He hates salad but at least he's trying.

[Crescent Cat]

I need some advice from the food experts here. Lately my husband has been open to the idea of eating healthier but he absolutely hates vegetables and salads. He has absolutely no fruits or veggies in his diet at all. I'm legitimately concerned for his health. His blood pressure is pretty high. Last time my sister was over to practice BP on him he was 162/100. He insists that he's "fine" but I just want to shake him and say, "You don't feel fine. You feel normal. If you had any idea what 'fine' actually felt like you'd know you don't feel fine at all." I don't want to say that because it would seem like I'm being condescending to him. That's the last thing I want to do. The quickest way to tune him out to anything is to make him feel like he's being spoken down to.

Fortunately he's been open to the idea of at least trying salads but getting him to eat more than a bite is impossible. For him the issue is not the taste but the texture. He gets an actual gag reflex from biting into a salad because the sound it makes in his mouth reminds him of zombies biting into human flesh. Don't ask me to explain that one. I decided to try avocado since it has a nice creamy texture, but this time it's not the texture, it's the taste. He says it tastes too bland. FFS.

The good news is that he's willing to keep on trying different types of salads to find something he doesn't absolutely hate. He actually almost likes orange bell pepper and he's kinda okay with Boston/Butter Lettuce. He's okay with avocado too if there's enough flavor.

So my challenge is finding something he'll actually eat. This is where I need help because I'm lucky if I can pour cereal without it catching on fire. If anyone can help me craft a salad he'll eat more than just a bite of I'd appreciate it. There are some absolutely forbidden veggies though. He will not eat any kind of onion. He's okay with onion powder but not the actually onion. He won't eat tomato either. There's a couple more but I can't think of them at the moment.

TL;DR: My husband is unhealthy and very picky. Help me get this stubborn man to eat his veggies.

PS: I need a thesaurus. I've used "absolute/absolutely" a stupid amount of times.

[OreoAdler]

I don't know if this will help, but my husband likes to eat salads. He makes what I like to call a Dagwood Salad. (Kind of like a Dagwood Sandwich named for Dagwood Bumstead of the Blondie comic strip - which are sandwiches with practically everything but the kitchen sink, and sometimes I wonder if that is in it, and you just can' see it. )

My husband prefers hearts of Romaine. He takes one heart and tears it apart with his hands. Then he piles things on his lettuce. Cottage cheese, left over chicken (or steak or hamburger), a serving size of mixed nuts, or cran-raisins, shredded cheese.

What I'm saying is that by the time he's done making the salad, you can't see the lettuce, much less probably can't even taste the lettuce.

And this man in 2 years has gone from 476 pounds to 250 (though he had emergency hernia surgery in July of last year and has put on 30 pounds due to not being able to do a lot of things for almost 3 months), through eating these salads 5 days a week and exercise. (His BP is 115/62)

[Chromatix]

The salad I usually get from the supermarket here is a Greek Salad. This consists of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, onion, cherry tomatoes, olives and feta cheese.

I pick out the onion first myself, so you're not alone in that part. You could substitute any type of lettuce if that is preferable. Cherry tomatoes are usually better tasting than full-sized ones. Olives should be pre-pitted and mild-tasting - usually green olives are easier to find this way. You could quite reasonably add bell-pepper to the mix in place of the onion.

If he refuses even cherry tomatoes, you could substitute those with organic carrots. The "organic" part is absolutely crucial - pesticides have a particularly strong effect on carrots' taste, which cannot be washed off. The effect on most other vegetables isn't so bad.

The main skills you will need for making salads are washing and cutting. Fresh ingredients taste better but need to be washed to remove all sorts of things that the growing and shipping processes leave on them - up to and including dead insects. Most vegetables should then be cut in various ways, to isolate unpalatable parts and make it easier for eating.

You will need two plain sharp knives - one large and one small - and a good chopping board, preferably wood as that is easier to clean properly. Use the large knife for cutting all the way through something, and the small knife for finer work such as removing the "core" of a pepper, or skinning a carrot. To avoid cutting yourself, never cut towards your fingers, and always know which edge of the blade is the sharp one - pick a type of knife that makes this obvious.

I suggest making a small amount at a time, and serving it before the main course, perhaps along with some bread and butter. This should have the side-effect of filling him up a bit, so that he's slightly less hungry for the meat. Do serve some small but sweet dessert afterwards, making a classic three-course meal.

And an observation - zombies and humans alike are generally made of meat. Which is currently his actual preferred diet. Make of that what you will, but his association seems to have been influenced by some lazy foley artist who had no idea what brain-eating would actually sound like, and picked up a stock sound effect of biting into an apple.

