I eat ____ because it's good for me (but I don't really like it)
Okay, when you were a kid, you had little choice about what was on the menu, so you ate whatever balanced or unbalanced meals were presented to you. And you probably ate things that, given a choice, would not be your preference.
But now, as an adult, you get to make the call. Most of us here are the ones who do much, if not all, of the shopping for and preparation of the food we eat.
So...are there any foods that you eat just because they're good for you? Is salad on the menu because you need those greens? Do you choose whole grains over others even though your taste buds are begging otherwise?
Do you cook and/or eat any foods just because they're healthy, or because they're the healthier alternative to what you really want to eat?
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41 Comments:
Salmon. I don't care for the taste, but I buy it more than any other fish.
Cauliflower. Doesn't really have much taste IMO.
Cereal. I always thought it was nutritionally comparable to cardboard, but since that opinion changed, I try to eat it. Never for breakfast, though.
Trail mix. Not bad, but I'd rather have candy, so ILO candy, cookies, cake, etc., etc., etc.. sigh.
Granola. See cereal and trail mix.
PerkyMac at 2:50PM on 12/12/08
Oatmeal. I've come up with a way to make it edible though; a little brown sugar Splenda, a few shakes of cinnamin, and a few raisins.
dmcavanagh at 2:54PM on 12/12/08
Breakfast. I guess in addition to it being good for me, I do it because if I didn't, I'd want a whole pizza by 11am.
jlbrach at 3:02PM on 12/12/08
Breakfast for me too. I'm NOT a morning person (or at least I wasn't until my twins showed up and I haven't slept past 6 in the morning since....they are 7 years old now) and eating early in the morning kind of makes me nauseous but I do it anyway (oatmeal, shredded wheat, raisin bran, fruit salad and every once in a blue moon I'll have an hard boiled egg and an english muffin) since it's the most important meal of the day.
elderberry44 at 3:09PM on 12/12/08
Cauliflower.
dhorst at 3:20PM on 12/12/08
grapefruit juice
coolname at 3:23PM on 12/12/08
Yogurt...
with the exception of Liberte Mediterranee wild blackberry yogurt....that one is heaven in a container!
mepolo at 3:28PM on 12/12/08
Believe it or not, I don't have foods like this. I don't like granola and oatmeal, and I don't eat them. Sometimes I go through an active yoghurt-loving phase and eat it 3 times a day, sometimes I don't feel like it and don't have as little as a teaspoon og yoghurt in a month. I eat (and cook) plenty of grains and veg and salads (green or other kinds) and fresh fruit because I truly, honestly enjoy them (and luckily, so does my OH). I love the taste and texture of whole grain pasta, and I've never liked white bread (even as a child) except for baguettes and focaccia. I'm actually not a big fan of beef either, unless it's carpaccio or a very good medium-rare steak. I never liked my tea or my coffee sweet, so a bag of sugar lasts for a very long time in this house.
That said, I'm not a "health nut" by any means. If I want a butter or almond croissant, I go for it. I always have a carton of pistachio ice cream in my freezer (not the same one:-)). And I don't feel bad if I cook a slab of baby back ribs to go with my green salad and quinoa or serve a steak along with my brown or red rice and tomato salad. I also cook plenty of seafood or vegetarian dinners, but not because I "decided to", because that's what we feel like eating. I don't know, I just don't "struggle" with my food. Perhaps I'm fortunate to truly love all the foods that are "good" for you, like greens and grains, and because of that I don't have any guilt feelings over eating an occasional cream puff or a slice of cheesecake. I don't know. I grew up eating this way, and it seems natural to me. If I don't fancy something, I just don't eat it - making myself eat something I dislike because I think it's "good" wouldn't work for me.
brooke29 at 3:33PM on 12/12/08
As a kid my mother used to make me take a spoonful a day of cod liver oil.
pjracz10 at 3:43PM on 12/12/08
Every morning I have avocado and olive oil. I can't really stand avocado (except when it's guacamole) but I do it anyway.
deeoh1 at 4:08PM on 12/12/08
Unfortunately, I have none of these. In fact, I am somewhat forced to keep "things I really like but aren't good for me at all" because my husband finds me very cranky when I try to go without. I don't blame him for his need of self-preservation kicking in, though.
Jikuu at 4:09PM on 12/12/08
Wow that is a tough question! I will not eat foods I don't like, whether they are good for me or not. But, now I find myself asking the question; Am I missing out on something critical to my well being?
