Vegetable Consumption for the Veggie-Impaired

Vegetables. We know we need them, but we also know we don't much like them. They're just so... vegetable-ish. It can be hard to choke them down raw for those of us who are veggie-impaired. While there are those in our population who love their vegetables and munch on them with the enthusiasm of a rabbit, most people are either indifferent or even detest greenery of any variety.

Some of us may have given up all hope of a truly healthy lifestyle because of the lack of vegetables in our lives, but all hope is not lost just yet. There are ways of consuming veggies that don't involve raw carrot sticks or salads. As shocking as this concept may sound, it's entirely true: you can eat veggies without actually "eating veggies". The key is to hide vegetables in other foods so that it doesn't seem like you're eating them.

Unfortunately, you can't just stuff spinach in your cookie batter and expect those cookies to taste good. Though they'd make excellent treats for your pet guinea pig they won't be appetizing to you. The key is to mask the flavor and texture of the vegetables with other flavorings and preparation techniques.

The easiest way to hide your veggies is with juicing. Before you go out and buy a juicer, try stopping by a smoothie shop like Jamba Juice first to see if this is going to be up your alley. Order one of their fruit and vegetable mixed juices. These juices will give you some of the vitamin and nutrient benefits of vegetables (though, sadly, they do lack the fiber of raw veggies) without the texture or the taste. The prevailing taste in many of Jamba Juice's fruit-and-veggie drinks is usually the fruit flavor.

My favorite way of hiding my vegetables is with cheese. Smothering your veggies in delicious dairy might not be the healthiest option, but if you use a cheese made from low fat milk you can rest a little easier about it. Pouring melted cheese over steamed broccoli and cauliflower is a personal favorite of mine. If you're a cheese connoisseur, this might be the most effective way of squeezing some veggies into your diet!

Soup is a healthy option that many of us, even the veggie-impaired, can enjoy. Many soups feature a variety of vegetables but they don't "taste" like vegetables. Black bean soup or broccoli cheese are two of my personal favorites. Not only do you get a decent serving of vegetables, but you hardly know they're there! How cool is that?!

For some of us, even these techniques aren't enough. If you've tried hiding tomatoes in your sandwiches, covering your cauliflower with cheese, or juicing your carrots and mixing them with berries and apples and you still aren't able to choke them down, perhaps it's time you learned to love your inner vegetarian. You may have to sit down and commune with some raw veggies, i.e. get used to them. If you eat enough of them, they could grow on you!

Like our parents have told us since we ate our first solid foods, vegetables are good for us and we have to have them in our diets. If you can add even one extra serving into your diet, you'll feel better about yourself and your body will feel better, too! So, even if it requires a little ingenuity, never forget to eat your veggies. Your body will thank you for it!