A plant-packed diet is important for optimal wellbeing – this much you know. You may also be aware that current guidelines recommend eating 30 different types of fruits and vegetables a week to ensure your body gets a diverse wealth of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre. 

That’s a number that might freak out even the most enthusiastic of plant eaters (although, it’s not quite as difficult to achieve as you may think it is). But what if, despite your best efforts to chow down on the good stuff, you simply don’t like the taste of fruits and vegetables?

If that’s you – don’t panic. There are more ways to load up on nutrients when you can’t stomach the taste.

It may have more to do with evolution than you simply having a fussy palate, according to BANT-registered nutritionist Eva Humphries. “Based on the studies, humanity may have evolved with a distrust for bitter flavours. Many vegetables such as kale, cabbage and rocket have bitter flavour profiles. Whilst we know these nutrient-dense greens are healthy, many poisonous plants exhibit the same bitter flavours.” As such, scientists think we evolved to detect bitterness in food as a potential warning sign for toxicity.

“Let’s face it, when we relied on foraging, it would’ve been pertinent to not eat too many of the plants that could kill us, so we developed quite a few receptors to pick up bitter flavours to serve as a warning mechanism,” Humphries says. “The genes that help us distinguish bitterness vary in all of us. In some, bitter flavours may be extra bitter, causing an aversion to vegetables.”

She notes that nurture also plays a role, and that your eating habits as a child may have influenced the kinds of foods you like and dislike as an adult. “A predominantly sweet diet that is lacking in variety during childhood is more likely to lead to food aversions during adulthood,” she says. “A dislike for fruit is less common but may result from aversions to specific textures or underlying intolerances.”

Plant-based chef Lisa Marley emphasises that eating is an emotive experience, so your dislike of certain foods may be a result of past memories. “The smell, taste and texture of certain food can, in an instant, take you back to a time, place or memory,” she says. Of course, this is great if foods are associated with joyful memories, but less so if one bite of broccoli transports you back to an unpleasant early childhood experience where you were encouraged to eat something you didn’t like. 

“Early food experiences can have an impact on what shapes our diet without us even realising it. We can get set in our ways and sometimes forget we can change our minds. One bad experience can put you off for life.”

Avoiding or limiting your intake of certain foods, including fruits and vegetables, can also be a sign of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). ARFID is an eating disorder which causes people to steer clear of eating specific foods or food groups due to negative feelings about the smell, texture or taste, or in response to a negative past experience with the food (such as choking, experiencing an allergic reaction or feeling unwell after eating it). People with ARFID may also experience a lack of appetite or interest in eating altogether. If you have any symptoms of an eating disorder, contact your GP as soon as possible.

It’s normal for our enjoyment of flavours to evolve over time, but if your capacity to taste suddenly changes or flavours take on a very different profile, this may be a red flag that needs discussing with your GP. “Our capacity to taste things doesn’t change by chance. Usually, it is linked to some potentially serious issues,” Humphries warns. 

“Gum disease, for example, may present as a metallic taste in the mouth, certain nutrient deficiencies and inflammatory conditions may lead to a loss of taste and many others may contribute to changes in the way we perceive flavours. It is therefore pertinent to consult with a medical professional if you experience significant shifts in taste.”

Don’t rule everything out at once

“Try new vegetables three times before you give up on them entirely,” Humphries advises. “Many of us naturally try to dodge some produce thanks to bad childhood memories of over-boiled vegetables but there is such a huge range of vegetables, each with a different flavour and texture that it is impossible to rule out every single one as a straight nope.”

If you’re trying a new vegetable for the first time, she suggests not giving up after the first mouthful, and instead giving it a second or third shot, perhaps with different preparation or seasoning. “New flavours often become more palatable after multiple tries.”

Try roasting vegetables

“This naturally brings out their sweetness and covers up those unpalatable bitter flavours,” says Humphries. “Different cooking methods often bring out different flavour profiles in both fruits and vegetables so play around with them. You may dislike raw peppers but stick them under the grill and they transform into beautifully smoky and sweet bites of goodness.”

Look for plant-based alternatives where possible

“If you love pasta, why not try a vegetable variety such as pea, lentil or edamame,” Marley suggests. Veggie meat alternatives – the ones made from actual ground vegetables – may be worth exploring, too.

Bake veggies into tastier meals

“This is a great way to incorporate vegetables into your diet,” says Marley. “Try a beetroot brownie or a courgette muffin. I make a delicious sweet potato and chocolate cake with an avocado and chocolate frosting.”

Slip fruits and vegetables into soups and smoothies

“Soup and smoothies are a handy way to pack as many vegetables into a dish as possible without feeling overwhelmed,” Marley says. She recommends adding your favourite herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, to dishes to alter the flavour profile and help you enjoy the taste.

If all else fails, hide the veg

“If you have a preference for tomatoes but can’t stand courgettes then use the flavour of tomato to hide other vegetables,” Humphries recommends. “Making pasta sauces is a good way to do this. Make it 75% the vegetable that you do like and add in smaller quantities of ones that you don’t. Over time, this may help you to stealthily expand your palate.” Along the same lines, Marley suggests whipping up a simple but nutritious pizza base sauce. “When blitzed with celery, carrot, peppers, courgette, onion, the tomato and garlic sauce is packed with goodness but doesn’t taste of seven vegetables.”

Images: Getty