Hi there! I'm 15 months out, and still haven't gotten into the habit of incorporating veggies back into my diet. I love veggies, but, as weird as it sounds, have gotten out of the habit of eating them. I would appreciate any suggestions about when to eat them and good ways to get them back into my diet. How do you incorporate them in your day?

Thanks, everyone!!!

I eat veggies with lunch and dinner and occasionally for a snack.

Here's a couple of typical veggie options for me. I'm further out than you, so you might not be able to eat as much.

Soup: I like the Progresso Tomato Basil Soup. I pick a soup with lots of veggies. I also like Anderson Split Pea Soup and Butternut Squash soup. Have it with a ham and cheese rollup (ham lunchmeat rolled around a lite string cheese) or 1/2 sandwich or for veggie Soups like minestrone and southwest veggie, add a couple ounces of chicken or meatballs.

Salad: I buy a small bag of spinach or baby greens and add a little other stuff. I use about 1/2 cup of lettuce and a 1/3 cup other veggies or fruit. Sometimes I add Protein to the salad, or I have it on the side. For example, 2 oz chicken chopped and tossed with a little sugar free orange jelly, over 1/2 cup spinach with a few snow pea pods (pull the strings off first), a few mandarin orange segments and a couple tablespoons sliced almonds with Newmans Lite Sesame Ginger Dressing.

Cooked veggies: I like zuchinni (slice a few rounds with a mandoline slicer and cook along side whatever protein you're making). I like frozen because I can just shake out enough for my meal. My favs are frozen whole green Beans, frozen roasted peppers and onions from Trader Joes,and frozen peas.

Snacks: I love sugar snap peas, baby carrots, and cucumbers for a crunchy snack. I eat them plain or with a dip made from ranch dressing mix stirred into greek yogurt.

Lynda

I eat veggies with lunch and dinner and occasionally for a snack.

Here's a couple of typical veggie options for me. I'm further out than you, so you might not be able to eat as much.

Soup: I like the Progresso Tomato Basil soup. I pick a soup with lots of veggies. I also like Anderson Split Pea Soup and Butternut Squash soup. Have it with a ham and cheese rollup (ham lunchmeat rolled around a lite string cheese) or 1/2 sandwich or for veggie soups like minestrone and southwest veggie, add a couple ounces of chicken or meatballs.

Salad: I buy a small bag of spinach or baby greens and add a little other stuff. I use about 1/2 cup of lettuce and a 1/3 cup other veggies or fruit. Sometimes I add Protein to the salad, or I have it on the side. For example, 2 oz chicken chopped and tossed with a little sugar free orange jelly, over 1/2 cup spinach with a few snow pea pods (pull the strings off first), a few mandarin orange segments and a couple tablespoons sliced almonds with Newmans Lite Sesame Ginger Dressing.

Cooked veggies: I like zuchinni (slice a few rounds with a mandoline slicer and cook along side whatever protein you're making). I like frozen because I can just shake out enough for my meal. My favs are frozen whole green Beans, frozen roasted peppers and onions from Trader Joes,and frozen peas.

Snacks: I love sugar snap peas, baby carrots, and cucumbers for a crunchy snack. I eat them plain or with a dip made from ranch dressing mix stirred into greek yogurt.

Lynda

Thank you, Lynda! Those are great ideas! I didn't think about veggie soups...I really appreciate you taking the time to write that out for me.

I eat salads just fine have you tried that? I keep a bag of baby spinach in my cooler at work, and open up a can of chicken and grab a hand full of greens. A little olive oil on top and off we go. I make egg salad lettuce wraps. Or anything in a lettuce wrap gets you some vegetables and a in a handy wrapper. Portabellos and humus is good too. Lots of cool ways to get them in.

I do a lot of vege soups and blend them so as to ensure I can get a good dose of veges! I also juiced a bit over summer. I add veges to almost everything I cook in order to keep my nutrients coming from real food as much as possible.

I am almost one year out and still can't handle raw veges so salads are out.

Veggie soups are a great idea - I have a recipe from one of the other forums that's a bunch of green veggies cooked and pureed in a chicken-broth base, with some shredded chicken added - really yummy way to get some veggies in. I also like to add some raw spinach blended in to my protein shake. Or make a savory protein pancake from cottage cheese, parmesan, and grated onion or zucchini - yum!

Veggie soups are a great idea - I have a recipe from one of the other forums that's a bunch of green veggies cooked and pureed in a chicken-broth base' date=' with some shredded chicken added - really yummy way to get some veggies in. I also like to add some raw spinach blended in to my Protein shake. Or make a savory protein pancake from cottage cheese, parmesan, and grated onion or zucchini - yum![/quote']

That pancake sounds real good!

Every morning I have a protein drink and add a couple big handfuls of spinach to it. I don't even taste the spinach.

I eat salads just fine have you tried that? I keep a bag of baby spinach in my cooler at work, and open up a can of chicken and grab a hand full of greens. A little olive oil on top and off we go. I make egg salad lettuce wraps. Or anything in a lettuce wrap gets you some vegetables and a in a handy wrapper. Portabellos and humus is good too. Lots of cool ways to get them in.

Thank you, Johnlatte! Wraps are a great idea, I didn't think of that!

