Struggling

[Teag]

Hi everyone, I am new to this board.  A little background.  I was diagnosed with Celiac about 5yrs ago.  I do believe I have had it for about 20yrs but that's another story.

I am REALLY struggling because I HATE vegetables!!!!  I always have.  I didn't realize what a finicky eater I was until I tried to go gluten free

I mostly eat chicken and rice but do like fruits and corn.  Because of this, I continue to struggle with raising my levels with Vitamine D, B12 and Iron.  I have done IV iron, which has helped, B12 shots which I hated because they made me feel sick and am currently taking 50,000 IU of Vit. D TWICE a week.  My level was down to 17.

I'm just so frustrated!!!  I guess I'm just venting to people who might understand.

Thanks for listening,

Tami

[notme]

hi tami  - i had to take mega-doses of vitamin D (still do) when i started taking it my D was 24 and now it's 54.  it's taken about a year, but makes a huge difference and all my other vitamin levels are now normal.  how long have you been taking them?  

 

i only eat the veggies i like  pizza sauce 'counts'  

[Adalaide]

I love love love veggies. That didn't stop me from needing iron. The pills made me incredibly sick so I just got done with my IV iron last month. The bright side is, meat is the best source of iron and you eat that! There is nothing wrong with taking vitamins to fill gaps in your diet. I make my husband do it because he hates veggies about as much as you do. I can really only get potatoes and corn in him. There is the occasional fresh uncooked carrot or a little lettuce that he'll call a salad if I nag him hard enough.

 

I totally agree with eating veggies how you can tolerate them too. I'll pretty much throw pizza at my husband as often as he wants it because it has tomatoes. I also try to get as much fruit as is reasonable into him. Not everything has to be a vegetable. Fruits are healthy too and you'll probably find more fruits that you enjoy. You can google what fruits are high in X and pick out what you like from what you find.

[bartfull]

Sweet potatoes have a ton of nutrition. If you don't like them you can always try sweet potato fries, or get a gluten-free crust and make sweet potato pie. If you like pimpkin pie, you will like this. Also, maybe you would like raw broccoli or cauliflower or baby carrots with ranch dressing? I'm not a big veggie fan either, but these are things I actually enjoy. The ranch dressing hides the taste. The only other one I really like is yellow squash. It's low in carbs and high in vitamin C. I just slice it thin and cook it in the micro, then cover it in butter. Another good way to cook it is to dip it in egg and cornmeal and then fry it. YUM!

[AlwaysLearning]

I've been using Country Life Superior B12 tablets for supplementing my B12 and they do get absorbed. You don't have to rely on shots. You just have to make sure you get a sublingual tablet that dissolves in the mouth. Though the dose is huge, not all of it gets absorbed, but enough to have dramatic increases in my test results in just one month, as well as making my painful symptoms disappear.

I'm having a more difficult time with my vitamin D and iron supplementing, much slower going. But I'm getting there. I still haven't figured out which one of them gives me kidney pains so I haven't been taking them as often as I should.

When it comes to veggies, you may have the power to overcome some memories from the past. I used to despise asparagus, but it turns out that my mother was just overcooking it. I do spears in a pan with some butter, water, and a lid and let them steam for about 4-5 minutes on low heat, then only eat down from the top until I hit any parts that are tougher that I missed cutting off enough of. They are now one of my favorites. 

Same goes for brocolli and I've even enjoyed a brussel sprout or two if they were young, fresh and prepared right (though I'll still never buy these myself). So that is three of my least favorites that I've learned to live with.

There have also been some psychological studies that show that we have a tendency to dislike foods until we have tried them 10 times. I used to dislike both yoghurt and strawberries but after learning this, gave them another try, and then another, and then another and can now enjoy both of them. And I wouldn't overlook texture aversions when it comes to some veggies. Different cooking methods could help overcome that.

If you aren't a fan of zuchini now, try slicing them into a pot that has some butter melted in the bottom, slices about 1/4" thick, salt them and stick a lid on it at low heat for about 10 minutes, maybe a little longer. You can see that they are finished when they start to go from white to a more yellow color. The salt makes them release their liquids and they can turn a little mushy, but they end up tasting rather sweet.

Otherwise, you could try putting just a little of the veggies that aren't your favorite into stews or soups until you've learned to appreciate the flavors. Or add some items to salads. You could make a game of it and try adding a new vegetable to your repertoire every month, perhaps experimenting with different cooking methods as you go. They won't all be winners, but it could be fun and you could end up discovering that you actually like more than you realized.

[notme]

veggies in soups is a great idea - even works for (*gag*..) lima beans <still have no idea what purpose they serve on the planet lolz

[bartfull]

Another good way to do veggies is to puree them and add them to spaghetti sauce. You can't taste them at all because of the spices.

[Teag]

Thank you all so much for the feedback!!!!  After 6 months of IV iron it has gone up enough to be acceptable same with the B12 shots.  Even though they made me feel like crap they did work in raising my levels.  Unfortunately Vit. D is proving to be a much bigger problem.  I have several more months of the 50,000 IU twice a week so we will see if that helps.

 

I do seem to prefer raw vegtables over cooked ones.  I do think it has a lot to do with texture.

