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?

JediPrincess88

That's a touch question. I have similar problem in that my husband HATES almost every vegetable known to man. -_- I tend to try to hide the vegetables, like one time I cooked chicken soup for him and I put spinach in it and he actually really liked it. Have you tried anything like 'oven fried chicken' or something like that? It's just as good as fried, but it's actually baked so you don't get all the grease and oil.

Shawshankcan

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

poedunk65

So don't cook your foods for him. There are some things my wife won't eat, no big deal.

Miamiuu

Maybe steam some brocolli and pour velveeta cheese on it.

alfiedn

I'd let him cook whatever he wants to eat and you eat what you feel most comfortable with. He sounds picky. I've heard that if you cut up veggies very very small, they are less noticeable to picky eaters and you can still get all those nutrients.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Leave him alone

swoffie

So don't cook your foods for him. There are some things my wife won't eat, no big deal.

Then he can cook his own damn food?

TheDoctorDonna10

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

I'm not trying to change the way he eats, I just don't want to have to cook two separate meals every night. If we had kids I wouldn't mind cooking one meal for them & something small for me but it's just the two of us & that seems a little ridiculous. I'm just trying to find a way to compromise that will still keep him happy & satisfied without making me continue to gain weight.

Dedicatedmetime

We have a rule in our house "If you don't like dinner make your own"

AwesomeGuy37

Cauliflower cooked soft and put in a food processor, mixes well with mashed potatoes. Half of each is really undetectable some say.
Spinach lasagna isn't bad if you find a good recipe.
Low-fat products are poison in my opinion.

jillian_fan2425

I have a similar situation; my husband thinks whole-wheat pasta tastes grainy, so we did just like you guys and compromised. I mean, there are foods I don't like, and he's considerate enough to leave them out of our evening meals. It's a little annoying, but I can make up for it when we go out or I eat lunch with friends--then I can order food to my liking. Anyway, now we buy veggie pasta or white pasta with added fiber. We do try to have dinner together because it saves money and time; I just give myself a smaller portion. He definitely doesn't mind eating his share and then some! If your husband has to have bread with every meal, just give yourself a little piece (if you want it) or see if he's open to non-white varieties. Also, on days when I am expecting us to have a higher calorie dinner, I take that into account and plan for a slightly smaller or healthier lunch to make room for calories later on.

Miamiuu

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

I'm not trying to change the way he eats, I just don't want to have to cook two separate meals every night. If we had kids I wouldn't mind cooking one meal for them & something small for me but it's just the two of us & that seems a little ridiculous. I'm just trying to find a way to compromise that will still keep him happy & satisfied without making me continue to gain weight.

Have you familiarized yourself with the nutritional values of foods you eat? Might be a little hard if everything you eat is fried but you can learn portion control.

fabfit24

I have the same problem. I would agree- you cant go wrong with a soup. I put so much meat and even more veggies in the soup and he loves.it,! A few other suggestions is a quiche loaded with vegetables and sauteed onions or a baked butternut squash (or potato) cut in half and stuffed with grilled vegetables and melted cheese.

Trechechus

Maybe I'm a b*tch, but my rule is, if you don't like what I cook, you can cook your own shi t.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

I'm not trying to change the way he eats, I just don't want to have to cook two separate meals every night. If we had kids I wouldn't mind cooking one meal for them & something small for me but it's just the two of us & that seems a little ridiculous. I'm just trying to find a way to compromise that will still keep him happy & satisfied without making me continue to gain weight.

Ahhhh ok. Whatever you make for yourself, make it smothered/salted for him. Boom done.

MystikPixie

Make him go have his mommy cook for him and you can continue to eat healthy without the added challenge of a picky manchild not wanting to eat his veggies.

dogwhisperette

Awe. that is a hard one to figure out but not impossible. Its like trying to quit smoking and living with a smoker. I get it! When you say he likes fried food, is it in home cooking fried food or take out? If its in the home cooking it can be worked around. You will need to do some google time and research on ideas but you can do it. I think the key is making it fun and enjoyable for both of you. You can do it!

neanderthin

We have a rule in our house "If you don't like dinner make your own"

We've always had 2 rules when it came to food growing up and that was........take it or leave it.

DaSassyFourTwenty

your husband should be proud that he has a thoughtful and caring wife who is concerned about his eating habits. I agree with everyone that says separate the meals. don't push him to do something he doesn't want to do its just add extra stress on you and may interfere with you reaching your goals.

lemon629

Maybe I'm a b*tch, but my rule is, if you don't like what I cook, you can cook your own shi t.

That's my rule, too!
Or maybe you could alternate, have a meal you like one night then a meal he likes the next? If you're careful with your portions, you don't necessarily have to give up fried food to lose weight.

outdoorsgirl13

Let him cook his own meals

TheDoctorDonna10

He likes home cooked everything. I love to cook & there are very few options for restaurants near us anyway so we only eat out once every other week when we have to go to the next town. We live in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere. He DOES like vegetables, he just likes them super buttery & preferably with bacon added. When I call him wonderful it isn't sarcasm, he's amazing! He fully supports me getting healthier & in shape & is open to making some changes in the way we eat. He comes home for lunch everyday & I always make us separate meals since lunch is simpler. He works six, sometimes 7 days a week on a cattle ranch & he works HARD. I don't want him to have to give up anything he loves just because it's bad for me to eat. I have no problem having a salad at night & just a tiny portion of the fried stuff or whatever it is he's really wanting. I don't want him to have to sacrifice anything for me if I can help it.

