Dealing with a diet different from your family?

kirdyq

I am at a place where I feel that I need to make some diet changes due to some issues that I have. I am kind of leery of changing b/c lately I've been in a fantastic groove with the whole meal-planning/shopping/prepping balance that can be such a hassle for a working mom. I've purchased a subscription on the "5 dinners 1 hour" site, and I've been following it since June. It has been just above and beyond fantastic with helping me get my sanity back at dinner time. It virtually eliminates all my time spent on meal planning. I just print the grocery list, go shop, and set aside 1 hour after the kids are in bed to make all five of my dinners for the weeknights. My hubby gets things cooking while I"m commuting home, and things are ready to go when I get in the door, usually. Overall, they are fairly healthy dinners, and it definitely keeps us out of the take-out lines!

However, I would like to start eating cleaner. After some food sensitivty tests I'd had completed a year ago, it was suggested I eat more alkaline. I think I am finally at a place where I am ready to make these types of changes. I am just not sure that the rest of the family is going to want to eat the way I am going to. My husband, for one, hates almost every kind of vegetable. And our kids are 2 and 5, and getting them to eat anything period can be difficult.

I feel like I'm ruining such a good system I have in place. But I know that it will be better for me in the end. I know others must go through this too. What are your tips?

MB_Positif

So sorry you have to deal with picky eaters. I would start incorporating more of what you want into the meals and they can deal with it.

Leather_N_Lace

I underwent allergy testing last year and found out I have some sensitivity to certain foods.

I eat completely different from my husband and kids. It has taken some getting used to but we have managed. I can even get them to try samples upon occasion. I do all of the grocery shopping for the house, however, my husband does 90% of the cooking. So that has been our biggest challenge.

When we have BBQ's or family get togethers, I generally have to prepare my food ahead of time and take my steamed vegies and protein of choice. It isn't impossible. Just small steps. And boundaries. Be very clear with your husband what changes you are wanting/needing to make for you and what form of support you need from him.

evviamarshall

I JUST had this conversation with my hubby. He is not a big vegetable eater either, so I have to come up with creative ways to serve them to him. Now keep in mind he will say he isn't a veggie person, but I realize that with him he just hasn't had GOOD veggies. I'm big into seasonings and those can help enhance any veggie. Try some new spices and see if he will eat it. I also like to make really yummy soups for which I can load up with veggies and as long as the soup base is tasty he will eat it very well. I have one child that I did not start on meat until after his 1st birthday, and the other one I gave him meat right away when he was able to eat it. I notice that my child who didn't start on meat right away eats veggies a lot better. So just like I do my husband I have to do that with my youngest because he is picky about veggies. The more I season and incorporate them into a dish with something else the better it seems to go. I have noticed that Asian/Asian Indian cuisine is full of yummy veggie recipes, so I steal tips from those. Good for you for stepping up to make these changes for yourself, that's awesome! :-)

minizebu

Can you continue the system that you have in place and just add vegetables to the repertoire? In that way your husband can choose to eat them or not and you can load half of your plate with vegetables and control your portions of the food that you serve the rest of the family.

The best changes to make are changes that you can actually sustain, so it is good that you are thinking this through before trying to up-end whatever is presently working for your household routines.

You could start by purchasing frozen microwavable vegetables. They cook in minutes and if your husband and children don't eat much of them, you can put whatever you don't eat into the fridge and pack it for lunch the next day.

You can buy fresh fruit and leave it on the counter for the whole family to choose from.

Whatever you do, introduce new things slowly. You are less likely to get negative feedback and with young children it is all about presenting new foods again and again (and again and again). They need multiple exposures to foods to decide that they willing to eat them.

You might want to check to see if your local library has copies of Ellyn Satter's books. Those books can give you more ideas about introducing fruits and vegetables to your young ones.

Mongognom

Fr the kids, I would make a slow change. Adding more vegetables, changing to healthier, but otherwise the same product.

Your husband? Tell him that in front of the kids he will at least pretend to like vegetables, because you want them to be healthy.

kirdyq

Thanks so much for the comments! These are good ideas, and I definitely like the idea of incorporating things slowly, rather than cold turkey! So far I've given up soda (about 1 1/2 mos ago), and I've given up drinking milk for the past few weeks. Replaced them both with ice cold water. Just these two small changes have mad a world of difference for me. But it's been much easier doing it little at a time. I think I would have been very crabby giving them both up at once.

