My Feelings About Raw Vegetables

If you’ve clicked around my site before arriving at this post, you’re probably aware that I’m a dietitian. I decided to become a registered dietitian because I’m passionate about food. I’m a firm believer in the use of nutrition to prevent disease and help manage existing conditions. As a dietitian, I think I have an obligation to practice what I preach. I try my best to follow Canadian dietary guidelines and use suggestions from the Dietitians of Canada about how to put a healthy diet into practice. I’ve even written an entire blog post on what I like about Canada’s Food Guide (https://www.thesplendorousceliac.com/blog/in-honour-of-nutrition-month-my-5-favourite-things-about-canadas-food-guide).

But, I feel like I wouldn’t be true to myself or fully transparent with you if I didn’t get something off my chest… I hate eating raw vegetables!

The personification of my feelings towards raw vegetables. Source: studyfinds.org

To be clear, I’m not saying I hate all vegetables in general. And I do eat veggies daily - I just can’t seem to make myself eat them raw. I swear I have legitimate reasons.

1) I Don’t Like the Taste

I’ll just get the most superficial reason out of the way first. I’m not big on raw veggies because I seem to have a slight aversion to bitter flavours. For example, I’m also not a fan of red wine or dark chocolate. Many of the veggies that people tend to eat raw - like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale - taste so bitter to me.

It’s declined in popularity recently, but the raw vegan diet used to be lauded as the pinnacle of healthy eating on social media. For me, besides the tiny problem of becoming deficient in a slew of macro- and micronutrients, the major issue of following that diet would be having to eat food that tastes gross to me.

2) My Celiac Disease

If you have celiac disease or another inflammatory bowel disease, you’ll probably know about this. But if you don’t, let me tell ya, fibre isn’t necessarily our friend. And raw vegetables are loaded with fibre.

For the general population, fibre is recommended because it contributes to gut health. Microbes in the gut break fibre down into molecules that support healthy gut cell function. Fibre also helps things move along through the gut. The speed at which contents move through the intestines is called transit time, so, fibre helps decrease transit time. The shorter the transit time, the less time contents remain in the colon. This is significant because people with chronic constipation are at higher risk of colon cancer. By eating fibre and decreasing the transit time in your gut, your risk of colon cancer decreases.

However, in people with inflammatory GI diseases, that inflammation will already cause a shorter transit time. If you add fibre to the mix, that will decrease transit time even more - which is not a great experience (ie: I’m talking about diarrhea). Also, people with these conditions are more prone to bloating due to the inflammation in their gut. Eating fibre can increase the amount of gas being produced in the intestines, making this issue even worse.

Who else feels like this after eating certain foods? Source: pinterest.com

That being said, not all fibre is the same. You may have heard of insoluble and soluble fibre. Insoluble fibre mostly just adds bulk to the contents of your gut and helps things pass thru. Soluble fibre is given that name because it attracts water molecules to itself. This type of fibre will become gel-like in the intestines and helps slow down transit time. The properties of soluble fibre make it the better option for those of us with gut issues. Soluble fibre can be found in the fleshy part of vegetables (and fruit), whereas insoluble fibre is found in the skin and crunchy parts. I’ll tell you how I apply this information tidbit in a minute.

3) Mealtimes Feel Less Satisfying

I’ve already mentioned the taste factor, but there are other reasons why a meal made up of raw vegetables feels less satisfying for me. The temperature of a meal also plays a role - I’m not even making this up! Hot foods give off a stronger aroma compared to cold foods, like raw veggies. Smells stimulate a part of the brain called the olfactory system. Research on mice suggests that the olfactory system plays a role in regulating appetite (1). This could partly explain why, even though my belly might feel full after eating a salad, I tend to feel like my appetite hasn’t quite been sated.

There’s also all the chewing that comes along with eating raw vegetables. If I’m eating a meal that has a lot of raw veggies in it, I end up eating more slowly because of all the chomping and crunching I’ve got to do. Eating slowly can actually make you feel full sooner. This is because hormone signalling goes on between the stomach and brain so that the stomach can tell the brain when it’s full. The system doesn’t run on high-speed internet though; it lags a bit behind the speed you eat at. When you take a longer time to eat, that gives the signalling system the time it needs to work. By the time the hormone signals tell the brain that the stomach is full, you’ll have eaten less food than you would have if you were eating fast. (2)

The previous paragraph might sound like a positive thing about raw veggies. And it can be. For me, the problems arise when a meal is mostly made up of veggies and doesn’t have much fat, protein, and complex carbs in it. I’ll feel full initially, because I took longer to eat, but without the staying power of fat, protein, and carbs I soon feel hungry again.

“How can you hate raw vegetables and yet tell us to eat healthy in all your blog posts?” It’s not that I’m trying to convince you to stop eating raw veggies. If you like them, there are lots of great ways to integrate them into your diet. Like packing raw veg in your lunch box so you have a healthy snack for when you hit the 2pm slump. Or keeping sliced veggies handy in your fridge to make healthy decisions a bit easier to make when you’re already starving.

