How to Love Eating Vegetables and Not Gag

Hate vegetables but want to eat healthier? You’re not alone — and you’re definitely not doomed to a life without greens. This post will help you overcome the obstacles and master how to love eating vegetables!

Whether you’re a parent with a picky eater, a spouse to someone who swears they want to eat vegetables but just can’t, or you’re the one who gags at the thought of broccoli — this post is for you.

Believe it or not, learning to enjoy vegetables is totally possible. And no, you don’t have to become a salad-loving, green smoothie-drinking health nut overnight.

In this post, I’ll share simple, doable tips that I’ve given to patients (and my own family!) to help them actually like vegetables. We’ll cover smart ways to prepare them, how to sneak them into meals, and how to reframe your mindset — no guilt, no weird detoxes, no pressure.

But first, take a deep breath and let me reassure you of one thing:

You’re not the only one struggling. In fact, according to the CDC, only 1 in 10 adults eat enough fruits and vegetables. Most of us could use a veggie upgrade — and you’re in the right place to start.

Just a quick note. This will be a lot to remember if you want to master how to start eating vegetables when you hate them. So, I’m sharing a printable list of my nurse-guided tips I share with patients. You’ll find it at the bottom of this post!

So let’s dig in (pun fully intended) and discover some surprisingly fun ways to eat more vegetables — even if you’ve hated them your whole life.

Here is a list of high point links in this post.

How to Even Begin to Like Vegetables

Ready to learn how to love eating vegetables? 

My friend, it’s possible to master ways to eat vegetables even when you hate them.

But it all starts in your brain.

The first thing to do is to stop thinking about eating more vegetables as the task of “eating something that makes you gag.”

Instead, format it into something more positive so you can get your mind right.

For instance, when I work with people who are working on lowering their blood pressure or cholesterol levels, I suggest looking at eating their new diet, which includes vegetables, as an adventure, a new skill, or a fun game.

Or, perhaps eating vegetables might be more appealing to you if you think of it as a way to be healthier or lose weight.

Maybe even a scavenger hunt would make it fun!

Whatever works for you – just reposition it as something positive or of value to you so you can stay motivated about eating healthier.

Take it slow by just taking one small step at a time!

Secondly, make implementing how to eat more vegetables (and fruits) a part of your self-care plan. In other words, include eating more fruits and vegetables as a way to take better care of yourself.

This takes a little time and effort, but it’s well worth the work.

If you need some help finding me-time, you can get your FREE copy of my Self-Care Starter Guide HERE.

 

In addition, you need to understand that your vegetable hating is not all your fault.

Researchers have discovered there are individual differences in oral sensations, and about 25% are considered to be super-tasters, meaning they taste certain flavors more strongly than others.

Generally, super tasters pick up on bitter flavors more than others, and common foods include:

• broccoli
• spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• turnips
• watercress 

Notice how they are all vegetables?

If you or your family member are indeed a super-taster, these veggies probably aren’t going to be something that will be eaten on the regular anytime soon.

But, thankfully, there are plenty of other vegetables to choose from that don’t contain these strong flavors.

In very few cases, small children may need treatment for a rare disorder called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Adding vegetables to your diet is an important part of a good self-care plan; vegetables can taste delicious! 

This is the truth.

You just have to dig up some veggie secrets to discover how to love eating your vegetables. (And by digging up, I mean to keep reading because I’ve already done the digging!)

 

5 Easy Steps to Learn How to Like Vegetables

Want to learn the secrets to mastering how to love eating vegetables?

It’s all about the:

1. Preparation
2. Form-factor
3. Cooking
4. Hiding – inside other foods
5. Experimenting

 

1 Preparation – The First Secret to How to Love Eating Vegetables

It’s not just kids; many adults also turn their noses up to the vegetable.

One consideration is that most of us were only taught how to cook vegetables by our parents (or grandparents).

So, you may have negative food memories related to those vegetables because most of us grew up eating waaaaay overcooked veggies. And it’s a likely possibility that you’re overcooking your vegetables too. You may be cooking the taste right out of them!

But things are different now.

With cooking shows and the Internet, many people have shared their veggie-cooking methods. 

Did you know there can be at least a dozen ways to prepare each vegetable?

It’s a fact, so learn to be adventurous. The road to loving vegetables is paved with the willingness to experiment and make foods in multiple ways.

But don’t panic – you don’t need to be a fancy chef. Try watching a video or looking up how to prepare the new vegetable online.

You’ll see numerous options on every vegetable.

One of my favorite ways to prepare a new vegetable is to substitute it for a cracker or chip and eat it with other things I know I like.  It can be cooked or raw in most cases, so prepare it both ways!

