Hi I'm new . Recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I'm 60 and l have disliked veg for as long as l can remember, l have tried to eat them several times over the years but gag and can't swallow them , is there anyone like me with the same problem ?.
Hate veg.: Hi I'm new . Recently been... - Healthy Eating
Hate veg.
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Stockport123
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47 Replies
•
Lots of people are like you.
Can you eat soups and stews etc?
Stockport123• in reply to
I only eat the potatoes in soup and stews, I'm a nightmare , now l can't eat carbs ( well not as many as usual) I'm struggling to fill up on meals, l do eat a lot of meat ie lean beef and chicken; but my nurse as said l shouldn'tbe eating beef.
• in reply toStockport123
Well you can't be healthy if you eat to much meat, you will just have to experiment with different vegetables using different recipes, I'm sure you could find some online.
Start with very small portions and add to them over time and then you might get used to them.
jimmy1948• in reply to
Great idea!!!!
if you blitz/ blend the vegetables in soup then there will be nothing to pick out !
do you have any favourite spices or herbs that you could add to make it all more appealing?
do you eat mashed potato ? if so then you can use veg like carrots , cauliflower ,sweet potato , parsnips in the same way -try using 1/2 potato and 1/2 one of these veg in a mash to top a shepherds pie or similar and then try a different one ,maybe increasing the other type of veg each time
Hi Stockport123
Have you tried lentils in soups and stews? They are tasty. Maybe have a look around at our various Topics and Pinned posts and see if any other meals or recipes are of interest to you.
Hope you're enjoying the weekend.
Zest 
lentils are a good source of protein and fibre but aren't going to give the vitamins and minerals that fresh veg will
That is true alchemilla12 - I wasn't meaning lentils by themselves, I meant that it would be nice to perhaps have veggies with some lentils in a soup.
Zest
oh I see - yes good idea
You could make soups and stews with lots of different veg and just before serving take out any meet, use a stick blender to make a smooth soup and then return the meat.
You could also google hiding vegetables in meals, a lot of id as show up.
Grating veg and make ding into mash or burgers etc might work.
Agreed, if you blend your soups then you can’t tell you’re eating veg! My husband just been similarly diagnosed at 53, this is the way we have increased his veg intake
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Spot on AnnieW55 & Keswickfan! Stick blender-ing all types of veg 🍅 🥦 🥕 in soup 🍲 🍛 🍜 is undetectable (& delicious 😋 ) . . . 👍👍
If you’re interested in smoothies/ blender drinks 🍹, Stockport123, that’s another way to tastefully slip in nutrient-rich veg — such as leafy greens 🥬 🍃 🌱 — without detection (unpleasant flavour):
. . . • healthunlocked.com/healthye... . . . • healthunlocked.com/healthye...
. . . • healthunlocked.com/healthye... . . . ☺️ 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞
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I'm in my 60's and have type 2 Diabetes, but different because I Love veggies. Have you tried dipping your veggies in Ranch? Or cutting your veggies in small pieces and put them in your meals? Or buy food that already has veggies in them? Diabetes is nothing to play with, you can't live on protein alone cause then that will create high cholesterol. My weakness I have to admit is sweets. The way I deal with that is buying sugar free items. And if my sugar gets too High? Have 8 oz if water with 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar that balances your sugar. I've had type 2 for about 2 year's. So far my sugar has been in control.
I have tried lots of ways of altering the sight and taste of simple veg ie carrots, peas, and parsnips but l can't get them past my throat without forcing them down , which then puts me off eating anything.
Heya. Yes! I am 40 and only eat a limited amount of veg. Peas, carrots and onions. I don't count potato as a veg and eat potato almost daily. Peas or carrots I only have maybe twice a week and I don't love them but I don't hate them so I eat them in my attempt to eat at least SOME veg.
People have told me its mind over matter and I should just eat veg! But its certainly not easy to eat things you dislike!
Hi Stockport123 I think this is a shame as veggies are so healthy and important nutritionally so I'd look at eating veg mashed and mixed with other foods as suggested by others.
And good luck with this and your diabetes. 😊
Stockport123• in reply to
Hi Jerry. I've tried many ways to get used to them but it must be a mental block l have. I was force fed white cabbage at the Catholic school l attended when l was five , the monster watched as l scraped my leftovers in the bin, she made me take my plate back and eat the cabbage, as l refused she he'd my nose and put a spoon of it in my mouth, needless to say l was sick , so I'm pretty sure my aversion stems from that . I cook veg all the time for family and guests, and use all of the veg juices in my gravy, so l must be have some goodness from them.
• in reply toStockport123
Hey that sounds awful I am so sorry for you and I can see your aversion.
