I'm bored with the food i'm eating and i'm also VERY picky... Can anyone give me some tips?

Question

I've been a vegetarian for almost 2 weeks now and at first it was ok, but now it's kind of like... *SIGH* I mean, i'm a very picky eater so I tend to stick with things I like and now they're just becoming boring.

For breakfast I may have cereal, for lunch a salad, then for dinner i'll have whole grain pasta. And that's basically been what i've been doing for 2 weeks and i've probably switched it up like 3 times, maybe.

I don't like cooked vegetables so it's kind of hard to find things that I like. Any suggestions? PLEASE!

Answer 1

Well, I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat or fish. Anything breathing is off-limits for me. :) You can eat anything made by Boca or Morning Star but that is nowhere near all there is. Those are just 2 of my favorite brands. If you like ribs, the best vegetarian ribs I have found are Gardenburger BBQ Riblets (veggie riblets) These taste exactly like ribs. I just became a vegetarian last year. (I am 13) I thought becoming a vegetarian would be hard but I have found it extremely easy.

Be careful when looking for soups. Most of them are made with chicken stock. A good veg friendly soup is Progresso Light Italian-Style Vegetable (or any other veggie based Progresso.)

If you know where to look, there is a veggie substitute for any food. I personally like Cedar Lake Vegi-Scallops.

I hope this has helped you a bit. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or want more suggestions! Good luck. :)
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Answer 2

Try more fresh fruits, smoothies, some prepared foods that you just heat up (I don't know if you have ever eaten any of these, if not try them out a little at a time to find which ones you like.)I don't often eat these as they have too much sodium in them and some I just don't like and some contain eggs which I don't eat.

It's really hard if you don't want to cook, you will have to try and get more interested in it so you'll have a better chance at success with a vegetarian diet. Maybe some salad dressing to dip your raw veggies in? On your pasta try some sun dried tomatoes, olive oil and Italian seasonings. Romaine lettuce hearts (they come in 3 to a package for $2.42 at Wal Mart Neighborhood Market)) are good. You can break individual leaves off and use them to fill with goodies like salad dressing, soy cheese (shredded, watch for casein-it's a no-no)) sunflower seeds. They are nice and firm, just come up with your own ideas for fillings.

I do know exactly how you feel and I hope I can offer some helpful advice.

A list of veg*an brands, stores, and other helpful sites:
recipezaar.com
allrecipes.com
veganlunchbox.com
tastethedream.com
tofutti.com
followyourheart.com
lightlife.com
tofurkey.com
morningstarfarms.com
bocaburger.com
amys.com
seeveggiesdifferently.com
vrg.org
vegetariantimes.com
vegcooking.com
wildoats.com
traderjoes.com
wholefoods.com

Answer 3

Is she losing weight? Is this a new thing or slowly progressed? A dog can go a day or two without eating as long as she has plenty of water and is healthy. I suggest putting a STRICT no people food or dog treat diet in place and get her on a feeding schedule. Same brand of dry available all day, canned twice a day (same time every day). If she is healthy and just being picky, thats all you can do. She needs to eat based on nutrition, not holding off thinking next time she might get something better. Let her come to the decision to eat on her own, just keep an eye on the level of food and her weight. Eventually she will either eat what she should and balance out her metabolism, actually feel hungry at certain times of day.

Answer 4

Well, if that is all you are eating no wonder that you find it boring. try throwing some crunchy carrots and fruit and nuts into your salad bowl. Spicy bean chili, with corn maybe, Toasted Tomato sandwiches etc etc etc.
When you go into a vegetable market look around at all the things you have never tasted yet. Licorice flavoured Finochio, beets, pears, berries, hard squash.
You will soon find many flavours you enjoy.
Also look into food balance because most vegetable food sources are incomplete protein. You need to mix them to stay healthy.
If you try living on just a few select items you will get sick.
After you start sampling more then start playing with the spices

Answer 5

Well, picky is an issue of stubbornness. If you never try anything, how do you know you won't like it? Also, you have to get a LOT of variety into your diet. Not switching it up enough can be VERY unhealthy with a veggie diet. Greens are good for you, but if that's all you eat, you'll miss out on essential fats and oils that you could easily get from nuts and potatoes and eggs(unless you're vegan). Basically, you're going to need to get out of your comfort foods zone before you cause your body massive amounts of damage.

Answer 6

Get over yourself is the first thing that comes to mind. Adults conquer pickiness, it's a childish trait to be embarrassed about. The diet you say you've been following is entirely childish!
I suggest you go to your local public library and check out a couple of books about healthful vegetarian eating. Merely eliminating meat & animal products isn't enough - you need serious protein substitution.
You could also visit ethnic restaurants, especially Indian and Thai. Those cultures have a respect for a vegetarian diet and have developed a wide variety of non-meat dishes. Their cooked dishes, however, do feature vegetables.

Answer 7

Two weeks?!
Go to the library. Get some cook books. Try new things. Go to the grocery store and try things you've never tried before. Go to the Chinese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. market places. There are endless things out there. Start a garden. Order seed catalogues -- literally endless varieties of things to grow. Must be hundreds of different carrots alone. All different sizes, colours, flavours, etc...

Answer 8

You're going to have to learn to like new things. I mean, if you're bored on a veggie diet, weren't you also bored on an omni diet?

Try different types of cereal. Eat oatmeal or soy yogurt sometimes. If you like raw veggies, dip them in salsa or hummus instead of having a salad. Or have a veggie sandwich. For dinner, have rice pilafs, some veggies, and an analogue. Stir-fries are a great way to get your veggies in--I know you're weird about cooked veggies, but maybe you could start with veggie tempuras and learn to like the flavor of cooked veggies from there.

Answer 9

what foods did you like before you made the switch? if you could post that, it'd be a great help in figuring out things that you may like now...i think you definitely need to break out. i was bored just reading your standard meal plan. how did you get into this little cycle? i just don't understand; there's so much out there!

EDIT: also, it's been two weeks. if this is something you're going to commit to for the rest of your life, you need to get past being a "picky eater". i used to describe myself the same way, but it's a conscious decision to eat foods that you're unfamiliar with. for example, i know that i hate mushrooms. with a fiery passion. but i still keep trying them. who knows? maybe one day i'll find a mushroom that i like.

BREAKFAST IDEAS:

i'm not much on breakfast, and i have to be hungover to eat cereal. but on the rare occasion that i do eat before 2 p.m., it has to be something warm.

fresh fruit, smoothies, tofu scrambles, vegan (if you're vegan) pancakes/waffles/french toast

LUNCH and DINNER IDEAS:

i love love love salads! but i think i can go weeks without making the same salad twice. there are also lots and lots of options as far as sandwiches, soups, pasta dishes. if you go out, there's always international cuisine. i'm big on rice. love love love rice. and i don't care much for the meat analogs on the market, so i tend to get the majority of my protein from beans and legumes.

since you don't like cooked vegetables, have you considered raw foods? i think the man's name is Juliano (i can picture him in my head but his name escapes me). and he's written a couple (i think) of "cook"books.

Answer 10

South indian food such as masala dosa. I am also a very picky eater, and my personal favorite is channa batura.