Struggles with eating

[Rowenna]

Hi there!

I am hoping that I can get some advice/support here.

My husband is a paleo/crossfit fanatic and it has done amazing things for his body and his life. I want to get the benefits of that. I'd like to build muscle and get stronger, but mostly I want to learn to eat better. I've been trying to do this for what seems like forever - at least 5 years. I struggle with my diet because I have allergies to a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and because of that I've simply avoided fruits and vegetables as a whole, which has caused me to build up aversions to them. I try, but I can't bring myself to eat so many things, and others I just can't eat unless they are processed/cooked. I do okay with disguising vegetables in other things, mixing them in soups or stews, but I really want to just be able to eat like a normal person!

I've been starting slowly, and now eat a fully paleo breakfast (eggs and sausage/bacon rather than cereal/toast) and I'm adding fruit to my lunches. It's not so hard to cut out carbs, but I'm worried about the vegetable issue. I've been looking around the NerdFitness site and message boards and I like what I see. I know that this type of eating and lifestyle is what's right. I want to be able to eat with my husband instead of always having different meals, and I want to be a good example for my children one day.

I'd love to hear from anyone with similar issues, or any advice. Thanks!

[Ryan Sannar]

Cut up zuchinni and yellow squash. Diced and mixed with olive oil and some steak seasoning and salt. If you saute it, its really good. Might helps. Also add garlic in.

[oystergirl]

Hi! There is nothing in this world that says you HAVE to eat fruits and vegetables in their raw state. If you are looking to lose weight eating fruit which is extremely high in fructose is the first place you cut. I do not eat any fruit at the present time and I used to be raw vegan, eating only fruit and veg.

You can hide raw vegetables by using a high powered blender and making a puree that you pour into other foods and simply heat through. They are still considered raw if you do not heat them to boiling (believe me, I know this, its a huge discussion in the raw food community!) I make a huge batch of blended onion, garlic, carrots, celery, zuccini and mixed greens and then freeze in small servings which I add into sauces and soups etc.

Find one or two vegetables you can stomach. When my daughter was a toddler she had to go on a low residue diet and she did not become accustom to fruits and veg. It took years to get her to eat lettuce, apple sauce, broccoli and carrots. No need to push past that, especially if you are eating grass fed beef cause you get a lot of the nutritents in grass in your beef.

Work with what you got..you should do just fine!

[Gar]

There is a vegetarian cookbook by Atma Joann Levitt called the Kripalu cookbook (named after the Yoga school/retreat in Stockbridge, MA - which, btw, serves AMAZING food) that I've found to contain some very good recipes. There's an Eggplant Provencal recipe in there, which is pretty Paleo in most respects, but unfortunately is designed to be eaten with pasta - but that doesn't stop me from cooking it and eating it on the side of a piece of mild fish, for instance. - Some recipes to make vegetables memorable tend to be somewhat labor intensive. But you could always just use the general wok guideline - bright colors (carrots, broccoli, yellow peppers etc.), 1 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil in the hot wok (med-high heat) until it shimmers and a drop of water spits, then 1 or 2 tsp each minced garlic and ginger in there for about 30 seconds, then stir fry all your cut-up vegis in there for 2-3 minutes or a little longer, throw in a tsp of sesame oil and a sprinkle of white pepper. With some grilled or sauteed chicken and a dash of low-sodium tamari or stir-fry sauce you got a fresh side and your vegetable servings.

Another easy thing is Kale. Very hardy vegetable, and has a ton of iron in it. I just tear a bunch up into bite size pieces (the leaves only, not the stems) then get a large non-stick saute pan, heat up one tbsp or so of olive oil on medium heat, again minced garlic in the hot oil for about 45 seconds, then add the kale pieces a handful at a time while turning and moving in the pan (use tongs) to make sure they all get some oil on them to wilt them properly. Keep going with that until all the pieces are beginning to wilt, then sautee (which means, keep it moving in the pan) until they are wilted to a good softness, add a dash of sea salt (optional) and mix through and serve plain or with a dash of tamari and/or rice vinegar; alternately, after you've added all the kale into the pan, do a braise - add about 1/3 of a cup of any kind of broth (I prefer vegi or low-salt chicken), or even water; cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes. It's really good and simple, and even my three-year-old daughter finishes her serving everytime we make it. Also good with sausage: just cook some cutup or bulk Italian or chicken-apple sausage in the same pan before hand, then cook the kale and add the cooked sausage back in. That's like a main dish right there. Keep it simple!

Hope that helps! Let me know what you think, if you end up trying some out. I've found that most recipes or ideas can be realized in the kitchen, at least to the point where you wouldn't throw it out, if you just pay attention and make sure you attend to what you are doing while you make them.

[Rowenna]

oystergirl - you said work with what you've got, and that sounds great to me. Right now I eat carrots, onions and lettuce. Sometimes I eat green peppers or tomatoes. Is that enough vegetables?? My husband says I need leafy greens of some sort, but I cannot stomach spinach or kale, even when cut up in tiny bits and mixed in eggs or with meat. Are there other types of vegetables I need? I'm mostly concerned about getting enough nutrients and vitamins. I'm not looking to lose any weight (maybe even gain some muscle weight) which is why I thought fruits would be a good idea. Are fruits not as necessary? I know my husband has actually cut out fruits. Mostly I eat grapes and oranges, as a substitute for things I used to snack on (like crackers).

Thanks for the tips everyone! I will definitely try them out.

[morethanjustamom]

I love my green monster smoothie every morning, and it has helped me learn to like vegetables more, because the flavors are subtle and hide behind sweet fruits. Try using fruits that you like and aren't allergic to (oranges, for instance) and blend them with a mild leafy green, like romaine. I use spinach, but the flavor is stronger and harder to mask. Celery works well in this way too. Make sure you blend until every thing is super smooth, and you can easily get 3-4 servings of veggies and/or fruits in a single smoothie.

[Rowenna]

Yeah, I've tried commercial things like V8 and even the one with fruits, or Naked type drinks and they all taste vile to me. Maybe if I make it myself it'd be better.

[Corbab]

You've already made strides in the right direction switching your breakfasts. If it's too overwhelming, don't go all in all at once. Find a few things that appeal to you, and incorporate them one at a time. Is your husband much of a cook? It's a lot easier to transition into something if you have someone experienced (him) to help you adjust. I've completely overhauled my diet in the past few years (now proudly full paleo) and it gets much easier once you've gotten started.

[Bellatrix]

My kids wont eat veggies so what I do is cook a bunch of good quality mince meat (chicken for example) and I get a whole bunch of veg, like broccoli, carrot, capsicum, garlic, snow pea's whatever really and I chop it up really fine in my thermomix (or food processor) you don't want to over mix it, it needs to be tiny, tiny pieces, then add this to the meat and then add sauce, with chicken I normally add homemade nut butter and tamari. it's delicious and the kids haven't complained that they are eating veg.

[Ryan Sannar]

This ^