Alternatives to what you normally think of as vegetables include rice and most fruits. Fruit can easily be used as part of the dessert, but note that fresh fruit is more nutritious than cooked fruit, so use things like apple pie as an introduction to the taste rather than as a long-term effort. Meanwhile, the Japanese use the same word for "rice" and "meal", and are overwhelmingly *not* obese, so try serving various things on a bed of rice. Rice is not difficult to cook, as long as you pay attention - and if you still have trouble, you can buy a rice cooker.

A good main course that incorporates rice and vegetables tightly with meat is a typical Chinese sweet-and-sour dish. This is a very good way of learning how to cook rice, since the sauce itself can be supplied from a jar off the shelf. The only other thing you need is some pieces of meat, typically chicken or pork. Stick those on the bed of rice and cover in sauce - job done.

[PepperElf]

hmm salads that are interesting...

Remember there are no rules for salad. There's less-crunchy greens you can try like spinach. there's even food processors that can make them squishy. (add as topping to a burger?)

i also like tossing on spices, like meat rubs (although the one i use can't be purchased in stores) or stuff like that. you can also toss meat into it and make it a dinner salad.

and for some links too
All Recipes - Salad
Cooks.com - Salad
Real Simple - salads

and for a sweet treat to pick on him with - Zombie Gut Salad (pretty much a jello-based treat but it has fruit in it too)

[Chromatix]

There are three main ways of cutting carrots and cucumbers - even though one is a root and the other technically a fruit, they are mostly cut the same ways. The only difference is that you should remove the outer layer of a carrot first, whereas this is not required for a cucumber.

To skin a carrot, hold it upright and scrape down the edges with the blade of the knife. You are making shallow cuts to remove strips of skin. This should reveal a brighter colour underneath, so it's easy to keep track of where scraps of skin remain. The skin is a very thin layer, so don't waste good carrot by cutting too deeply.

Start by removing both ends, generally about a half-inch will do here. These are the unpalatable parts associated with growth zones and attachment to the stem. In carrots, you will see a green ring where the stem grew out of the root - continue removing thin slices until this is gone.

Now you have a choice between the three styles:

Slices are easy. Just repeatedly cut across the entire vegetable with the big knife, keeping your fingers out of the way. Feed the vegetable up to the knife rather than the other way around, and try to keep the slices even. NB: sliced carrots are usually used for cooking, rather than served raw.

Chunks are not difficult either. First, cut *along* the vegetable, then place the slices face-down and cut those lengthwise as well. This is easiest if you hold the sides of the vegetable, with your hand *over* the blade. Now take hold of all four pieces together, and cut across them at regular intervals, perhaps 2-3 inches apart.

Finally, julienne style is a little more tricky. First, cut in quarters lengthwise as above, then across at 4-6 inch intervals. Then go back to cutting lengthwise until it is all in fine strips. This is probably the best way of serving raw carrot.

[Brandy]

Does he like nuts? I make a sauce of cashews, tamari-low sodium, minced garlic and water. I throw it all into the blender until it has a smoothie like consistency. I don't actually measure any of it anymore, but I got the original recipe from the Engine 2 cookbook. I just adjust the amounts until I'm happy with the taste. I tend to go heavy on the garlic.

I then put the sauce over steamed kale or mustard greens. I just wash the greens and put them into my rice cooker/veggie steamer combo for probably 20-30 min. You do have to be careful though, its possible to overcook the greens until they are mushy and tasteless, so I just keep an eye on them until they look right. The greens can be bitter, but the sauce is amazing and pretty much covers the taste of the greens. Its a really easy recipe and the Engine 2 cookbook-its on amazon-will tell you how to do it.

[Silvercat]

I actually don't like salads either. I'll like everything in the salad, just not as a salad. How about presenting it a different way? If it's in a pita or between bread, is it better? How about as soup? What about cooking them in lasagna or casserole with your meat and carb?

[PepperElf]

And an observation - zombies and humans alike are generally made of meat.

Hah. Good point.

Alternatives to what you normally think of as vegetables include rice and most fruits.

Good point about Japan - although also remember, in Japan they also use correct serving sizes vs "supersizes". (Going to Denny's there was weird - the portions were right-sized).

Rice cookers are a great idea too. I never used one until I met my BF. Now I rarely make rice in anything else. (note - rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear and it'll be easier to clean the pot afterwards). Many of them also have a "steamer basket" as well which makes for easy steamed veggies.

Other ideas: veggies as treats. For example, spring rolls, egg rolls, or lumpia - not as a daily thing cos it can get costly unless you make them yourself (and then it gets time-consuming) but it may be an idea for some fun.

Oh and don't forget pizza. Added veggies on the pizza and put the cheese over the toppings.