I guess I am lucky in that I don't get deathly ill when I do eat something with gluten just extremly gassy, stomach cramps and then the diarrhea hits.  I do like the idea of trying something several times rather than trying it once and giving up totally.

 

Thank You again for the suggestions,

Tami

[Lima Bean]

veggies in soups is a great idea - even works for (*gag*..) lima beans <still have no idea what purpose they serve on the planet lolz

Watch it, Missy!

Maybe you can find a few veggies you like but prepared differently. For instance, my family hates green beans if they are " cooked" . They prefer them almost raw and crunchy. Maybe hide some veggies with a sauce?

[love2travel]

Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. Vastly different than boiling.

[notme]

Watch it, Missy!

 

oops!  sorry l.b. - nothing personal !!     

[LauraB0927]

Tami,

    I have the EXACT same problem as you - I have always hated veggies (I blame my mom for not making me try different kinds when I was younger).  I have a huge texture problem with them and always gag if they're cooked or mushy.  On top of that, my texture issue also prevents me from being able to eat most fruits without gagging uncontrollably.  Obviously when I went gluten free I knew I had to work some more in just to be healthy - it was a huge wake up call for me.  I do my best to sneak them in, like cooking cauliflower and mashing it into a "mashed potato" texture.  I add a bit of butter and salt and I can hardly tell the difference, its the one way I'm able to eat cauliflower.  I also recently tried spaghetti squash - you cook it in the oven and it pulls apart like spaghetti strings - again, add a little butter and salt and its something that I can handle.  I definitely supplement with vitamins but this is a daily struggle that I'm trying to overcome.  I completely feel you on this one!!!!  Best wishes!

 

Laura  

[frieze]

Thank you all so much for the feedback!!!!  After 6 months of IV iron it has gone up enough to be acceptable same with the B12 shots.  Even though they made me feel like crap they did work in raising my levels.  Unfortunately Vit. D is proving to be a much bigger problem.  I have several more months of the 50,000 IU twice a week so we will see if that helps.

 

I do seem to prefer raw vegtables over cooked ones.  I do think it has a lot to do with texture.

I guess I am lucky in that I don't get deathly ill when I do eat something with gluten just extremly gassy, stomach cramps and then the diarrhea hits.  I do like the idea of trying something several times rather than trying it once and giving up totally.

 

Thank You again for the suggestions.

TamiTami, are you taking the little green footballs for your vitamin D?  If so, you need to change to Vit D3..take the equivalent dose with what ever dosage size you can find.  Good luck

[Teag]

TamiTami, are you taking the little green footballs for your vitamin D?  If so, you need to change to Vit D3..take the equivalent dose with what ever dosage size you can find.  Good luck

I do take the vitamine D that looks like green footballs, but they are the ones that my doctor prescribed.  What is the difference between the 2 and is it a prescription like the ones I have now?

[notme]

TamiTami, are you taking the little green footballs for your vitamin D?  If so, you need to change to Vit D3..take the equivalent dose with what ever dosage size you can find.  Good luck

i went and got some D3 today and am going to try them - couldn't find the drops and these are also in soybean oil.  so, i might switch back to the D2 mega-dose once per week just not to feel crappy from the soy EVERY day  we shall see....

[Rachel2writer]

I agree with hiding them - works great to get extra veggies into kids, too. I grate zucchini into tomato sauce and chili, and add tiny chopped vegetables to soups. If they're chopped very small and cooked well, they blend nicely with the rest of the recipe.

[anti-soprano]

The ranch dressing hides the taste. 

Hahahaaaaa Bartfull! I can only think "vile weed!"

[dilettantesteph]

I hated vegetables too.  I realized that it was because of how they were prepared.  Growing up we had mainly canned or frozen veggies boiled or warmed.  Learning to cook vegetables well made a huge difference.  I really enjoy veggies now.  Stir fried and oven roasted is much better.  Fresh veggies are much better.  Adding fresh spices to them and trying different combinations is also really helpful.  You just need to experiment and have fun with it and I bet that you will be able to start to enjoy them.

[frieze]

I do take the vitamine D that looks like green footballs, but they are the ones that my doctor prescribed.  What is the difference between the 2 and is it a prescription like the ones I have now?

the little green footballs are D2, vegetable source, not animal...need D3, much easier for body to assimilate.

notme...try the dry D... good luck!Open Original Shared Link

don't know about soy....

[notme]

Hahahaaaaa Bartfull! I can only think "vile weed!"

LOLZ!  

 

the little green footballs are D2, vegetable source, not animal...need D3, much easier for body to assimilate.

notme...try the dry D... good luck!

i did - i couldn't find the drops so i cancelled my 'script of D2 and got some D3 but it was in soybean oil, too.  soy doesn't like me  and i would have to take, like, 4 or more of them per day - over my soy limit <that i usually save for hershey bars lolz)  so i called and got my D2 back - less soy b/c i only take it 1x per wk.  the doc said either way was fine, but i wanted to try D3 - i'm going to have a look around for drops.  i just hate ordering things over the interwebs.  rats.  i'm still game, though  and my D level was at 54 (from 24) so it must be working anyway