SoDamnHungry

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

I'm not trying to change the way he eats, I just don't want to have to cook two separate meals every night. If we had kids I wouldn't mind cooking one meal for them & something small for me but it's just the two of us & that seems a little ridiculous. I'm just trying to find a way to compromise that will still keep him happy & satisfied without making me continue to gain weight.

Ahhhh ok. Whatever you make for yourself, make it smothered/salted for him. Boom done.

I like it. Just pop open a can of gravy and dump it on his plate.

Robin_Bin

No one hates all healthy food.
Southern food -- try okra, greens (collard, kale, etc.), rice and beans. Use less butter or fat, but you can still add some -- maybe a bit of bacon or some of his fresh meat. Like tabasco sauce?
Google healthy, southern food and you'll find hundreds of suggestions.
Lots of ways to bake chick that tastes as good or better than most fried (although really excellent fried chicken is hard to beat, but also uses less oil and is better drained.
Don't change things all at once. If your dinner is usually a meat course, bread and vegetables, change one of them at a time. Use some whole wheat, not 100%. Try wild rice. Use spices. Add vegetables to dishes… like some lettuce and tomato in a sandwich or some zucchini in soup.
Try spaghetti squash with a sauce you already like.
Try different kinds of rolls. Traditional corn bread doesn't have added sugar, but it can have some spice.
Mashed potatoes don't need butter, use a meat-broth gravy or some parmesan cheese. Use sweet potatoes with cinnamon instead of white potatoes?
Put things like butter, salt or parmesan cheese on at the end of cooking instead of mixing them in. When they're on top, you taste them more, and need to add less.
USE THE WEB and see what ideas you like. Look on the recipes board here.
Let him cook for himself sometimes if he doesn't like what you make.

YELLOWGREEN1234

Damn. I'm 18 and I live with my family and they always eat unhealthy, fried, and high calorie foods and I feel like there's almost no way to stop them. Your hubby needs to understand that one day his metabolism won't be as high and the foods that he eats now will at one point catch up with him . Food is fuel for your body and no matter how fast your metabolism, if the fuel you're putting in your body is unhealthy, your body will also be unhealthy.

SoDamnHungry

He likes home cooked everything. I love to cook & there are very few options for restaurants near us anyway so we only eat out once every other week when we have to go to the next town. We live in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere. He DOES like vegetables, he just likes them super buttery & preferably with bacon added. When I call him wonderful it isn't sarcasm, he's amazing! He fully supports me getting healthier & in shape & is open to making some changes in the way we eat. He comes home for lunch everyday & I always make us separate meals since lunch is simpler. He works six, sometimes 7 days a week on a cattle ranch & he works HARD. I don't want him to have to give up anything he loves just because it's bad for me to eat. I have no problem having a salad at night & just a tiny portion of the fried stuff or whatever it is he's really wanting. I don't want him to have to sacrifice anything for me if I can help it.

Well, it sounds like maybe you should do that. Load up on vegetables and have a smaller portion of the delicious fried stuff. Since he'll eat veggies, you could try cooking them with a little oil, maybe broiling them and adding a spice rather than completely smothering them in butter. If you make a casserole or something, add a lot of veggies. If he doesn't want as many he can pick around them, and you can eat more of them.

spicegeek

Alternate healthy days and his food days - on healthy days cook 3 portions and put one in the fridge - on his food days - cook his food - and warm the food you made yesterday for yourself

I cook all my food a week in advance and reheat it as needed

aqualeo1

When I cook for myself and boyfriend I make mine a healthier version of whatever the food is. Like if it's chicken parm I bread & I fry his and just sautée mine with Pam and put less cheese on my piece. You don't have to make two completely different meals but yeah you might have to spend a little more time on it if you are serious about eating healthier.

Robin_Bin

I don't want him to have to sacrifice anything for me if I can help it.

So he's wonderful, but you're ok with helping him develop illness and die sooner because of unhealthy eating? Ok, that was an extreme statement, but you started this thread with a rather extreme statement too. :-)

Since he does hard physical labor, he can use the calories, but he still needs the nutrition. As long as he's getting the nutrients, he can add extra butter, but if he's not eating "healthy" food -- especially vegetables, he's probably not meeting his nutritional needs. In other words, he is potentially sacrificing something -- his health.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Just because you want to change the way you eat, doesn't mean he has too.

I'm not trying to change the way he eats, I just don't want to have to cook two separate meals every night. If we had kids I wouldn't mind cooking one meal for them & something small for me but it's just the two of us & that seems a little ridiculous. I'm just trying to find a way to compromise that will still keep him happy & satisfied without making me continue to gain weight.

Ahhhh ok. Whatever you make for yourself, make it smothered/salted for him. Boom done.

I like it. Just pop open a can of gravy and dump it on his plate.

Yup!