Now to start switching the dinner plate over to more veggies...

inukshuk1960

Great to hear you are heading to a more alkaline diet. I have found a huge difference in how I feel going alkaline.
I went from Vegetarian and not very clean to completely plant based vegan. Getting rid of dairy was the biggest challenge but it has been well worth it.
Like you I have picky eaters in the house. I am completely vegan, my 18 yo daughter is vegetarian (sometimes but will eat fisha nd chicken) and my son is carnivore through and through.
What I do is cook a vegan dish that is my main dish, it will be my daughter's side dish and forget it for my son, so I steam a veggie for him. Then I just cook their meat of choice and we are done.
Its not so hard once you get in to it.
The Once a Month Cooking and your 5 dinners one hour websites don't seem to cater to vegan eating./..or three different diets in one house.

Mokey41

Look on this as a great time to teach your kids healthy eating habits. Picky eaters are made not born. Kids are a lot more adaptable than we give them credit for. Make the changes without making a big deal and tell hubby to put on his big boy pants and help out with positive reinforcement. It's not like you're going off on some whacko tangent and expecting them to come along.

kelsully

First, I can say with experience, it can be tricky eating different from your family, but not impossible. I have been a non meat eater for 16ish years. As of the last 6-7 months I have also been gluten free and dairy free for doctor diagnosed sensitivities. My husband and kids are full on carnivores. I have some meals that I prepare for the whole family, and I will stick some chicken in the oven for the family to add to the meal. There are meals where I just pick out the meat and there are meals where I make a meat loaf for the family and I eat one of my go to meals...like a baked sweet potato with black beans or scrambled eggs etc.

You can likely do what you are doing now with some minor changes at first, some simple substitutions. Give them a chance. I had to try Annie's organic mac and cheese 5 different times with my kids before they would willingly eat it...now they like it better than Kraft, which I refuse to buy. I insist that every thing i prepare be tasted and given a fair shake. They do not have to like it but they cannot throw a fit or they will not be given other choices. If they give their broccoli a fair shake and they don't like it, I will cut up an apple or carrots for them. If they give a pork roast a fair shake and don't like it they can make a PB sandwich. Make small changes....change out things they might not notice first then slowly add things that are bigger "risks". If you only want to make one meal each night then you have to do so in a way that will be successful....OR make two meals.

benol1

I am at a place where I feel that I need to make some diet changes due to some issues that I have. I am kind of leery of changing b/c lately I've been in a fantastic groove with the whole meal-planning/shopping/prepping balance that can be such a hassle for a working mom. I've purchased a subscription on the "5 dinners 1 hour" site, and I've been following it since June. It has been just above and beyond fantastic with helping me get my sanity back at dinner time. It virtually eliminates all my time spent on meal planning. I just print the grocery list, go shop, and set aside 1 hour after the kids are in bed to make all five of my dinners for the weeknights. My hubby gets things cooking while I"m commuting home, and things are ready to go when I get in the door, usually. Overall, they are fairly healthy dinners, and it definitely keeps us out of the take-out lines!

However, I would like to start eating cleaner. After some food sensitivty tests I'd had completed a year ago, it was suggested I eat more alkaline. I think I am finally at a place where I am ready to make these types of changes. I am just not sure that the rest of the family is going to want to eat the way I am going to. My husband, for one, hates almost every kind of vegetable. And our kids are 2 and 5, and getting them to eat anything period can be difficult.

I feel like I'm ruining such a good system I have in place. But I know that it will be better for me in the end. I know others must go through this too. What are your tips?

I do feel for you. I do the cooking in our household. About ten weeks I went on a whole food plant-based (vegan) diet. It has been one of the best things I have done for my health. My family have been really good about it too. They are avid meat eaters. I do cook separate meals for them two or three times a week - it helps keep the peace. But they mostly eat what I eat. My recommendation to you is to spend a little extra time making separate healthier meals for yourself initially, and over some time, introducing healthier alternatives to your family. There are also strategies to get your husband and kids to eat more vegetables. Use your blender! Your number one ally should be your husband. If you can get him on board, it will be easier. There is a growing and irrefutable body of evidence that links many of the top causes of death to diet. I am happy to discuss more should you be interested. Please feel free to send me a message.
Kind regards,
Ben