“I don’t eat that though!”………….But have you actually tried to?!
Kale, Mushrooms, Cabbage, Onions, Brussels Sprouts and Turnips. Great food examples that tend to share one common denominator: They often divide opinion.
Hate em’ or love em’?
Are any of those on your “don’t eat” list? – A list that’s nearly always based on assumption and very little experimentation.
“I don’t eat that because I’ve never actually tried it” becomes: “I haven’t tried it, and it looks like I won’t like it, so therefore I don’t like it.”
This psychology isn’t relegated only to vegetables, I’ve encountered many whom “eat healthy”; healthy being skinless chicken breast all day, every day – and it must be boiled! “Oh I couldn’t try Tilapia, I don’t like it.” Well, at that volume of consumption, I doubt your digestive system parallels your views that chicken breast is “healthy” anymore.
If we take a trip back a mere three years, maybe more, I too was in this camp. Even way after I had revamped my lifestyle and begun looking at fitness as a profession and not just a lifestyle, I flat out just “didn’t eat” a host of wonderful foods……..
- Avocados
- Kale
- Onions
- Brussels
- Spring Greens
- Mushrooms
To name a few. I proudly state today though, those are some of my most enjoyed and most consumed, produce. So how’s it done? How do you go from supposedly “not eating” X amount of veggies and foods, to genuinely enjoying them?
Experimentation & willingness.
You have to recognize the value of something before you begin a venture. Essentially, the value of nutritional variety. You must appreciate the potential(s) before you even begin to seek. Much like that guy/girl who is obviously wanting to date you, but you’re not that sure. Although you know he/she definitely has plenty of qualities, you’re not quite sure whether to nod your head yet. But their potential is sparking your consideration.
Sometimes you just need to yield to the unfamiliar and invite yourself to adapt to it.
If you’re not willing to give it a chance, it’ll never happen. Spend a little more time with that someone, they grow on you. The new job you thought you’d struggle to endure 6 weeks in, that in hindsight was the best career move you made. Didn’t seem so bad once you adapted, did it?
It also helps when you have someone in your life who does eat the foods you don’t. Be it a family member or spouse. Sometimes a little nudging can be good.
A few easy ways to ‘trick’ yourself into eating a wider spectrum of nutrient dense foods – particularly vegetables:
- Change your cooking method. Instead of boil, steam. Instead of steaming, stir fry.
- If you stir fry, rotate cooking oils. Coconut oil, Macadamia oil, Avocado oil – even duck fat, goose fat etc!
- Mix, mix, mix and mix some more. Why not throw a few onions (if you “don’t eat” them) in with the vegetables you do like? This was perhaps the MOST influential thing I did to enhance my diet!
- Start with very small pieces and then add more when they’re tolerable.
- Make spices your new best friend. Paprika, chilli powder, cayenne, garlic, turmeric, pepper varieties, different salt alternatives; pink Himalayan sea salt and those really are the tip of the iceberg!
- Use oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Walnut oil and Sesame oil as vegetable dressings. Grass fed butter is fair game too! (These alone are VERY under-exploited.)
I engineered subtle methods like those to really widen my horizons with food. Stubbornness and fear of the unfamiliar causes us to narrow our scopes. Those damn comfort zones are everywhere.
Implementing the above will give your taste-buds a party, and they’ll not even detect the food you think you “don’t like”.
By really trying to be a jack of all trades in terms of vegetables, fruits and foods in general, you’re working towards piecing together a picturesque nutritional puzzle. A puzzle void of deficiencies and problematic intolerances.
Color, I want to see more color on that plate!
What vegetables do you like or dislike? It’s time to start re-categorizing!
Recommended reading: My top 10 countdown of fruits and veggies to start eating (and why)
JR @ Straight-Talking-Fitness View All
The 'brains' behind StraightTalkingFitness, a site all about discovery that leads to strength in all formats; fitness, mental, emotional and spiritual. Everything starts from within and projects outwards. Master the body, master anything and everything.
Haha! I know! I am always baffled at how much people don’t like vegetables. I think the same as you “if you would just try it you would like it!” And it’s just food, nothing to be scared of haha.
I love pretty much all vegetables. I don’t think there is one I don’t like but broccoli is may favorite. Next would be squash. Great post!
Absolutely! Broccoli and Cauliflower are my all time faves, I’ve loved them since I was a kid! Haha (strangely). I was petrified of Onions for no real reason, until recently, haha. Squashes are AWESOME. What type of squash if your fave? I really like acorn, but I like them all, even butternut, which is sooooooo common! Here in the UK, you pretty much can’t find anything but butternut squashes (they’re great though) so can’t complain. One really “underground” veggie I like is Okra. Have you tried that?
Good for you! I hated all vegetables as a kid. My favorite food was Cheetos. 🙂
My favorite kinds of squash are summer squash and zucchini but I love all kinds. That’s so funny that you were scared of onions! I love them so much and would eat them on everything if they didn’t make my breather smell so bad afterward. When my husbands out of town though, bring em on! Lol!
I actually do like okra! It is really popular here in the south. It is usually eaten batter fired but I like it any way it’s made. That’s so funny that it’s an “underground” veggie in the Uk haha.
Cheetos haha! I forgot about the bad breath thing, garlic has that effect too (so I’m told) ha. Batter fried Okra? Sounds………..intriguing lol! I bet people actually count batter fried okra as veggies towards their “intake”. Yeah okra is rare here, and when you do find it, it’s pretty expensive. I’d go as far as to say that it’s my current favorite. But that will soon change no doubt! 🙂
Very relatable post! Im guilty of that with avocado – is is possible to describe the taste & texture to me?
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Hey! Being an experienced ‘Avocado fearer’ haha, I’m quite qualified to attempt to describe it 🙂 It’s creamy – providing the fruit is actually ripe! Creamy but not creamy to the point where chewing isn’t necessary. Tastes really nice when you give it a chance. If you dice it up and mix it in with veggies or a salad/whatever……..that’ll help you acclimatize with it.
Was that a sufficient description? Haha 🙂 I tend to talk too much. You’ll get used to it 🙂
haha spot on thank you! I guess now i have no excuse but to try one….
No excuse at all! Ha. You’ve made me realise it’s been a while since I’ve had an Avocado, been eating too many other fruits – you can never eat too many 🙂
I’m passionate about kale and cook it in a variety of ways. I grow my own. I’m also a huge fan of swiss chard and spinach and these are also to be found in my veg patch.
I eat avocados hot or cold and they’re a fantastic addition to any dish.
I recently started eating yams. I can’t understand why supermarkets don’t stock these items.
Yes, yams! They’re amazing huh? I recently was blessed enough to try them too. Potassium much? Haha. I actually haven’t tried swiss chard :O it’s hard to come by where I live. You’re right, supermarkets don’t stock nearly enough of these foods. I can’t find Acorn squash ANYWHERE. I have to order it in specially – even when it’s winter squash season!
That’s a pity. It’s such a beautiful vegetable and comes in an amazing array of colours. I’ve not tried Acorn squash although it might be something I could try growing next year.
Acorn squash is amazing. Make some extra space on your vegetable patch for me when you grow it next year, you can be my new ‘supplier’ haha 🙂
I’ll bear that in mind. I’ve already looked into it.