You're not eating your veggies, and it isn't your fault

Reasons Why You Aren’t Eating Your Veggies.BiologYup. It’s just in our nature to avoid veggies. Many vegetables contain bitter compounds and as humans we are wired to avoid bitter compounds because they are more likely to be poisonous. Rude, huh? The one thing we need more of and our bodies are telling us to shun it. Not fair.As humans we also have natural affinity for sweet foods (like breast milk). Some people might be even more sensitive than others to the bitter compounds in foods meaning that a veggie that tastes just fine to some people will be too bitter for someone else.Lastly, our ability to taste bitter compounds is strongest as children, which is when many of us were forming our opinions about vegetables. Yup, there’s so much stacked up against us in our quest to eat those veggies.Forced Vegetable ConsumptionI would be shocked if there wasn’t a time in your past when you were told, eat your broccoli and you can have your dessert.Heck, I’d be surprised if you haven’t told your children something similar, but did you know that this very scenario can be damaging and have the opposite effect on your children (and maybe left a bad taste in your mouth {literally} as well?A retrospective study found that many teens who were forced to eat their veggies or other food items as children reported difficulty eating those food items today. In fact around 70% of those children avoided food items they had been forced to eat as a child, whereas only 30% reported that forced veggie consumption make them more likely to try new things now.Really Bad VeggiesNow I don’t have any studies to back this one up, but if you think that watery frozen vegetables that have been microwaved or steamed are what veggies are supposed to taste like, there is a reason you don’t like veggies.Veggies can be prepared in a wide variety of ways and taste absolutely delicious…but many people grew up eating underseasoned, overcooked, and just plain bad veggies. This can totally play a role in your hesitancy to try brussel sprouts again!Veggies Aren’t ConvenientLet’s say you don’t really fall into any of these camps and you actually like vegetables.Heck, maybe you used to eat them really well…and then you had kids.…and now you’re lucky if you’ve managed to shovel in a handful of your kid’s goldfish and a package of fruit snacks by the end of the day.We are busy, and we often sacrifice every last bit of ourselves to those sweet (but demanding) kiddos.(read the full show notes here)Sources: Humans reject bitter tastes and have an affinity for sweet tastesThe result of forcing children to eat their veggiesFruit and Veggie Serving SizesAverage fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States2015-2020 health guidelines