I would like to think I eat an excellent variety of healthy foods; fruits, vegetables, grains, oils, proteins, etc. Do I indulge? You Betcha! Why, today DH took me to lunch and I had (4) buffalo shrimp and an appetizer portion of grilled shrimp with gemelli pasta, spinach, tomatoes in a lemon cream sauce. I only ate 1/2 of that. I did have a glass of wine (Hey! It's Christmas). I took 2 bites of DH's cornbread. I can't imagine any of that was beneficial to my well being, based on the preparation.
So, I guess I would have to say, I need to eat more whole wheat pasta. I am not a fan, but it is better for me, right? I just have to get past the texture......
izatryt at 4:20PM on 12/12/08
@Perky - roasted cauliflower made a believer out of me, try preparing it that way and it may change your opinion...
i am not a huge fan of oatmeal or whole grain pasta but i try to eat them anyway because they are heart healthy...
mayoxqueen at 4:40PM on 12/12/08
broccoli, whole wheat pasta (i think it's an abomination but whatever), and fish.
megannesta at 4:42PM on 12/12/08
Oatmeal, all cereals, and ham..Love bacon, can't stand baked ham
donnie at 5:47PM on 12/12/08
I didn't answer my own question. I don't purposely cook things for myself that I don't like. Now and then I've made recipes or tried new ingredients that I wasn't crazy about, but if I hated it, I wouldn't eat it. And if I didn't like it, I wouldn't make it again, or I'd fix it so that I liked it.
In social situations, I might eat something that I'm not crazy about, so as not to hurt feelings, but I still wouldn't eat things I absolutely hate.
Fortunately, I like most things.
@deeoh1, why do you eat avocado, if you don't like it? Most people would consider that one of their indulgences, so I'm just curious why you need to eat that particular food on a daily basis.
dbcurrie at 5:48PM on 12/12/08
There are almost no foods I don't like. The few that exist, I don't eat, whether they are good for me or not. There's almost always a nutritionally comparable food that I do like, so why suffer? Besides, I eat an incredibly varied diet that is generally much more nutritious than that of the average American. I'm not overly worried about refusing to one food that I find unappealing.
However.
To be polite, I do eat things that are served to me by others, even if I don't much like them.
And I definitely make myself eat things that I'm not much in the mood for solely because they are good for me (e.g., in the mood for white rice, but talk myself into brown because I had white last time; eat all my veggies even though I'm in the mood for another hunk of meat; etc.). But they aren't foods I don't like. They're just not my first choice at that particular moment.
It's called being a grown up.
LoCo at 5:48PM on 12/12/08
Salad. As it is I can't eat cold food in the cold but I have to REALLY be in need of roughage to crave a salad. I do force myself to eat it quite a bit in the summer but winter - rarely.
For the most part, I do like things that are good for me. Whether or not I trained my palate to accept them as "good" is another story.
therealchiffonade at 6:19PM on 12/12/08
I drink a lot of alcohol even though I don't want to...only because it's healthy.
spaetzle at 10:15PM on 12/12/08
whole wheat pasta...the texture is funky, but when I cook for my teammates, they prefer the "healthier" choice, so I give in
(but mwahahha they have NO idea how much butter is in the rest of their meal!)
veggieout at 11:13PM on 12/12/08
Yogurt . . . I do not know ONE other person who doesn't like it, in fact most people I know seem to love it! To me, it just seems tangy and has a weird texture I don't care for. I try doctoring it up, but to no avail. However, because it is so "good for me" I continue this masochistic behavior.
gourmetgal at 11:19PM on 12/12/08
@brooke29 -- sounds like my diet pretty much.... i love all the grains and beans and i can live on salads .... i do eat all proteins, too.... but my heart belongs to quinoa!!!!!
pooch at 11:29PM on 12/12/08
for the whole wheat pasta haters, i've discovered corn and quinoa spaghetti by ancient harvest, and it is delicious.
i don't eat food that i don't like.
cybercita at 11:31PM on 12/12/08
I agree with the folks who don't eat what they don't like. I generally like most healthy food. I don't like mushrooms, so I don't eat them.