Jerry. 😊
I have the same prob.with fruit, not that I dislike but cant digest. Also as i have dentures a lot of fruit difficult to eat, smoothies are my answer although I am told not so good as "real" fruit You could try smoothy vegs. perhaps
You probably dislike veg because - let's face it - us Brits aren't renowned for our culinary skills
That, and the fact that supermarket veg all taste bad because of the way they're grown/harvested/stored.
Try treating yourself to a high-end restaurant where they actually know how to cook veg properly. French or Italian would be good choices. It might be an eye-opener. Then get yourself a good recipe book, and source some seasonal ingredients from a local smallholder. TBH there won't be much available in October, but a lot of growers have out-of-season stuff raised in polytunnels.
As Hidden said, as long as you're eating some fat with your meat, you should be basically OK. And the key to most good vegetable recipes is an appropriate fat: typically butter or olive oil.
There's nothing wrong with beef (well, except for the terrible quality of supermarket beef). It drives me mad that the medical profession hand out old wives' tales as if they're scientific facts.
Hello. Mr Toad
Thankyou for your reply. I have grown many veg in my garden over the years, but none have past my taste test no m atter how much spice or differently l cook them. I may try acupuncture , some say it works. All I know is the more l fret over not eating veg the more my blood pressure goes up , is it worth it ? I ask myself.
If thinking about eating vegetables quite literally give you high blood pressure, it sounds to me as if you have a genuine phobia here, and it might be worth speaking to a psychologist to find out why, and if something can be done about it.
While I can understand people not liking, say, sprouts, "vegetables" is a vast category to be afraid of. Guacamole does not taste like buttered asparagus which does not taste like Caesar salad. If there's literally nothing in the vegetable world that you like, there's more to this than a taste issue.
Having said that, it's technically possible to survive on mostly-meat just as it's possible to survive as a vegan, so I wouldn't worry too much. But these diets are at the extremes of the human dietary range and you have to do very specific things to remain healthy. It would be as well to make a conscious effort to expand your horizons.
How do you eat them? Have you tried things like crispy deep fried brussel sprouts, garnished w balsamic and bacon (starting only from fresh so the inside is not gross and mushy?). Just barely tender fresh broccolini drowned in real butter? Mashed cauliflower with cream?
I love vegetables. But if someone gave me a frozen or canned one, I would spit it right out.
My Dad WASN’T much of a fan of vegetables but whenever my mum cooked something like a lasagne or chilli or whatever, she would add oats to it as well.
My dad is finding it easier to eat veg now.
Basically, his taste was all for meats and sugary foods. Sugary foods are addictive. That’ll be the refined sugar for you. Once your taste is addicted to meaty/sugary foods then you won’t like natural, REAL food so mich.
Similar thing happened with me.
When I was little I had a terrible junk food diet full of sugary foods, fizzy drinks and hardly any REAL food like fruit and veg.
In 96 I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and in 98 was diagnosed with a 2nd brain tumour.
I’ve had 11 operations on my head.
I’ve been through hell and back and live to tell the tale.
I have come away from all the sugar intake and look and feel a lot better for it.
My diet is so much better too, I am not eating more fruit and veg, less meat and hardly any refined/table sugar.
I would not be surprised one little bit if my horrid diet back then is the biggest reason why I ended up with tumours.
Some folk will say “No, it wasn’t your diet. It’s to do with genes or I was unlucky”.
Well sorry to say it but I don’t think genes or luck play much of a part in this.
I think most of the population has been hoodwinked.
not sure why you ask " why do you need to eat vegetables " ??!!
veggies provide important fibre -extremely important for controlling cholesterol and reducing risk of bowel cancer -as well as vitally important vitamins and minerals. smoothies and meat dont provide the fibre ,dry vegetable wont have the vits
well he needs to be as healthy as possible.Dealing with diabetes isnt soley about controlling the blood sugar it is about making sure that the body is fit and well to deal with it in every other way -reducing circulatory and neurological damage for starters and that means having the full range of macro and micro nutrients
Continuously high blood sugars WILL cause circulatory and neurological damage even if otherwise nutrition is spot on. Of course in an ideal world everyone’s diet would provide the full compliment of macro and micro nutrients we need but for a diabetic the priority must be getting the blood sugars as close to normal as possible.
yes but I didnt say he doesnt need to get blood sugar under control but you cant see the health of the body in isolation. Lots of Vit C for example will help strengthen blood vessels and repair damage that does occur.
Agreed, micro nutrients have a very important role to play, and I would encourage the OP to take some of the advice above as to how to start including veg in his diet, a little fruit might help if he finds that more palatable. It’s a question of priorities and for a diabetic reducing the blood sugar has to be the top one.
agreed but Im not sure that he's having problems with his blood sugar to start with so for the OP it is a matter of being /keeping or getting healthier. But of course you are right it is a priority if it is uncontrolled
Absolutely! I have never been a fan of veggies either. I'm on the edge of type 2 diabetes. I need to lose weight and eat healthier.
