The Top 5 Vegetables for People Who Hate Vegetables

There’s no shame in admitting you don’t enjoy eating vegetables. We get it. To you and many other people, healthy veggies can seem like “rabbit food”—lots to chew, but not much satisfaction. But healthy veggies play a crucial role in helping you reach your weight loss goal.

They’re the most nutrient-dense foods—high in vitamins, minerals and fiber, and low in calories—and Nutrisystem’s expert dietitians recommend that you have at least four servings of the non-starchy variety every day. But if you’re veggie-averse, downing four servings can feel a bit daunting. We’re here to help you with that. We’ve picked a handful of veggies that are easy to include in tasty dishes you’ll look forward to eating, and we’re sharing a few of our most popular recipes with those ingredients. They’re so good they might even turn “I hate veggies” into “I have to have my veggies!”

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Here are the top five healthy veggies for veggie haters:

1. Carrots

True, carrots are the cartoon rabbit’s favorite food, but they are the perfect vehicle for your favorite dips, hummus and nut butters. Plus, you can use them to make crispy fries or savory fritters you’ll love dipping and eating. Naturally sweet carrots also blend deliciously with raisins and cinnamon to flavor simple homemade muffins. They’re also the healthy foundation of sweet smoothies and fresh juices.

These healthy veggies each have more than 200 percent of your RDA for vitamin A, which is not only essential for healthy vision, it helps protect your skin and fortifies your immune system. The average carrot comes with 25 calories and 1.7 grams of fiber, plus a boost of vitamin C.

Try this delicious Crispy Carrot Fries recipe right here > or try the sweet and tasty Carrot Muffins with Raisins and Cinnamon right here. >

2. Cucumber

Cukes have high water content—you get almost 50 grams of fluid in a half-cup serving of these healthy veggies—but they’re also firm, crisp, and have a very mild flavor, which makes them ideal for scooping up humus, salsa or yogurt-based dips. Cucumber slices can be crunchy platforms for other tasty ingredients, like low-fat cheese or even shrimp. Slide a few into any sandwich or on top of a bagel where they’ll keep every bite moist.

Along with the eight calories in a half-cup of cucumbers, these healthy veggies provide 76 milligrams of potassium, which helps regulate your sodium levels, and eight milligrams of calcium, a mineral essential for healthy metabolism.

Try this mouthwatering recipe for Herbed Goat Cheese Cucumber Cups right here >, or try the savory Shrimp Cucumber Bites recipe right here. >

3. Cauliflower

Broccoli’s paler cousin, cauliflower is so versatile you can mash it like potatoes, mill it into “rice” kernels, or use it as a main ingredient in low-carb pizza dough. Many people cook thick slices of the firm vegetable on the grill like “steaks.” And the florets can be “air-fried” to make tasty tots.

A cup of raw cauliflower has 25 calories and 2.5 grams of fiber, which makes it filling. A serving supplies 77 percent of your RDA for vitamin C, and it’s a good source of folate, a nutrient that ensures your body continuously produces healthy new cells.

Try the delicious Low-Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza recipe right here > or try the Air Fryer Cauliflower Tots recipe right here. >

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4. Zucchini

These green summer squash are nearly flavorless, so they can be added to lots of meals without changing their taste. A simple tool known as a “spiralizer” turns zucchini into noodles with a texture very similar to spaghetti—many grocery stores now offer the noodles ready to eat so you don’t even need the tool. Shredded zucchini adds fiber and moisture to pancakes, muffins and other baked goods. You can also make crispy zucchini chips for dipping and munching. Oh, and don’t even get us started on the hot new breakfast trend, zoats, which combine zucchini into your favorite morning meal to add bulk and nutrition, without messing with the flavor. Click here to learn how to make zoats >

A medium-size zucchini has 33 calories and two grams of fiber. It gives you nearly 60 percent of your RDA for vitamin C and a healthy dose of potassium, too.

Try this zesty recipe for Crispy Ranch Zucchini Chips right here > or try Green Monster Zucchini Muffins recipe right here >

5. Spinach

Forget about the soggy canned spinach you had growing up. Fresh spinach is lightly crunchy and very mild-flavored. Toss a handful into a fruit smoothie, and we promise you won’t even know it’s there. We also love it in our Skinny Spinach dip, a healthy snack that’s perfect for game day or parties. A few leaves scattered into stove-top dishes, like seafood sautés, pasta sauces or omelets, melt into the other ingredients.

Spinach is the best vegetable source of iron, which helps prevent anemia, a condition that causes chronic fatigue. Like all leafy greens, spinach is a concentrated source of vitamin A. One cup of raw spinach has only seven calories (no wonder it’s so popular with everyone’s favorite cartoon character!).

Try the delicious recipe for Skinny Spinach Dip right here > or get the sweet and tasty recipe for an Apple Spinach Smoothie recipe right here. >

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