How about vitamins? I don't particularly like swallowing them by the handful, but I do it anyway because they're good for me and my breastfeeding baby.
buffy at 12:19AM on 12/13/08
for the last year that would have to be meat. No specific just all meats. unfortunately they are very hard for me to digest and unless I'm very careful they uh revisit. I'm under orders though to try to eat them at least 1 serving a week because of anemia and low protein levels. I've tried tvp and other sources of iron and protein, however my body will just not absorb most. So meat is my nemesis that I choke down 3oz a week because I have to.
huneybumper at 8:05AM on 12/13/08
Most fish I prefer breaded/battered and fried ala fish and chips but my body makes me bake, broil or grill it more often than not.
czken at 2:42PM on 12/13/08
Broccoli.. .sigh. :(
amandalovesfood at 4:47PM on 12/13/08
Orowheat Double Fiber bread.....will spare you the details
kathyvegas at 7:17PM on 12/13/08
gourmetgal, I'm with you. Definitely yogurt--I just gagged down a little carton of the stuff.
thehostess at 11:51PM on 12/13/08
amanda, i urge you to go to the amateur gourmet's website and look up his post about the barefoot contessa's broccoli. it changed my life. it would change george herbert walker bush's life.
cybercita at 12:06AM on 12/14/08
Oatmeal - gah. I turned 40 recently and decided I would give it a shot. Plain, cooked oatmeal. Do. Not. Like. It. Still eating it and every day not liking it.
radley24 at 12:12AM on 12/14/08
@spaetlze - Hahahahahaha ---whoooohoooo. Good one.
radley24 at 12:15AM on 12/14/08
whoops - now who's drinking? I meant spaetzle.
radley24 at 12:19AM on 12/14/08
You know what... I don't think I have any one food in particular that is healthy & I eat purely for that! I happen to adore all healthy foods and eat them because they are yummy!
Giasbash6260 at 12:51AM on 12/14/08
Never.
The only time I eat something that may be healthy I don't like is when I try something for the first time. Other than that, why am I bothering to eat food I don't enjoy?
phenosteve at 3:32AM on 12/14/08
I don't eat food I don't like unless I'm a guest in someone's home and kind of have to. I like most fruits and vegetables, and am a huge fan of whole grains, etc. I'm able to get all my nutrition easily by eating what I like. I don't need to eat things like liver (yuck) or fishy fish.
For me, I guess it's more about what I don't eat because it's not good for me. Ahh, that's where, for me, the pain comes in...
chisai at 8:14AM on 12/14/08
IMHO, unless you're a person who refuses to eat anything but ground beef and fried potatoes, there really is no single essential food that anybody should be forcing down their piehole just because some expert has told them that it's vital to their health. Completely beyond my comprehension.
@huney, are dairy, eggs and nuts also a problem for protein? And why not take iron pills? Seems silly to eat meat that you don't like just because of a dietary need that you should be able to satisfy in other ways.
@yogurt-eaters who detest yogurt... I don't get it. There's nothing magical or miraculous about yogurt that you can't live without. Millions of adults eat no dairy at all and suffer no adverse health consequences. Forcing yourself to eat it because it's "good for you" is just utter silliness. If you do not like it, do not eat it. If you feel it's essential, why not add it to a smoothie? Or eat frozen yogurt? Tastes like ice cream. Still good for you.
@radley... i'm over 40 and I do not eat oatmeal. It is not very compatible with IBS so I avoid it. Also, oats are not widely eaten in most of the world (see yogurt above). But, if you feel consuming them to be absolutely essential, why not try something different? Granola for instance?
@chisai... amen about the things I try to eat less of... but even then, there's nothing I don't eat just because it isn't good for me... MODERATION!
LoCo at 12:25PM on 12/14/08
i eat steak to be polite to my husband who makes it. he does a really great job. its just steak is icky, and i dont want to hurt his feelings.
i dont know that there is anything i have eaten as an adult because it was healthy, but gross. i tried vegetarian salsbury steak in a can 20 years ago as a child. i might have had it a couple times because my mother thought it was healthy.
i have eaten more than i wanted of dried apricots to work off health issues, but i really do like them. i just dont like eating them in half cup doses.
blizcheetah at 12:55AM on 12/15/08
Whole wheat pasta....not a big pasta fan.
FrostyGhost at 1:21PM on 12/15/08
I'm on the salad boat. It's not that I don't like it--like many of the other posters, I don't eat things I don't like--but I am a vegetarian and as much as I love vegetables, I like them much better when they come with substantial amounts of carbs.
beatman at 1:49PM on 12/15/08
Whole wheat or whole grain anything. Tunafish.
smile at 9:19PM on 12/18/08