I saw the post about soup and stews and I have no issues with anything as long as they soft, which they usually are
he has asked us how we are helping him with how. -that is the point. Obviously he will take on board what he feels he can and wants to do but the point is he ASKED. well , getting lots of veg will help to minimise the circulatory and veurological damage and help repair it -nobody is suggesting he doesnt need to get blood sugar under control but the body need to be healed as a whole .
You says "In USA - many Americans hardly eat veggies and are healthy." Are you serious ??!! The SAD is responsible for more diseases over there than anything else..
You seem to take umbrage rather quickly if someone offers a different opinion to yourself
Cooper27Administrator
Tesco have been stocking a veg blended mince, which is 80% beef, mixed through with very finely grated carrot, cauliflower & Beetroot. You could start with something like that, as you really don't get the texture of the veg, and it's not a strong flavour either.
I think potentially you're over-thinking when you try to eat your veg, and that's what's causing you to gag. People do have food aversions like you though, it's a phobia of certain textures, but I can't remember the technical term. You can look into it though, and see if there are any services out there to help you to learn to like the foods.
Thanks for that, I'll get some and try it. I was force fed while l was at a Catholic school when l was five, as you suggest it's not only the taste it's the texture as well, l don't eat egg whites because of the texture, your very knowledgeable.
Being force-fed makes sense. You come to associate certain textures with bad experiences.
I think the way to address it is to make the foods fun, so you associate them with good experiences.
I heard it can take 12 tries before you like a new food that you hated before, so don't give up right away, just investigate some new ways to cook with the new ingredients. There will be some things you'll probably never like, e.g. egg-whites, bananas. Don't waste the mental energy forcing yourself to eat them just now, focus on easy hits like carrots
Thanks for the tips, l do appreciate it, I'll carry on trying different things , maybe one day I'll eat a portion , probably mind over matter.
Being force fed at school nowadays would be classed as abuse, safeguarding and the police involved. This must have been a traumatic experience for a little boy no wonder it’s hard for you to like vegetables now. Further up thread TheAwfulToad suggested some psychological support for a phobia which might help here as it’s clear where the problem started. If you don’t want to go down that route maybe start with very blended liquid soups and have them from a mug, then they will seem more like a drink than food.
Hi Fran
Your quite right , it would have been classed as abuse, but because I've never physically suffered from not eating veg , I'm slim , fit and look ( 10 years younger than my age ) so I'm told, it's only because I've been diagnosed with type 2 that it hasn't occurred to me to get psychological help. To be honest l don't want to go down that path until l have exhausted all others, l have a few things I'd like to try ie soups and a beef mince what contains hidden veg. Someone suggested vitamins if nothing else works . Thanks for your support.
Ps I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I'm female.
Oh I’m sorry! Not sure where I got the impression you were male, maybe I’ve confused two different posts! Good luck with your plans 😀
When people say they don't want veggiesm what is driving that is a gut biome that does not have the veggie loving gut flora. Splattered across social media are stories of people who have found a new taste for veggies. For those who adopt a whole food plant based diet typically it takes around a month before the taste preferences change. For some people it may take three months, this is because your insides are completely regenerated every 90 days.
Have fun if you try it, and follow the tips above to help you transition.
you're so very welcome......
Hi my new friend. I am a bit overwhelmed by the response , l can't yet get my head around the science of health benefits ie G I . ect. Is there a forum on blood pressure ? 😂.Most of the tips make good sense but I've, tried most of them in the many years I've been anti veg. I think most of my problem goes way back to when l was about 5. There was a reply that suggested Tesco sell mince beef (well 80%) with veg mixed in , so may give that a whirl.
I forgot to say, it's in green coloured packaging in the meat aisle!
Ok thanks.
Choosing an adequate diet to prevent and control diabetes can be very hard to find. There are many diet plans which have proven to be non-beneficial. but still there is a diet which works according to Dr Vishvroop roy, as he suggested the diet chart, i know you don't like veg, but According to it, Just follow his steps & choose your meal according to your taste & preference.
Here it is :
Diabetes Diet Chart
Diabetic Diet Breakfast – Eat three to four types of fruits in the morning (avoid beverages).
Quantity- Add a zero to the total amount of your weight in gram. Meaning, if a patient weighs 85kg, the fruit quantity should be 850g.
Lunch- Eat approximately three types of raw eatable vegetables first, in the afternoon before taking your daily meal
(as you like)
Quantity- Your weight X 5 in grams, for example, if you weigh 85kg your food should weigh 425g.
Dinner- A cooked vegetable meal in any amount of quantity.
If we talk about exercise, you can also do some excercise, meditation etc to stay fit or maitain your insulin level, have a look here:
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