Salad Vegetable Conundrum

[Niko]

So I thought I was eating my salad vegetables but upon looking at the list again, I haven't touched them in a long time. I prefer my salads with spinach because I don't like watery veggies and, lol, spinach is an "other" vegetable ~_~ So I reread the list of acceptable, salad vegetables and found there are two vegetables on it I can tolerate but both require salad dressing to be edible which means they just taste like... dressing. And that's boring. But the vegetables are too bland to eat plain. I can tollerate lettus/romaine and cucumbers to a lesser extent but not in salads. Not a fan of lettus wrapped sandwhiches or cucumbers with salt on them.

How bad is it to only eat "other" vegetables and no salad vegetables? Are there acceptable salad vegitables not mentioned in the book?

[JulieB]

On this board, we go by the book. Having said that...if there is really no way you can/will eat the salad veggies, and you have been losing weight without, I'd say you should continue as is (IMO). Maybe you could let us know which veggies from the list you might eat...are the two you like cucumber & lettuce? I wasn't clear on that...and we could come up with some suggestions for making them more interesting

[Niko]

Yeah, they're lettuce/romaine and cucumbers. I can't believe there are so few vegetables listed in the book as a salad vegetable.

I ate half a green pepper I found in the fridge to try and get some salad veggies in today but I ended up using almost four carbs worth of dressing with them so they tasted nice. Not a bad texture but it tastes like bitter water without the help.

[momonmission99*]

Have you tried putting hamburger meat in the green pepper, topping it with mozzarella and baking it? It's pretty good!

[whereami]

Or kinda the opposite -- sautee colored peppers and green onions in olive oil until soft and then puree in food processor with spices and mix with ground beef and then make into patties and fry. Yummy!

[mitzimarie]

Niko, let's see if we can come up with something else you will like from the "Salad" Veggie list....

You're in Texas, right? I'm betting that you can get your hands on some jicama. Do you know what that is? I had never heard of it before starting Atkins (in fact, I couldn't stand veggies pre-Atkins). This is a "salad" veggie that I eat every single day... contains an amazing amount of fiber, and I'm a fiber freak. I just eat it raw, and no dressing is required.

Colored Bell Peppers - I eat my bellpeppers raw... I cut them into strips, and crunch on them along with a piece of string cheese. So good! I'm not crazy about the green ones raw, but the red, yellow, and orange ones are great. Almost like a sweet treat! Again, while these would probably be good dipped in dressing, I don't use it. Dressing has so many calories, that I hate to overuse it.

Hey, if you're inclined to do so, why don't you check out the details on my upcoming Veggie Challenge. This is a fun-filled 5 day challenge where we learn about veggies, and discuss issues like the one you brought up in your post. Here is the link, in case you want to check it out. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...challenge.html (5th Semi Annual Veggie Challenge!)

[Eighties]

I've managed to successfully do this plan with out eating salad veggies as with the exception of spinach, I don't eat raw veggies. It is a taste and textural thing with me, I'm a meataterrian and make no apology for it.

In my experience (and this is only me talking) eat the other veggies and just make sure your carbs don't overshoot 20 g a day and you'll be okay.

[JulieB]

I definitely second the red-orange-yellow pepper thing - they taste way different than the green ones.

The idea of 'hiding' the veggies in the meat is also a great idea - it would be a very mild flavour compared to eating them by themselves.

[not2late]

What Phase of Atkins are you in?

[Niko]

I'm in extended induction but apparently I've been pushing into OWL rung 1 with my other veggies over the past few weeks though I've still be under 20 carbs a day.

I'll have to try some jicama next time I go to the store as well as some raw colored peppers. Those are the expensive kinds though T_T

What is a jalapeno considered? I've eaten plenty of those but they're not in the book under either type of veggie. Do they fall under peppers? Can I eat any type of pepper I want? I wouldn't mind making some stuffed poblano.