Ways to eat fruits and veggies, even if you hate them

Gettyimages.com/Smiling African American holding a fork and feeding her boyfriend in the kitchen.

Did you know that it’s National Fruits and Vegetables Month? I have to admit that, until recent years, I wasn’t great at consuming my greens (and reds, yellow, purples—the whole rainbow of produce out there). I’d give myself points for drizzling a handful of lettuce over my tacos or eating the celery in my blood marys. I was certainly not the poster child for these important foods. If you’re not either, you don’t need to feel bad about it—you’re not crazy for acknowledging that things like cheese and fries are obviously tastier than string beans or apples. But, regardless of whether or not you love them, fruits and vegetables are some of your greatest allies in fighting all sorts of diseases. If you don’t eat them, you know your doctor will be upset. Here are ways to eat fruits and veggies, even if you hate them.

Gettyimages.com/Making lasagna with gnocchi

Mix them in with chopped meat

Consider mincing up mushrooms, celery, and carrots and mixing these up with your next Bolognese sauce or into the ground meat in your lasagna. Once you smother everything else on, you won’t even notice they’re there.

Gettyimages.com/celery and peanut butter

Add peanut butter

Don’t forget that peanut butter tastes great with celery, apples, bananas, and strawberries. Sneak banana slices into your next PB&J, or dip apple slices right into a peanut butter jar for a healthy snack.

Gettyimages.com/swiss cheese

Add cheese

What food isn’t made better by cheese? You can have some warm brie with apple slices, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches, cheddar cheese smothered broccoli, feta cheese with sautéed spinach and so much more.

Gettyimages.com/Close- up of middle eastern cuisine – Hummus, humus, hommus, or hommos – A healthy and tasty Levantine dip or spread made from cooked roasted tahini, mashed garlic cloves, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt and water, olive, paprika and toasted pine nuts. It is very popular in Mediterranean countries.

Get hummus involved

If you get a really flavorful hummus and dip mild veggies like yellow bell peppers, jicama, and celery into it, you’ll barely notice the vegetables, and you’ll get all the good crunch of a chip.

Gettyimages.com/smoothie

Blend them into smoothies

Some vegetables blend pretty seamlessly into smoothies, like kale, cucumber, romaine lettuce, and celery. If you’re fine with fruit, but struggle to eat veggies, just sneak them into your smoothie.

Gettyimages.com/Homemade Fruit Popsicle’s on Ice

Make popsicles

You can always make homemade fruit popsicles for a refreshing treat that doesn’t even resemble actual produce. Just puree up some fruit (berries are great for this), blend it with some sugar and water, and pour the mixture into popsicle molds.

Gettyimages.com/fried vegetables

Fry them in panko crumbs

While I can’t encourage you to eat deep fried vegetables every day, you could lightly fry your veggies in panko crumbs and healthy grape seed oil. Get your favorite dipping sauce, and it’s like a happy hour appetizer from your favorite chain restaurant.

Gettyimages.com/Spaghetti squash filled with tomato sauce and mushrooms, topped with cheese and baked

Try spaghetti squash

Try replacing spaghetti with spaghetti squash for a low-carb option. This vegetable tastes equally great with pesto, marinara, Bolognese, and Alfredo sauce. It’s mild in flavor so you won’t even notice it’s there.

Gettyimages.com/pancakes

Try veggie pancakes

Try making savory pancakes and blending in some vegetables. Squash—like zucchini—does well in this item. Top it off with sour cream, goat cheese, or a sunny side up egg.

Gettyimages.com/Stuffed chicken breast

Incorporate them into the entrée

Stuff your chicken with spinach and feta cheese, or put some celery, carrots, and stuffing between your pork chops. You can easily incorporate vegetables into your entrée, and barely notice they’re there.

\Gettyimages.com/Beautiful young woman preparing salad, looking over the camera with a beautiful smile picking lettuce.

Gettyimages.com/Asian Tofu Lettuce Wrap with Hoisin Sauce, Carrots and Edamame

Try lettuce-wrapping your food

Go for lettuce where a tortilla, bun, or bread may have been. You can spread some mustard and mayo on giant leaves of iceberg lettuce, and wrap these around cheese and turkey for a healthy, low-carb, high-protein lunch.

Gettyimages.com/spaghetti pasta

Blend them into pasta sauce

It’s fairly easy to get pureed carrot or finely chopped zucchini into your tomato sauce, without having it interrupt the flavor of your dish. You can even add finely chopped zucchini or cauliflower to your pesto sauce.

Gettyimages.com/Cooking chili at home on the stovetop

Mix them into your chili

Add vegetables to your chili! There’s already so much flavor going on between the meat, beans, and spices, that you’ll hardly notice some finely chopped carrots in there.

Gettyimages.com/veggie chips

Make them into chips

You can turn fruits and vegetables into chips by simply slicing them thinly, and baking them in the oven (season vegetable chips for better flavor).

Gettyimages.com/dried fruit

Try the dried variety

If you really hate eating fresh fruit, you can try dry fruit. It’s similar to candy, but gives you all the fiber of fruit. Opt for lower-sugar options like dried bananas or dried cranberries.