Callin' All Clean Eaters!!

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Hi yall! I have been interested in the clean eating way of life for about 3 years, after reading Tosca Reno articles in the Oxygen mags. About that time, I moved in with my boyfriend, now husband. He does not eat most fruits and vegetables and I'm pretty sure that if ya cut him, he woulda bled Dr. Pepper, now he'd bleed sweat tea. It's already pain enough to buy healthier stuff for me to eat, and then whatever he gets and then have two people tryin' to fix dinner at about the same time, or havin' to fix him dinner before he goes to work at night then fix somethin' for myself. Have any of you experienced this, and successfully transferred to clean eating? Or have you found ways to bring your significant other around to this lifestyle?
Any tips and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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  • twinmomtwice4
    twinmomtwice4 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    Are we married to the same guy? Seriously?? My husband would bleed Dr Pepper too and he acts like he's deathly afraid of veggies and fruits.

    I've been eating mostly clean foods since last year and trying to improve even more this year. I'm also slowly transitioning my kids to a cleaner diet.

    I will only fix ONE dinner for my family. If my husband won't eat it, then I ask him to wait until the kids are in bed to eat whatever he's going to eat, which is usually fast food or cereal.

    However, tonight, I made my usual Buttermilk Ranch Dressing but changed up a few things and I begged him to at least try it....and he liked it. Not loved it, but he did try it and he said it was decent.

    So I think, little by little, he'll come around and hopefully continue to try new things. I swear, he's like a kid himself....I just ask them to all at least try a couple bites of something new and then if they don't like it, fine. Most of the time, my kids end up liking it.

    Just keep working on him....encourage him to at least TRY what you're making. :smile:
  • kacysuzanne
    kacysuzanne Posts: 27 Member
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    It took me 8 years. I made small changes in his favorite meals first. I agreed that if he tried a meal I made and didn't like it, I wouldn't fix it again. We now eat 90% clean - he still eats Fiber One bars and I still have Goldfish with the kids, but it's so much better than when we got married!
  • QuietRain
    QuietRain Posts: 157
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    I have it a bit easier because my SO isn't adverse to veggies and fruits. So a lot of things I / he makes, we can both partake in it.
    At the beginning of the week [lately] I make a stew and roast a bird [either chicken or turkey] and we both make / use it however we want during the week.


    Maybe try finding a few dishes both of you enjoy, finding a clean recipe for it and hope for the best?
    I can imagine it being a pain to make separate meals [even the extra money going into the grocery bill].


    **Though I must say I don't eat entirely clean, I am working towards it.
  • GoffGirl1029
    GoffGirl1029 Posts: 93 Member
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    Are we married to the same guy? Seriously?? My husband would bleed Dr Pepper too and he acts like he's deathly afraid of veggies and fruits.

    This made me laugh! Thank you for the advice!
  • GoffGirl1029
    GoffGirl1029 Posts: 93 Member
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    So, I'm needy! How did yall begin? Did ya read books, magazines? If so what were the best to help you get the basics of it all?
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 272 Member
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    Cheese is dirty. Do you eat cheese?
  • pleshettessister
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    I told mine that if he wanted me to be at my healthiest than he would have eat what I prepared. I made it clear that I did not need the added temptations of all the cookies that he loves to bake. So far, he is being supportive...
  • 91lowharley
    91lowharley Posts: 22 Member
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    I'm fortunate from Mon - Thursday that I only cook for myself since my husband works out of town. I usually make him a separate meal on the weekends and that's if I do cook when he comes home . He likes for us to go out to dinner so what I do is I'll cook on Fridays and go out for lunch OR dinner on Saturdays. We'll go to restaurants that have a nutrition menu on-line or at the restaurant as that was our agreement. He also would bleed Lipton sweet tea! Practically anything I'll eat he won't because he says it's a "diet" food and it's not. It's just a healthy meal because I'm not starving myself. I also think that he sometimes does it intentionally because he is now buying junk food to take with him for the week! He behaves like a child! Overall, he does support me on my "new" ME. :smile: Good luck!
  • annpatrin
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    My boyfriend's idea of vegetables is the ketchup on his bacon cheeseburgers, and he bleeds coffee and beer. What has helped me from having to make two meals every day is, I will take a recipe that is your typical comfort food for him and switch out the unhealthy stuff. He doesn't notice the difference. There are a lot of sites that give you ideas on making recipes healthier. I also steam a lot of vegetables with herbs and spices, he really loves it. He also thinks it's drowning in butter when it actually has no butter.

