Greens. They could be insufferably earnest and bitter. And too often there was a guilt trip when you came across them. "Don't you know what's good for you?" they lectured. "Good for the planet too." You suffered them, a wan smile on your face as you were offered more of their goodness.

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No, not those Greens, although some of you might harbour an aversion to them too. I'm talking lower-case greens, the ones we did our best to avoid as children to the frustration of our parents. Spinach, broccoli, beans, peas, cabbage, brussels sprouts - they all conspired to ruin a perfectly good meal.

Or so us youngsters thought.

Entreaties to eat your greens, to grow strong like Popeye by not leaving a skerrick of spinach (often a misnomer for the fibrous silver beet actually served) on your plate, were met with groans and eye rolls. Greens were the duty that qualified you for dessert, a speed hump on the road to happiness.

The first president Bush was tortured as a child by being served overboiled, soggy broccoli. He declared in 1990: "... I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm president of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!"

That's all changed now, for me anyway.

Broccoli has long been rehabilitated. Same with spinach, notwithstanding the urban myth that its nutritional value was overstated by a misplaced decimal point and Popeye was a con. Even brussels sprouts - for so long scorned thanks to that ancient habit of boiling them beyond recognition - have made a comeback.

But broccoli remains the favourite. Lightly blanched and served with a sprinkle of blue cheese, or chopped up finely to make a "broccolese" sauce for pasta, it's been the go-to green in this burrow for years.

Last week on breakfast TV, I watched as a pair of broccoli sceptics were shown how best to prepare and eat the stuff - don't overcook it and season it - and were immediate converts.

I also learned that the stem can be peeled, cut into squares, covered with parmesan and baked. And kettle blanched broccolini - tenderised by pouring boiling water over it in a colander - charred on the barbecue makes a great accompaniment to that steak or barra fillet.

Despite the best efforts of nutritionists, Australians still resist the food that's good for them.

If only around 12 per cent of us vote for the upper-case Greens,........

© Canberra Times