Life & Style
Veggie, Veggie Stay Away
By LaDale Anderson
Jan 19, 2013 - 3:55:21 PM

UNITED STATES—Let’s face it; no one is a fan of vegetables, particularly me.  I want to incorporate more veggies into my diet, but they taste so awful it’s hard to get past one bite before wanting to stop.  It’s been shown by dieticians that eating vegetables raw is much better than cooking them.  When you cook a vast majority of vegetables you’re losing vital nutrients and vitamins. 

I will admit there is one veggie I can eat without hesitation and that’s carrots.  They are the perfect snack for on the go, and no I do not need a side item like most other veggies I eat. Then again I probably like carrots because of there sweet taste, but if there’s one thing I know carrots have loads of Vitamin A, which is good for your eyesight, as well as beta-carotene which is good for your skin.  But watch out, overindulging in carrots can lead to a change in your pigment; nothing serious you’ll just have a face that looks like a carrot. 

I hate onions, I’m not a fan of mushrooms at all and celery I can only eat with peanut butter or cream cheese.  I know it’s terrible, but mushrooms taste like dirt and as for onions I can only eat them if they’re cooked and I know they’re not there.  I love broccoli, but more so when it’s cooked, and the same applies for cauliflower otherwise I need ranch as a dipping sauce, which isn’t too good for you. 

So what is a person to do?  The key is to slowly incorporate a new veggie into your diet each week.  Use it in a dish of yours.  I was never a fan of butternut squash, but after using it in a beef stew I love it!  Same goes for Yukon gold potatoes.  While Idaho potatoes are just fine, as are white potatoes, that Yukon gold has a velvety taste unlike any other.  Sorry red potatoes I’m not sure if we’ll ever be buddies, but maybe in due time we will be.

Most of us go for a salad as the veggie of choice, but the problem with salads is all the additional amenities that we put in it.  If we were adding more veggies versus various nuts and dressings (not good for you), the salad is a healthier choice.  Stay away from the bad and incorporate more of the good.  So similar to my take on fruits in the diet, we’ll be highlighting a different veggie each week, discussing its origin, the perks of the veggie for the body and just how you can incorporate it into your diet.  It may be difficult to do at first, but you’ll thank me in the long run!