How to Eat More Veggies Even if You're
Not a Fan
Yes, Even If You’ve Always Hated Them
Learning how to eat more veggies is one of the single most impactful changes you can make to your health. Vegetables are nutrient-dense, fibre-rich and low in calories. They support immunity, digestion, heart health and healthy weight management. Most people know they should eat more of them. Many struggle to actually do it.
In this guide I'll look at why some people genuinely dislike vegetables and share practical strategies to incorporate them in ways you'll actually enjoy.
Why some people dislike vegetables
It's not just kids who wrinkle their noses at a plate of greens. Plenty of adults feel the same way. And it's not a character flaw.
While many vegetables are sweet, like carrots, peas and corn, others have dominant bitter tones. Kale, endives, radicchio and Brussels sprouts are genuinely bitter to many palates. Most animals including humans have a natural aversion to bitter flavours as a protective mechanism.
About a quarter of people are super-tasters, people extremely sensitive to all flavours including bitter compounds in many vegetables. If you've never liked vegetables and generally prefer bland foods, you might be a super-taster. Or you may simply not have found vegetables prepared in a way that appeals to you yet.
A three-step game plan for people who struggle with vegetables
Challenge
Visit a good produce section or restaurant with interesting plant-based dishes and pick a vegetable you wouldn't normally eat. Give it a proper chance. Research suggests we may need to try new foods many times before developing a taste for them.
Complement
Combine vegetables with other foods to balance or tone down bitter flavours. Toss Brussels sprouts with sweet potatoes. Mix spinach into a dal. Add spice, fresh herbs, lemon juice or good quality vinegar. People who despise steamed broccoli often love it roasted with olive oil and garlic.
Cushion
Certain flavours reduce the perception of bitterness. Sweet and fatty flavours especially can change how your brain registers bitter notes. Good cushions include honey, maple syrup, olive oil, toasted nuts or seeds. Some winning combinations:
- Kale with tahini and lemon juice
- Radicchio with goat cheese, capsicum and honey
- Asparagus with garlic, feta, avocado and lemon
- Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Broccoli with balsamic vinegar and parmesan
Practical strategies on how to eat more veggies
Start with small steps
Begin by adding one serving of vegetables to one meal each day. Gradually increase until you're including them at every meal. Small consistent changes produce bigger lasting results than dramatic overhauls.
Experiment with different cooking methods
Roasting, grilling, steaming and sautéing produce very different results from the same vegetable. Try the same vegetable several different ways before deciding you don't like it. Roasting brings out natural sweetness and texture that steaming doesn't.
Sneak them into familiar dishes
Add finely chopped or pureed vegetables to sauces, soups and stews. Spinach into pasta sauce, grated zucchini into mince dishes, blended cauliflower into soup. You increase your vegetable intake without the dish tasting predominantly of vegetables.
Get creative with salads
I love salads and they're one of my go-to meals. Make them exciting with roasted vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, fresh herbs and a good dressing. A bowl of leaves becomes something genuinely satisfying.
Keep vegetables visible and accessible
Pre-cut vegetables stored in the fridge at eye level are far more likely to be eaten than vegetables buried in a drawer. Visible food gets eaten.
Grow your own
Since the day I was born my parents have been nurturing a vegetable garden in our backyard. I grew up harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, carrots and zucchini with my own hands. The taste of a homegrown tomato eaten warm from the vine is incomparable to anything from a supermarket. I continue to keep a smaller version of that garden today.
Make it a family affair
Involve your family in meal planning and preparation. Children are far more likely to eat vegetables they've helped grow or prepare. Adults are more likely to enjoy meals they've had a hand in creating.
The goal is to find a roster of vegetables that you digest well, can afford and access, and find genuinely enjoyable when prepared the right way. That roster exists. It just sometimes takes a little exploration to find it.
Health should feel like your best life, not a break from it.
Marco ☕
About Me
I'm Marco Asnicar, personal trainer, nutrition coach and founder of Vitality Marco. I didn't discover the Mediterranean method. I grew up living it, shaped by Italian roots, real food and movement as a natural part of daily life. It took me until recently to realise that what always felt completely normal to me is exactly what most people spend years searching for.
I coach men and women aged 35 to 55 to do the same. No restriction. No fads. No giving up the life you love. Just a way of eating and living that genuinely feels good and gets better every year.
Want to know more about my story and approach? Read my full About Me page.