Pretty early on I knew I wanted veggies back in my diet, so started making veggie soups. I really couldn't eat salads very well until after 8 months, now I eat them like a champ. I'm not sure where they go~! I must have a hollow leg or something, I can eat a pretty huge salad. I eat apple slices with peanut butter, carrot or cuc slices with hummus.... fine chopped kale with sesame oil and chopped fruit and veggies/nuts.... I just started by eating them cooked... and slowly added raw bit by bit. I couldn't eat apple peal for the longest time, now, 2 years out, no problem. I just love getting in all those colors and fiber and vitamins! I love the taste too and not many calories at all...as my stomach has relaxed, and my hunger returned some, the veggies really help to fill in the blanks.

I find that sometimes it's easier to eat veggies as a snack instead of a meal. I like to make a dip out of plain 0% Greek yogurt--add dill dip mix (low-sugar type) or a Penzey's spice mix. then cut up red pepper, cucumber, zucchini strips etc. to dip it in. about 100 calories and really filling. You can do this with PB2, Greek yogurt and apple slices too.

When I'm eating a meal, if I have any carbs (which is rare--like a spoon of baked sweet potato), I put that on the bottom of the wide-mouthed mug that I eat out of, then veggies (like zucchini, spinach, sauteed peppers, etc.), then Protein. Then I eat in layers, so protein first, then veggies, then carb last--and a lot of times I won't have room for the carb.

I like red pepper strips and a laughing cow babybel lite cheese as a snack too, or cucumbers with the soft low-fat laughing cow cheese on it.

I like those mini cucumbers that look like pickling cucumbers. They are nice and tender and digestible.

I can also eat about a cup of romaine lettuce with a few cut up veggies on it (carrots, peppers, cucumbers), and some protein on top.

I've seen a few people post what they've eaten for the day and sometimes there are zero veggies and then there are things like processed carbs. I say everyone should do what works best for him or her, but I can't imagine a food plan, for me, that doesn't include veggies.

I try to eat a few veggies each day, lately I am obsessed with asparagus. I rub a little olive oil, garlic and lemon juice on it and then grill it or bake it. The weird thing is before surgery, I never ate asparagus! I also eat green Beans or broccoli often. I'm 8 months out. One of my favorite meals is to take shrimp and put some Chipolte seasoning on it and then put the shredded cabbage mix and some hot sauce on the shrimp, yummy!

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The hardest thing about giving advice in these forums is that we are all so different and our recovery is also very different. I am almost a week out and I am sitting here in my hotel room, not long after a room service meal which I thought was carefully ordered. There was a genourous serving of steamed veges which I welcomed and enjoyed - only to then go and 'lose' not long after.

We are all different, and sometimes it is simply a matter of trial and error as to what our sleeves can handle. I am smacking myself now as I know that I can do steamed veges yet, and yet I keep trying!

So, for me, I advise try and find your own edge. Find what your sleeve can accommodate and do not for a moment be concerned that I can't handle steamed veges as you may handle them well and do not be concerned that someone else can go salad crazy and yet you can't, because we all have to find the edges of our new reality.

One year on and I still find myself with my head down the toilet. But I wouldn't change a thing :-)

Pretty early on I knew I wanted veggies back in my diet, so started making veggie Soups. I really couldn't eat salads very well until after 8 months, now I eat them like a champ. I'm not sure where they go~! I must have a hollow leg or something, I can eat a pretty huge salad. I eat apple slices with Peanut Butter, carrot or cuc slices with hummus.... fine chopped kale with sesame oil and chopped fruit and veggies/nuts.... I just started by eating them cooked... and slowly added raw bit by bit. I couldn't eat apple peal for the longest time, now, 2 years out, no problem. I just love getting in all those colors and Fiber and vitamins! I love the taste too and not many calories at all...as my stomach has relaxed, and my hunger returned some, the veggies really help to fill in the blanks.

Thank you, feedmyeye!! I love your ideas. I love hummus, and am going to try it with cucumbers.

I find that sometimes it's easier to eat veggies as a snack instead of a meal. I like to make a dip out of plain 0% Greek yogurt--add dill dip mix (low-sugar type) or a Penzey's spice mix. then cut up red pepper, cucumber, zucchini strips etc. to dip it in. about 100 calories and really filling. You can do this with PB2, Greek yogurt and apple slices too.

When I'm eating a meal, if I have any carbs (which is rare--like a spoon of baked sweet potato), I put that on the bottom of the wide-mouthed mug that I eat out of, then veggies (like zucchini, spinach, sauteed peppers, etc.), then Protein. Then I eat in layers, so protein first, then veggies, then carb last--and a lot of times I won't have room for the carb.

I like red pepper strips and a laughing cow babybel lite cheese as a snack too, or cucumbers with the soft low-fat laughing cow cheese on it.

I like those mini cucumbers that look like pickling cucumbers. They are nice and tender and digestible.

I can also eat about a cup of romaine lettuce with a few cut up veggies on it (carrots, peppers, cucumbers), and some protein on top.

I've seen a few people post what they've eaten for the day and sometimes there are zero veggies and then there are things like processed carbs. I say everyone should do what works best for him or her, but I can't imagine a food plan, for me, that doesn't include veggies.

TES, you have amazing ideas! Thank you! I've been so bad about my veggies, and I actually love them I get the best ideas on our site here. Thanks again. And I love your sunny profile picture.

What about juicing? You can juice all those veggies you have been missing and get all the nutrients without the bulk?

Sheena :-)