Looking up the typical preparation is a straightforward and practical first step.

2 Eat a Naked Vegetable.

Not to be confused with eating a vegetable while naked, of course.

The simplest way (and in many cases the way to get the most nutrients) to eat a veggie is to eat it raw. You can try multiple form factors for this.

Using vegetables in a salad is a very simple way to try new raw vegetables. 

And bonus, it has a high success rate when you pair new vegetables with familiar flavors (like your favorite salad dressing).

Cutting raw vegetables into pieces and serving them on a platter (also called crudités) to use with dip, sauce or hummus is how to eat more vegetables without eating salad (we make my daughter who doesn’t like lettuce a bowl of crudités for dinner every night – we fill it up with everything she likes without lettuce).

As you discover which vegetables you like, aim to prepare at least 1/2 of them raw to help meet the five daily servings of vegetables.

Easy Vegetables to Eat Raw

If you’re looking for ‘easy’ vegetables, you’re going to want vegetables that are simple to wash, cut, and prepare.

The following are all vegetables that meet those criteria and taste delicious raw:

• Carrots
• Peppers
• Radishes
• Kale
• Cauliflower
• Spinach
• Snap peas 

Some may be unfamiliar or seem more complicated, but as I mentioned above that issue can be remedied by a quick watch of a video. You can learn how to love vegetables quickly and conveniently in the privacy of your own home. 

Ideas to try:

• Slice them up as crudités.
• Eat them with your favorite sauce, hummus, or salsa instead of crackers or chips.
• Toss it in a salad.
• Serve them as a cold side at mealtime (total awesome cheat-open a bag of prepared raw veggies and put them in a beautiful serving dish).
• Shred them up and mix them into a salad (I never thought I’d eat Brussels sprouts, but I love them this way).

 

 

3 Giving Vegetables a Spa Treatment is Also an Easy Way How to Love Eating Vegetables.

Some vegetables taste better cooked for many people.

So, steam them. Boil them. Roast the vegetables.

But remember, do not overcook them.

To clarify, most overcook vegetables by a lot – 50%-75% of the needed cooking time!

Want to enjoy a vast improvement in the taste and texture of vegetables? Reduce cooking time.

Cooking also enhances the flavors and nutrient absorption of some vegetables.

Furthermore, you can use online tutorials on Youtube to learn how to prep, cut up and cook a new, unfamiliar plant.

Even if you’re looking for how to cook vegetables for people who don’t like vegetables, there’s good news to be had. The vegetable cooking options are endless.

For example:

• Throw it into a pasta
• Roast in the oven
• Rice it
• Grill it
• As a stir-fry (yum, try chopped kale this way)
• Fry it in a pan of oil
• Spiral cut
• Mashed (with butter and toppings)
• Use it as a crust
• In a casserole

4 Think Outside (I mean Inside) to Learn How to Love Eating Vegetables!

It’s good to try the ordinary tips above.

On the other hand, sometimes it just works to do something crazy with a vegetable to bring more into your diet.

One thought – not everyone needs to know they are eating a vegetable.

Do you know what I mean? (wink, wink). Hide the vegetables in something everyone likes!

Need an example?

Ok, try this – puree fresh butternut squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, or carrots and use it as a substitute for 1/2 of the fat ingredient in your waffles or baked-good recipes.  (Cooling the food masks the vegetable flavor – this is important!). 

What a great way to use up food on hand and feed your family more vegetables, even if they think they do not like it.

Dazzling new ways to try veggies:

• Inside a baked good (substitute for 1/2 of the fat)
• Ribbon it
• Pickle it
• Frozen (my daughter loves to gnash on frozen peas!)

 

 

5 Don’t Give Up 

Finally, the last secret to loving to eat vegetables is to invest time into preparing each veggie at least 2-3 ways before giving up on liking that vegetable. I’ve tried lots of things to successfully get everyone in my family to eat more vegetables.

For instance:

• Follow a vegetable side or vegetarian entree recipe. Stop winging it!
• Consider buying a vegetarian cookbook and make the entrees as new sides to try. These recipes are loaded with flavor because vegetarians eat a lot of vegetables and want them to taste terrific. Spaghetti squash vegan bolognese is my go-to right now from an ‘old’ cookbook I bought a few years ago. This dish is my family’s favorite (of everything I cook!)

• Invest in a good food encyclopedia or vegetarian cookbook so you can quickly learn how to choose, buy, and prepare vegetables that are unfamiliar to you.

