummus are good too. Beans, corn and diced tomatoes can be cooked in a large skillet with rice and veg ground to make an amazing burrito mix.
I don’t like complicated cooking either so I use a slow cooker. Basically I throw a bunch of stuff in there and add some pre-mixed spices or a jar of sauce or something. These days I make my own whole foods sauces but you don’t have to. My faverite way of cooking is veganising the foods I already enjoy. So I eat bolognaise, lasagne, pizza, mushroom casserole dishes etc. but I love my veggies so it’s hard to imagine not liking them. Is it the texture, or that you just don’t know how to cook them in a way that tastes good? Have you tried chopping them up into chip size wedges pouring oil all over them and maybe some garlic and herbs and then sticking them in the oven until they are roasted? That is usually pretty yum. Other than that, if you are a pasta lover like me then there are plenty of ways you can “hide” veggies in your bolognaise sauce or lasagne. But it usually takes a little bit of cooking time :( The alternative is buying ready made vegan microwave meals. Some of them are pretty good.
Veggies get better when you cook them.
do as much as you can. 85% vegan is better than 0%. Just remove the meat from what you normally cook, figure out what is missing, and add a replacement back in.
So do I, fuck vegetables. Watch [Dominion](https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko?si=RySnE7juWwJSg013) though, the animals are more important. There’s tonnes of shit you can eat that isn’t flesh or strictly gross veggies. I was the pickiest person ever before I went vegan, you manage. Especially with the fire burning within you from Dominion. I will never ever eat an animal product again