Boys, eat your veggies!

I’ve been noticing a troubling trend.

I’ve witnessed a friend do it, a stranger do it and a handful of gentlemen at a recent wedding do it (you know who you are!).

They are all men, and they all have one thing in common. What could they be doing that has me raising my eyebrow in confusion? They aren’t eating their veggies!

They all devour everything else on their plate, but don’t even come close to have anything green touch their forks.

Me being me, and let’s be honest, I’m nosey; I always have to ask what was wrong with the vegetables on the plate?

I always get the same response…

“I don’t eat vegetables”.

Huh? What?

Now, I understand not being a fan of a specific vegetable or two. Maybe broccoli doesn’t float your boat or spinach makes you squirm, but how do you not like any veggies at all?

Even more confusing is how they know they don’t like specific vegetables that they’ve never even tried. He’s never had a brussel sprout, but he’s sure he doesn’t like them.

Is it some issue from childhood? Did mom hold them down and force them to eat truckloads of greens? There doesn’t seem to be a common connection here. I’ve heard everything from “My mom always tried to force me to eat vegetables and it never worked” to “No one ever made me eat them, so I never did”.

Is this some sort of “manly” thing? Is chomping down on a rare t-bone steak more masculine then eating a garden salad?

With all the different colours, textures, tastes and varieties of vegetables I don’t understand how you can hate them all, especially without ever trying the majority of them.

It is reported that only 20% of Canadian men are getting the recommended amount of their fruits and vegetables, while about 40% of women are getting the 5 to 10 servings they should be.

If any of you veggie-haters out there want to “see the light”, here are a few helpful tips to get you well on your way to loving veggies:

1. Try adding a few vegetables to foods you already love: Throw broccoli in your pasta, peppers on your pizza, and zucchini in your lasagna etc.

2. Try eating them raw: Some vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower have a stronger taste when cooked. If you prefer the texture of cooked, try adding some seasoning, like garlic.

3. Bottom’s up! There are many vegetable based drinks on the market that contain 1 or 2 servings of vegetables, but all you taste is the fruit. An even better idea is to try adding vegetables like kale or spinach to your smoothies. They add little taste, but loads of vitamins.

4. Dip them: Try dipping raw vegetables in a low-fat dressing. In most cases you won’t even taste the vegetable.

Until next time,

Peace, love and vitamin C!