How to eat more veggies even when you hate them
How many times have you sworn that you do not like vegetables? Do your children refuse to eat broccoli or anything green? It can be frustrating, for both, the chef who has worked hard to create a delicious and nutritious dinner and the dish end up rejected because the eater does not like vegetables, as for those who know, they should eat more vegetables because they are indispensable for a balanced and healthy diet, but they think that they do not like them.
I find this situation among my clients quite often, many, do not know what to do to make their children eat more veggies or even themselves. Many times it is because they are not used to have veggies in the house when they were kids, other times, it’s because they don’t know how to cook them.
As I always say, it’s a matter of re-educating the palate, little by little, small bites at a time, do not pretend to eat a whole bowl of broccoli, and love it, from day 1, because this will rarely happen. For don’t worry, I few small tricks that will help make vegetables more attractive and will make even the most stubborn to begin enjoying them and even love them.
1. Mix the veggies within other dishes
If a bowl of steamed chard does not appeal to you, then do not start with a bowl of chard! What you can do and you will find more desirable, is to add a handful of cooked chard to your pasta dish, serve it with a tasty sauce like a tomato sauce, grated cheese, so the chard will become a small part of a delicious food.
2. Play with flavors
I always say, herbs, spices, sauces are an essential part of cooking and can make the taste of a dish totally different, specially when we talk about vegetables. If you are thinking that you do not like Brussels sprouts, try to season them with a splash of balsamic vinegar, or spend a few minutes with olive oil and salt, then serve them with basil, chives or chopped parsley or try to serve them with a Peanut sauce to add an explosion of flavor.
3. Try different cooking methods
For me, this is the key, it is not the same to eat over-boiled broccoli, that raw in the form of couscous, the taste and texture are totally different. Therefore, if you were made to eat mushy tomatoes as a child and now you can not even think about them or maybe the raw kale is not your thing, try different methods of cooking them, as they will provide you with different flavors and textures of the vegetables. Sautéing green leafy vegetables like chard or kale make them tender and tender, while roasting vegetables such as Brussels sprouts or cauliflower gives them a delicious and crunchy texture that you can not get when you boil them or steam them, and also brings out the sweet side of these vegetables.
4. Experiment with sweet flavors
Although we are used to eating them as a salty options, a lot of vegetables match perfectly with sweet flavors. Add cinnamon or maple syrup to certain vegetables (it goes great with carrots and pumpkin) will increase the intake of vegetables in addition to satisfying your sweeter side.
5. Be creative
Vegetables can often be amazing substitutes for other ingredients such as flour or meat in classics such as pizza, pasta or hamburgers. Using them in this way will allow you to eat more vegetables while you do not even realize they are there. Try making an eggplant lasagne or a cauliflower burger.
As I always say, it’s a matter of re-educating the palate, step by step you’ll dislike less and when you least expect it, you’ll be worshiping them!
What tricks do you use to eat more vegetables? Share your experiences in the comments below, I’m sure they are fun and we all can learn from each other 😉