Husband who hates healthy food!

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  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    I've never been in that exact situation, but I don't like making two meals. When I make a meal, you can eat it or fend for yourself. I do try to include something each person will like each time I make a meal. Like when the kids hated saurkraut, I'd make saurkraut and sausage for husband and I, with mashed potatoes on the side, which the kids liked also. (for example)
  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
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    I'd treat him like a 5yo, lol. Eat what I make or starve :p

    hahaha this....................... :happy:
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    Or meet in the middle- do a build your own pizza night- so you get healthy toppings and he can have what he wants...

    Or use recipes from sites like www.skinnytaste.com- one meal- great taste, still healthy..

    ETA: or make a big thing (roast, lean beef with taco seasoning etc...).. and have your veggies on the side. If he wants a baked potato or macaroni and cheese on the side- those are easy enough to fix quickly as well..
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    HAHA.. my boyfriend just bought organic gluten free bread for his place and he check the nutrition labels when he shops now checks the salt content and the fat content. lol. he doesn't care about he calories just yet, but low-salt and low-fat is a good start. I'd say i'm converting him. LOL
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
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    My husband isn't a big fan of healthy eating either, so I cook meat and starch for him, have small portions of that for myself, and make myself extra veggies.

    Is there any vegetables he will eat? Mine doesn't mind carrots, so I put them in EVERYTHING.
  • stefa711
    stefa711 Posts: 196 Member
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    And according to you I eat like a 5 year old. So thanks for that. Pizza and mac and cheese can be healthy if home-made fyi.

    I meant no offense! I do love Mac and cheese and pizza myself... Especially Mac with Greek yogurt, but unfortunately that will not fit into a vegan lifestyle :( luckily I have found some awesome vegan recipes for both!

    I do now foresee myself switching to 80/20 vegan/vegetarian so I can feed him too lol.
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    Just saw the vegan part... seitan can be a girl's best friend... chorizo style seitan is DELICIOUS, though not exactly low in fat- but.. one more meatless alternative to slip in there ;-)
  • stefa711
    stefa711 Posts: 196 Member
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    My husband isn't a big fan of healthy eating either, so I cook meat and starch for him, have small portions of that for myself, and make myself extra veggies.

    Is there any vegetables he will eat? Mine doesn't mind carrots, so I put them in EVERYTHING.

    He will eat spaghetti squash... Corn occasionally. But that's about where it ends! That's my biggest concern. I put veggies in EVERYTHING! Brussels sprouts, asparagus, onions, peppers, spinach, kale! I can't do without them!
    I guess it is possible to cook my veggies and his meat separately. Just another pan?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Is this your first deployment? The reason I ask is that reintegrating can be rough even if nothing has changed.

    Yes... Is it that obvious? Haha. Actually 6 months after he comes home it's my turn. So I'm also trying to think about how I'd feel if it was me (because it will be me next).

    I think cooking two meals at a time may become exhausting, so we're going to have to learn to compromise. Pizza one night, veggies the next.

    I actually really liked the comment about trying paleo and then eating to our own preferences.

    I think you're on the right track. Just whatever you do make sure he's on board and that you discuss it. And like I said, I'd give it a couple of weeks first. His sleep schedule will be normalizing and he'll probably want to spend a bunch of money. Our first reintegration wasn't tough, but we don't have kids and I went to a couple of classes on it so I knew what to expect.
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
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    My husband isn't a big fan of healthy eating either, so I cook meat and starch for him, have small portions of that for myself, and make myself extra veggies.

    Is there any vegetables he will eat? Mine doesn't mind carrots, so I put them in EVERYTHING.

    He will eat spaghetti squash... Corn occasionally. But that's about where it ends! That's my biggest concern. I put veggies in EVERYTHING! Brussels sprouts, asparagus, onions, peppers, spinach, kale! I can't do without them!
    I guess it is possible to cook my veggies and his meat separately. Just another pan?

    Yes!
  • lillauraseymour
    lillauraseymour Posts: 63 Member
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    Make healthier verisions of unhealthy things, www.skinnytaste.com has fabulous ones, like healthy chicken nuggets/pickles/eggplant chips/sweet potato chips, my neice loves all of them and so do I. Healthy pizza, i use mountain bread as a pizza base, you could also use cauliflower etc!
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    My husband has been deployed for 3 months now. After he left, I cut out processed foods. Then I started eating all organic, upped my vegetable intake, and cut down on meat.
    Now I've cut out all meat and dairy. I feel amazingly healthy and I've lost 27 lbs so far. This is something I want to keep up long term, for life, I hope.
    My problem is that my husband eats like a 5 year old. He hates vegetables and loves pizza and macaroni and cheese. How do I keep up my healthy habits when he gets back? Has anyone else dealt with a lifestyle change in their diet without the full support of their families?