The point I’m trying to get at is, while there are lots of great healthy eating suggestions out there, you don’t have to make yourself follow all of them. If some of them don’t work for because of your preferences, lifestyle, etc, you don’t have to follow them! However, just because I don’t like eating raw veggies, that doesn’t mean I should miss out on the nutrition produce has to offer. So what do I do?

A) I’m Selective with the Raw Veggies I do Eat, and How I Prepare Them

When I do eat raw vegetables, I pick veggies that are less problematic for me. Since I don’t like bitter flavours, I’ll choose veggies with a lighter or sweeter taste, like cucumber, bell peppers, or tomato. Because my stomach doesn’t like eating a bunch of insoluble fibre, I skip raw vegetables that are very fibrous, like celery, broccoli, and cabbage. I’ll also make substitutions and modifications to cut down on the spiny, crunchy parts on my plate. For example, I substitute spinach for romaine lettuce and kale. Sometimes I’ll peel the skin off of cucumber when my stomach is in a bad mood.

In addition, when I eat raw veggies I make sure to prepare the dish in a way that will satisfy my appetite. If I’m making a salad, I’ll add healthy fats (exs: olive oil, olives, cheese, avocado), lean protein (exs: diced chicken, nuts, rinsed canned beans), and filling carbs (exs: quinoa, sweet potato). I’ll also add ingredients that have strong and aromatic flavours, like balsamic vinegar, garlic, chives, or sriracha. That way, I feel like I’ve eaten a substantial meal and I feel full for a longer amount of time.

B) I Mostly Cook my Vegetables

The magic of cooking is the main solution to my issues with raw veg. The process of cooking vegetables helps to decrease the bitter taste. Many of the molecules that give veggies a bitter flavour are water-soluble. That means that they will diffuse out of the veg, into the water that you’re cooking them in. Vegetables will also absorb the flavourings you add while cooking them, which helps mask bitterness.

But wait, there’s more! The heat from cooking breaks down the cellulose in vegetables, which is the fancy scientific name for insoluble fibre. So, cooking decreases the amount of insoluble fibre in vegetables. And, when all is said and done, I get a hot, fragrant meal that satisfies my taste buds and my appetite.

Health Canada recommends eating 5-10 servings of vegetables and fruits each day. I personally aim for about 5 servings of veg per day in my diet. I find it’s a lot easier to get to my target when I eat cooked versus raw veggies. If you don’t cook a lot and/or you’re not sure how to make veggies taste good, here’s a recipe you can try.

This is How I Like My Veggies Recipe

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 medium Spanish onion, sliced

2 vine tomatoes, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 tablespoon gluten free BBQ sauce

Instructions

1) Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat, then add the onion. Cook until it turns translucent.

2) Add the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, vinegar, cumin, and paprika. Cook until the tomato softens.

3) Reduce heat to low/simmer and add salsa, sriracha, and BBQ sauce. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavours to combine.

4) Enjoy with some lean protein and carbs.

You can add some diced chicken thigh/breast to the pan at step 2 of the recipe, when you add the tomato. When you cook meat in a mix like this, the acidity of the tomato and vinegar makes it so tender and juicy! Be sure to cook the chicken all the way through before enjoying.

This recipe also goes great with white fish. I like baking my white fish with some oil and Herbs de Provence. If you eat it on a bed of rice and top it with veg, you’ll have a well-rounded meal.

C) I Eat a Lot of Fruit

As I mentioned in the previous section, Health Canada recommends eating 5-10 servings per day of vegetables and fruit. To meet your nutrition needs, you can eat any combination of vegetables and fruit. I try to eat about 5 servings of veg each day and I fill in the remaining 5 servings with fruit. In contrast to vegetables, I am a big raw fruit fan. I love berries in smoothies, bananas prepared in any way, and I enjoy oranges almost daily as a snack. Fruit contains many of the same nutrients found in vegetables - like vitamin C, folate, and fibre - but delivers it in a sweet package.

As a bonus, fruit doesn’t just help me meet my nutrition needs; it also helps me make healthier food choices. I’ve mentioned my sweet tooth in a previous blog post (https://www.thesplendorousceliac.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-have-a-craving). Fruit is a healthy alternative I tend to reach for when I’m craving baking, candy, or other sweet things.

Well, I’m glad I got my truth off my chest. And if you’re not into raw vegetables either, I hope you’re feeling validated. Just remember that it’s still important to eat produce each day. If you’re having trouble meeting the Canada’s Food Guide recommendations, try out some of the things I mentioned and see if it helps boost your intake. Happy cooking!

What’s your favourite vegetable and how do you like to prepare it?

References

(1) McNamee, D. (2014) How smell and hunger work together is explained in a new study. Medical News Today. Accessed March 16, 2020. <https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.medicalnewstoday.com/amp/articles/272641>

(2) MacDonald, A. (2010) Why eating slowly may help you feel full faster. Harvard Health Publishing. Accessed March 16, 2020. <https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605>