    I don't push it on him but if he likes something I will make it a lot to satisfy us both. It will take patience but if you get creative you can bring him around to your healthy eating ways. I would figure out what his favorite foods are and look for ways you can change them up to make them healthier for you both. Good luck =)
  • splashwags
    splashwags Posts: 262 Member
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    Cheese is dirty. Do you eat cheese?

    Cheese is the one thing I cannot give up, and I 'm not sure I agree that it is not clean. I would start with small steps, and I liked the suggestion about getting him to try one new meal. Start with maybe one a week....Chilis/stews/soups are great ways to sneak stuff in too
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
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    My husband and daughter eat all kinds of crap. They have their food and I have mine. My husband works nights so I have to prepare his food mid-afternoon for his "lunch". Eh, it is what it is. I just don't eat it. That's HIS food, not mine. My daughter eats whatever I have prepared for him or she fixes herself something. I always offer her some of what I'm having and she either eats it or doesn't.

    For me, I've been on the clean eating kick for a long time now. I spend more time off the wagon than I spend on. I never feel like my family is to blame for my derailments, it's me, I choose to fall off. My best advice is to prep some fruits and veggies ahead of time so they are easy to grab. In a moment of weakness just grab an apple, banana or make a HUGE salad. I usually keep a huge pot of veggie stew in the fridge that I can just pop a bowl in the microwave and have an awesome meal in no time. Sweet potatoes and bananas are my go to's for those times I crave sweets. I use a lot of cinnamon and stevia. I also make substitutes for foods I love like pancakes. Mash one banana with 2 eggs. Spray a nonstick pan and cook just like a pancake. I then use some natural REAL butter, almond butter or organic pure maple syrup. They are SO good. I also make cauliflower bread sticks and dip them in organic spaghetti sauce. YUM. I prepare and eat my salads from mixing bowls. I make breakfast cereal by mixing chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, sliced strawberries, blueberries, sliced banana, chia seeds and almond milk. So good!

    Good luck and I hope you stick with it. You will feel so good if you do :flowerforyou:
  • twinmomtwice4
    twinmomtwice4 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    So, I'm needy! How did yall begin? Did ya read books, magazines? If so what were the best to help you get the basics of it all?

    I read quite a few books on Clean Eating and subscribed to a few popular websites like The Gracious Pantry and Food Babe. Oh and also Pinterest. There are TONS of clean recipes on there, as well.

    I would try to find recipes online of things I like to eat, as well as my family, and just make simple changes. Basically, making things from scratch will help in the biggest way.

    Instead of buying ready-made pancake mix, I make my own now and they taste just as good. I make all our salad dressings and sometimes (when I have time) I'll make granola. I buy plain non-fat greek yogurt and add my own fruit to it. You can make your own bread crumbs and/or panko crumbs and use those in recipes.

    Little by little, I just did away with all the processed crap.

    Before you know it, it'll be like second nature to you.

    Feel free to look through my diary and if there are any recipes you want, let me know! I'm happy to share!
  • twinmomtwice4
    twinmomtwice4 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    Oh another thing, not sure if you're into gardening at all but every summer, my kids and I plant a huge summer garden and that's a great way to implement some healthy, organic produce into your diet!! We also planted a lemon and peach tree a few years ago and this season was the first season we actually got some decent fruit from them. There is NOTHING like a fresh lemon or a fresh peach!
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 272 Member
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    Cheese is dirty. Do you eat cheese?

    Cheese is the one thing I cannot give up, and I 'm not sure I agree that it is not clean. I would start with small steps, and I liked the suggestion about getting him to try one new meal. Start with maybe one a week....Chilis/stews/soups are great ways to sneak stuff in too

    Cheese is liquid meat fat.