For All the Haters

When people tell me they hate vegetables, I don't really believe them. Perhaps they were forced to eat vegetables as a child, told they couldn't leave the table until they did. Nothing zaps enjoyment more than being told you have to. Perhaps those vegetables came from a can or were prepared simply by being boiled in water until they were limp and mushy. This is the equivalent of declaring hatred of reading based solely on perusing a phone book.

True, a person may find some vegetables to be unpleasant. I don't care for beets or radishes. But to throw around a blanket statement without really giving vegetables a shot is just unfair- and silly (don't you want to like things that will make you feel so great and live so long?). For those self-declared haters I have a couple of questions. 

First: When's the last time you tried vegetables (other than a simple salad doused in dressing)?
If the last time you tried a given vegetable was when you were a kid, you may be operating on an outdated perception. Often it takes trying things several times before coming to like them. So many foods that I turned my nose up at the first few times I later realized I loved. Whether it was because I just needed to give those foods a few more chances or, as my mom assured me would happen, my taste preferences changed, the disgusting became delightful. Give it another shot, or 10, it can't hurt. The worst that could happen is you take one bite, shake your head, and continue eating the other things on your plate.

Second: How have you tried vegetables?
Tastes and textures can be so varied. Maybe you hate limp green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce casserole (that's probably a good thing). But have you tried greens stir fried with fresh herbs and seasonings, still crisp and juicy? Perhaps raw carrots are just too bitter, but roasted with a bit of olive oil, garlic and spices they are soft and sweet. (Roasting is a great way to try all veggies, as the sugars start to break down, making them sweeter) Vegetables integrated into dishes complement the other ingredients and don't taste quite so strong. You can add depth to scrambles, soups, sandwiches, spreads, pasta sauces, shepherd's pies, rice dishes, tacos, pizzas, and more without really noticing that you're eating vegetables. Check out recipes and experiment. But remember, just because you hate a vegetable one way, doesn't mean you hate that vegetable. Worse come to worse, there are plenty of clever ways to sneak vegetables into other foods so that you can't even tell you're eating them (smoothies, dips and sauces are a great way to ease yourself in). But honestly, I think if you have an open mind and taste vegetables that are well seasoned and prepared, you'll come to love them. And at that point in time all the health benefits are just an exciting bonus.


A few great resources:

"Recipes for Health" at the New York Times
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/

http://theforestfeast.com/
 And for those who STILL think they hate veggies:
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
http://www.doitdelicious.com/cookbooks/deceptively_delicious

Trouble starting an exercise habit? Just get your shoes on!

Think about the tasks and activities that you do every single day. Brushing your teeth, washing your face, eating, going to the bathroom, going to work. These are things that are absolutely necessary, or are small, engrained habits. If you're new to working out, or haven't done it regularly for some time, it's neither of these things. What's more, it can be intimidating and uncomfortable at first. Which makes it easy to make excuses and put it off for another day. We tell ourselves, "I'm too tired today, I'll start this weekend," or, "Next month will be a better time, after work slows down," or countless other similar rationalizations.  And what happens? This weekend, next week, and next month come and we feel no more ready to take that plunge.

Instead of setting yourself up for this, why not start with a more manageable goal? Most of the lasting skills and habits we practice daily took time to build. There's no shame in treating exercise the same way and breaking it down into manageable tasks. Once those are easy you'll be ready to build. Be kind and forgiving to yourself if you don't get out the door for that mile run this morning, but do take a moment to set yourself up for success in the future.

Your first goal, every day this week: put your running shoes and workout clothes on (and really, can you argue that you don't have time to do just that?). If you can do that you have been successful- and you should celebrate that. If you don't exercise, no problem, that wasn't on the agenda or the day. If you do, great, you surpassed your goal- but there is no pressure to do so just yet.

You can change your habits. You can learn to be active and healthy. Just take it one baby step at a time.