    You can only control what goes in your mouth.
  • DrewsAnna
    DrewsAnna Posts: 311 Member
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    My husband is the same. When I make him fried chicken with macaroni & cheese, I take out a chicken breast, rub it down with olive oil, rosemary, salt & pepper, I make half a recipe of brown rice and green beans because that is the only veggie he will eat with fried chicken. I keep lean cuisines, weight watchers meals, etc. for when he wants pizza & stuff like that. I've learned to sneak healthy in on him. Once you figure it out it is really quite easy to make you both happy. There are some meals that I just can't live with out because I'm a cook but I will put them into the recipe calculator thingy on here and figure out the calories per serving so I can plan.
  • Dawnomite
    Dawnomite Posts: 37 Member
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    I've always eased my Hubby into it when he gets home from deployments. The 1st few weeks is spent usually with him telling me what he is in the mood for...after that it reverts to the ole "It doesn't matter" routine so I cook what *I* am wanting too.... It 100% of the time gets eaten. If he really has a hate for something I cook.. I reserve it for duty days. LOL
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
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    One way to at least incoporate more veggies for him is to chop them up and add them to his burgers, meatloaf, tacos, etc. You can then add some of the chopped veggies to make veggie burgers, black bean tacos and burritos, etc. At least that way the meals aren't too different or time consuming.

    I love the Skinny Taste and Average Betty websites.
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
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    My husband has been deployed for 3 months now. After he left, I cut out processed foods. Then I started eating all organic, upped my vegetable intake, and cut down on meat.
    Now I've cut out all meat and dairy. I feel amazingly healthy and I've lost 27 lbs so far. This is something I want to keep up long term, for life, I hope.
    My problem is that my husband eats like a 5 year old. He hates vegetables and loves pizza and macaroni and cheese. How do I keep up my healthy habits when he gets back? Has anyone else dealt with a lifestyle change in their diet without the full support of their families?

    Hi Stef,

    I have been and still am in a similar situation, though neither my wife nor I have been deployed in the armed forces in a war zone.
    My preference is to be vegetarian but my wife and kids are avid meat eaters. When I can I cook healthy vegetarian fare though sometimes my wife comes home from the supermarket with meat, chicken or fish and wants that for dinner. I encourage my family to eat more vegetarian food but its not the end of the world if they don't. The vast majority of the time, they prefer my cooking to take away and most restaurant meals.

    Something that I want to tell you is that at different parts of my life I was vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic. I know from close observation and first hand just how divisive a dogmatic adherence to a particular dietary philosophy can be. Its great if you can eat healthy food but sometimes we don't get the choice. Mental qualities such as gratitude and humility, in my opinion, are important to continually cultivate when we get what we want and when we don't..

    One strategy that might work for you to get your husband on board is to cook high-quality alternatives to his junk food choices. Home-cooked hamburgers can be absolutely fantastic, as can macaroni cheese. It just requires a bit of investigation and planning. It might also be worthwhile having a heart-to-heart talk with him when he is next home about your health and wellbeing goals and how important they are to you. Perhaps the open and honest communication you'll get him to be be your biggest ally.

    Do keep us informed as to how you go.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
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    Perhaps he will change a bit if given the opportunity. So try that.
    I went lower carb higher fish less pasta no rice limited bread and so on about two years ago. My family didn't want to.
    It caused some friction but we are all still related to each other.
    It is something you can definitely work through.
    In the interim my family learned to appreciate some of these changes and the associated benefits not to the extent that I have but they have been willing over time to make some changes themselves.
    It is not a destination it is a journey. Stay hungry my friends.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    nevermind
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
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    I can not eat wheat (pasta, pizza, muffins, rolls, bread), but make it for the family.
    Now I do not eat meat or dairy either.
    I suggest buying him a barbecue and let him grill the meat.
    When I am invited to someone's house for dinner, I do not have to tell the hostess what I can eat.
    I just avoid what I do not want and still find plenty to eat.
    Also, tell him to eat his fruit and vegetables. They are nutrient dense; not calorie dense.
    Also tell him that you love him and want him to be healthy and keep that gorgeous body.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
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    You say he's been deployed for 3 months now. And that you slowly made these changes after he left... You can't just drop the changes on him as soon as he's back... How hard would it be if you came back and all of the 'comfort foods' you loved were ripped from you?!

    You had the benefit of time to make your changes, maybe you should allow him the same.

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