Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

Remember when former president George H.W. Bush pronounced to the world that he hates broccoli? Unfortunately, many Americans are in the same boat. It turns out that if you hate vegetables you may be what is called a “super taster,” a person who can pick up more bitter flavors in their foods and drinks. Or maybe you just had too many bad experiences with vegetables as a child.

I used to be a vegetable hater. But the truth is, not eating vegetables is really bad for you and is a sure way to increase your risk of many chronic illnesses. So, don’t throw in the towel. Here are some pointers that helped me — and have helped even our most stubborn patients “eat their veggies.”

1. Roasting vegetables reduces the bitter flavors by adding a savory caramelized flavor. Learning to roast vegetables really renewed my own interest and got me to enjoy eating them — and not just because I should. To roast any vegetable (except those you don’t normally cook, like cucumbers) toss the cut up pieces with good oil and seasonings — sea salt ground pepper, and garlic. See full instructions below.
2. Cooking vegetables with meats or meat broths also reduces the bitter flavors and tends to really bring out some of their sweetness. So load up your soups or stews with lots of chopped vegetables. Or just finely chop vegetables and add them to ground meats, like meatloaf, burgers, and even chili.
3. Mask the taste or hide the vegetable. For instance, use some butter, salt and pepper on steamed vegetables. For raw vegetables, try the healthiest dip you can find. My yogurt-tahini dressing in the April 15 issue of THB is a great vegetable dip. You can also finely chop or puree vegetables and add them to sauces, like spaghetti sauce. Even mashed potatoes can hide cooked cauliflower and turnips. Honest you don’t even know they are there!
4. Use small amounts of stronger tasting vegetables in your dishes and then slowly increase your consumption. Your taste buds are similar to your sense of smell. Just as you can get used to odors that you smell all the time, your taste buds over time notice the objectionable tastes less and less. So, keep trying them and start with small tastes. For instance, if you only like iceberg head lettuce, start adding small bites of darker green lettuces into your salad. Once your taste buds don’t notice the flavor of the darker lettuces any more, increase the amount.

One final bit of encouragement. If you haven’t tried some of the stronger tasting vegetables since childhood, you need to try again. Our taste buds die off as we get older, so we don’t taste things as acutely as we used to when we were younger. In fact, you may already be enjoying other foods that you didn’t like as a child. The same can happen with vegetables. Give these tips a try — it does pay off.

Basic Grilled Vegetable Technique:

1. Drizzle olive oil over your vegetable of choice. Any vegetable will do, but it is particularly good with stronger flavored vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and asparagus. It is also a great way to branch out with vegetables you might not have ever tried, like root vegetables and squash. Toss vegetables with the oil to lightly coat. You can add minced garlic for really good flavor.
2. Wrap vegetables in foil for the grill or spread on a baking sheet for the oven.Add sea salt and pepper if desired, or any other seasoning blends you like.
3. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes shaking or stirring every 3 minutes.Cook vegetables until lightly browned, and serve warm.

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute (formerly part of Living Longer Institute). She offers personal nutritional counseling at LMI for clients who need help with their diet in relation to illness or disease. Laura also provides educational services in the areas of health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention. To learn more, click here.]