• Look up preparations and instructions online. My favorite source is Pinterest. Seriously, you need to be there!
• Subscribe to a cooking magazine to learn which foods are in season (the time when vegetables are the most flavorful). I subscribed to Cooking Light Magazine for over 15 years, but Eating Well is their new version (the best of Cooking Light with a modern twist).

It is a treat to buy in-season vegetables at a local farmer’s market. They’re less expensive, last longer, and are more flavorful. You’ll look forward to each new season.

Other Tips to Try

• Take a cooking class at your local grocery store with another adult friend who also doesn’t like eating vegetables.
• Talk to your local farmer at the farmer’s market. They have lots of vegetables and know how to cook them best (you eat what you grow/have!).
• Read menu descriptions to see how your favorite restaurant prepares vegetables you enjoy them and even talk to the chef.
• Try new vegetarian dishes or sides while you’re dining out. Another great tip is to split a vegetarian entree as an appetizer.
• Watch cooking shows. You can even learn from the kid shows.
• Have a competition in your kitchen.
• Use eating more vegetables as a way to eat healthier and take better care of yourself.

Looking for a way to stay motivated about taking better care of yourself? Check out my Bible study HERE!

No Need To Get Overwhelmed!

The shortest route to love eating your vegetables is to be adventurous. Taking good care of yourself doesn’t have to be overwhelming!

But remember, the point is to find a way to like eating your vegetables, not turn into a vegetarian.

Vegetables contain nutrients that preserve health and prevent disease. You can stay well by getting those disease-preventing nutrients into your body.

So, set a personal vegetable goal, be kind to yourself, and take it slow. Think of this the same way you’d start exercising if you hate to exercise.

• If texture bothers you, try a new form factor – perhaps trying a smoothie or maybe putting the vegetable in another food or form (baked goods) may work best for you.
• If your issue is the flavor of vegetables, trying various ways to prepare the veggie will be your weapon of choice.

You and your family may not learn how to love eating vegetables overnight.

However, because most vegetables are quick and easy to prepare, it allows everyone to try them raw, cooked, or in various other types of preparation.

Learning several preparation techniques will help you find your favorite methods to enjoy eating a particular vegetable, and it is worth the time investment.  

When cooked right, you may see that you love eating a vegetable you’ve disliked your entire life!

Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Free Veggie Printable

Speaking of awesome, I’ve made a free printable to help you explore different ways to eat veggies so you can learn how to love eating vegetables in no time. 

You can grab it HERE! What new veggie will you try first?

And don’t forget your FREE Self-Care Starter Guide! Grab Yours Here!

How to Love Eating Vegetables – FAQ’s

How Do I Get into the Habit of Eating Vegetables?

The best way to get into the habit of eating vegetables is to start today.

One simple tip I tried was to add a vegetable to whatever meal I was eating. I suggest you try these ideas to get started:

• Put some chopped red peppers in your omelet.
• Add a side salad to your lunch.
• Steam a vegetable for dinner.

It works best when you start creating a meal plan and add veggies to each meal. Just think of it as an eat more vegetables meal plan!

Can You Train Your Taste Buds to Like Vegetables?

Yes!

Start with eating more of the vegetables you know you like to eat.

Another tip that worked well for me is to cut back (slowly) on pre-packaged foods with high levels of sugar or salt.

Your taste buds will start to enjoy vegetables (& fruits) after they are not bombarded with fake food.

Why Do I Struggle to Eat Vegetables?

The most common causes include:

• Bad memories from eating vegetables as a child. I.e. you were always told to “clean your plate!”
• Your parents overcooked the vegetables you grew up eating.
• You might be a super-taster and are picking up more of the bitter flavors in some vegetables.
• You may just need to put eating vegetables in a positive framework.

Can You Lose Weight Just by Eating Vegetables?

Eating vegetables is a big help to weight loss, but it’s not necessary to only eat vegetables for success. Add a serving of lean protein, pair it with a plate full of vegetables, and you’re on your way!

Many vegetables contain fiber and help you feel full after you eat them.

Interestingly, while most vegetables are full of nutrients, they are low in calories, making them a perfect food for your daily intake.

Thanks for reading! Know someone who would benefit from reading this post? Share it on social media!

Ready for more? Here are my latest posts!

• Overcome Self-care Barriers with 4 Easy Tips
• 4 Easy Ways to Get Your Spouse to Eat Healthy Food
• 5 Easy Ways to Find Me-Time in Your Busy Schedule
• How to Try New Vegetables When You Hate to Eat Veggies
• How to Love Eating Vegetables and Not Gag

The post was originally published in 2018.

Photo credits

Kale

Asparagus

Mixed Vegetables