My husband hates healthy food...help?!?

TheDoctorDonna10

Ok so my wonderful husband has a super high metabolism & can eat anything without gaining weight. He's very southern & literally claims i'm trying to poison him every time I try to cook a healthy dinner. He thinks everything should have fat & grease & the more fried food the better. He also has to have bread with every mean & absolutely refuses to eat whole grains. He also refuses to have any vegetarian meals, he's a hunter & grinds most of our meat himself so it's very lean at least. We both love pasta & I got him to compromise on the noodles so now we only eat veggie noodles. Does anyone have any ideas for any other swaps I can make while still keeping him satisfied? Or any great recipes or sites with recipes that he'll eat without complaint?

corinneselene

Haha make your husband cook for himself!

Obviously, so many people hear the word healthy and stick their nose up right away. I would try using the SKINNYTASTE.COM website. It has amazing swaps of normal food. If he really has an issue than I truly would suggest that he has to make his own meals!

acogg

Going out on a limb here, but do you crave sugar and carbs? It could be that you aren't eating enough protein and he is, so limiting carbs and sugar seems silly to him. How are your protein numbers? Try to get in at least 70-100 grams per day.

missbehave79

If he hunts, then I would say prepare those meats in a more healthy way. Marinate, grill, etc. If he wants his bread and stuff, then that's an add on and you don't have to eat it yourself.

My husband is kind of the same way and he is starting to come around. Some recipes have been duds, but others he likes. Like tonight we had spaghetti squash 'spaghetti' with grass fed beef. He and the kids actually like it!

redhotsc

A few years back when I started making dietary changes, we made little steps at a time. I had to get my husband into some of the newer foods by cooking when he was not at home. That way, he would see a delicious lasagna, vegan peanut butter blondies, or some other meal altogether and he didn't know what was in it. After a while, I was able to repeat the meal making in his presence and let him see. I have heard of people pureeing cauliflower and putting it in with mac and cheese. There are also things like "fruit" breads that make for good snacks- apple, banana, monkey, etc. Just don't eat the whole loaf with a stick of butter in one sitting- not only will you gain weight, but your stomach will hurt pretty bad.

I strongly recommend that you try small alterations on foods he already likes- he likes cheese, try steamed broccoli (or any steamed veggie) and melted cheese.

For us, it was all about gradual, small changes over a long period of time. He is still resistant to some of the changes I am trying on him...but I have endurance.

Best of luck!

Achrya

A. Have him cook his own meals

B. Make him what he wants and make yourself what you want.

C. Try and force him to change to suit your diet.

D. Don't do C.

kareniniowa

This is a great site too!

http://www.emilybites.com

IllustratedHistory

Here's another great blog, I've never made a recipe off of it I didn't like. It's vegetarian/vegan, but she does an excellent job of outlining the need for various nutrients in the diet, maybe learning more about how foods impact the body will help your husband be more open to healthier options. Worked with mine!

http://www.mynewroots.org/site/

tapirfrog

He's very southern & literally claims i'm trying to poison him every time I try to cook a healthy dinner.

Stop cooking for him. Problem solved.

Seriously, if he's going to be an ungrateful *kitten* every time you cook for him, stop cooking for him. It's like training a dog: bad behavior gets no attention, good behavior gets a treat.

softblondechick

I have the same problem. Now, I love my SO, but I just can't do barbecue ribs, cornbread, macaroni salad, lasagna on end...I am at my highest weight, ever. Done.

Our solution now, separate food. He can eat whatever junk he wants. I made a delicious tofu kale curried stir fry tonight,. He had some fried chicken from the deli.

He does not want a fat, obese GF. So, he is fine doing his own food. And I leave him alone when I go to the gym, it would be more fun if he came, but he wants to stay home.

I can't change him, only myself.

xmichaelyx

I would never let my SO cook my meals. Once in a while it's fine. All the time? No thanks; I'm not a child and she's not a servant.

He should be cooking his food, you should be cooking yours, and everyone gets to eat whatever they want.

dgkt

Actually women only need 46 grams of protein per day, as recommended by the USDA.

dgkt

Going out on a limb here, but do you crave sugar and carbs? It could be that you aren't eating enough protein and he is, so limiting carbs and sugar seems silly to him. How are your protein numbers? Try to get in at least 70-100 grams per day.

Actually women only need 46 grams of protein per day, as recommended by the USDA.

TripZeros

A. Have him cook his own meals

B. Make him what he wants and make yourself what you want.

C. Try and force him to change to suit your diet.

D. Don't do C.

^ This ^

jr235

First of all I would tell him to stop the comments about what you cook. Its rude. Do you have children? Do you want them to learn its ok to treat someone who has done something nice for you like that? No.

Generally I make several dishes and rotate them for a few days. I have more of the veggies/salads and he has more of the other dishes. Then we both get what we want and sit down and have a nice dinner together. He eats his lunch out and I pack my lower calorie and cheaper lunch.

There are a few things he doesn't mind. Every time we have pasta I grate up lots of veggies (zucchini, peppers, broccoli, carrots, spinach) and sautee them in a bit of olive oil and garlic. Then I add them to the pasta dish. Or I add half and keep the other half on the side for me. He knows they are there, its rather obvious. I won't hide food from my own child, much less from him. Our daughter loves pasta and this is the easiest way to get her to eat her veggies. He knows that whatever his personal preference may be we have a responsibility to raise our daughter with good habits.

beautifulwarrior18

Then he can cook his own damn meals. It will catch up with him one day.

Rayman79

Just make the same dinner for both of you.

He has a big portion with bread... you have a smaller one with a side salad.

Figure out what you both like and adjust accordingly. If he wants pasts you can have veg noodles instead but use the same sauce. If he wants a big potato or bread or whatever on the side, just don't put it on your own plate.

Remember that you are the one making the change. If he's a skinny guy he probably doesn't see a need to switch to food that he doesn't enjoy as much. Of course it would be easier if he would adjust his diet to support you, but you can still work this out if you put a little effort in.

juganaut

this is a hard one...

when i first started my journey, my BF could have whatever he wanted at breakfast and lunch and he had to eat what i made him at dinner time. Our dinners weren't seriously unhealthy in the first place, but all potatoes, breads and pastas were removed and replaced with salads, vegetables, sweet potato and plenty of meat.

so you've got a few options:
- tell him to get stuffed and make his own dinner
- tell him to compromise and eat what you make him (it will make you happy)
- try a different diet - like the ketogenic diet. he'll have to sacrifice carbs for all the fats tho...