Now personally for veggies themselves I kinda prefer them naked, but sometimes I find selections in the store that have some pretty tasty seasonings. Pictsweet has some nice frozen veggie packages out there, both stir-fry and microwave/steam. I rather like the stir-fry italian veggie one myself. but there's other brands and flavors out there too.

those can be eaten alone or mixed in with pasta or rice

[KiaKat]

I'm mostly-vegetarian. Have been so for most of my life, at this point.

Some of my favourite salads aren't traditional salads.

Take an avocado, slice it into a grid and scoop it out. Add balsamic (or sherry) vinegar and salt, along with a few crunchy veggie bits like diced bell peppers or carrots. Stir until the whole mess starts looking a little creamy. Prep a bed of wilted kale and fresh spinach, scoop out an ice-cream-sized scoop of the avocado and plop it on the greens. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and vinegar around the edges, and sprinkle with black pepper (or red pepper flakes). Nom.

Guacamole - just be careful, because this can be calorie-laden.

Lean meats are ok, just avoid the high-fat ones like beef. Bison is a great alternative, so is venison. Also add one meal of fish to your menu every week (and I don't mean tunafish sandwiches, unless you really cut down on mayo).

Tomato sauce can be a good veggie source, if you pile it with colourful ones during cooking (I start with leeks and shallots, then garlic, then add peppers, carrots, kale or chard, spinach, and fresh tomatoes as well as the Pomi diced), and it doesn't really lose nutrients because of how little you cook it.

Stir fry is another great way of cooking veggies. Julienne a bunch of crisp veggies, then add corn and soy crumbles or turkey crumbles with tamari and hoisin sauces. Again, be careful about the amount of sauce, because there's a lot of sodium there, even if you use the low-sodium.

Try veggies that aren't hugely crunchy, like corn, spring peas, and green beans. While all three CAN be crunchy, they don't have to be.

Frozen veggies are your friend. They'll be a bit softer than fresh, and still have all the nutrients.

[sms001]

Just a couple of things you can google/consider:

Wilted spinach salad. mmmmm...... bacon!

We have 'meat' salads fairly often - standard toss salad w/ either steak or chicken slices in it - as a main course.

Touched on above, but shredded lettuce may get past the bad association. I prefer it in things like tacos and burritos, but you could certainly use it in a conventional salad.

Eggplant Parmesan.

Nice of you to make this effort for your friend CC - hope you can get that bp down for both your sakes.

[Kittish]

How about veggie burritos? Chop up some broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, bell pepper, whatever other sort of veggie you want to use. Doesn't have to be even, or small. Steam your chopped veggies til they're soft enough to run thru a food processor. Add some avocado for extra creaminess to the paste if you like.

Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas). Toss this in your food processor with the veggies and turn it all into a smooth paste. Add some jalapeno if you guys like a bit of spice.

Put a generous dollop of veggie paste in a tortilla, top with shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. Roll it up and munch.

You can also 'hide' veggies in stuff, like making mashed potatoes with half potato and half cauliflower. Or frozen or fresh blueberries run thro a processor to turn them into a paste and mixed into chocolate cake or brownie batter.

One type of salad that I like is broccoli salad. Chop your broccoli up into fairly small pieces. Mix in shredded carrot, sunflower seeds, raisins, a bit of finely chopped onion if you like onion. Lightly toss with your preferred salad dressing. I like to use a raspberry vinagrette.

[PepperElf]

interesting idea on mashed potatoes. although i'd be more apt to do onions & garlic myself cos my BF *hates* cauliflower with a passion. Other veggies are fine just not that one.

Same as me with cooked carrots. i can tolerate them in soups and other dishes but in a dish by themselves? BLEH.

except... Tempura fried carrots. those are sweet.

[BroSCFischer]

Here's an idea: Do a homemade salsa, and combine it with some guacamole. Slip some "non traditional ingredients" in the salsa, like ground up spinach or carrots or other vegetables. Get some Whole Grain tortillas and cut/rip them in to a roughly triangular shape, and toast lightly. Serve this as a snack.

Try steamed veggies like broccoli and carrots. They should be soft enough to not crunch, while still flavorful.

There are also numerous recipes out there for sneaking healthy foods into everyday recipes.

Hope this helps.

SC

[Pixilated]

*snip*
How about presenting it a different way? If it's in a pita or between bread, is it better? How about as soup? What about cooking them in lasagna or casserole with your meat and carb?

Was going to suggest this -- how about cooked veggies, if he dislikes the texture of many raw veggies? As long as you don't drown the results in butter they can be really good. A stir-fry, maybe?

[dalesys]

A sabretooth will make those bushes taste much better.