Socolova's Journal, 23 January 2015

Thanks Alaska...helpful, unlike some.... 

I actually choose not to pursue a relationship because the person was a picky eater. Does that make me shallow? Make a list of the foods he does eat. Point out which ones are good for him and which ones to limit. I was a very picky eater growing up, now I'll try anything. A lot has to do with how food is cooked. If he doesn't like a vegetable one way try another and another. I can't stand frozen or canned green beans but love fresh. Nothing tastes good boiled. Figure out what his favorite flavor is and start cooking more with that seasoning or condiment. Cutting back a little each time. That may hide the flavor until he gets used to it. You eat an elephant one bite at a time, and then you go to jail for poaching, so don't eat a real elephant.  

Thanks IC..I have learned that he will try "steamed" veggies over fresh or canned...so that's something.... 

Roasted veggies are amazing and may help him feel like he's not eating rabbit food. That or if he's one of those man's men and likes to grill give him some veggie shish kabobs to tend and baste over the fire.  

or meat kabobs with one veggie surrounded by the meat.  

Yes love it!! Great ideas :) 

It might help to eliminate one thing at a time. For example, this week you can help him cut out the dairy. Next week, cut down the refined sugars. He should start seeing progress pretty quickly with those two items gone. It will also "clarify" his taste buds (my words). 

I was hoping you would comment Snuggles...with your new found vegan-ism I was hoping you'd have some insight! 

wow. My vote is if he really wants to make a change, he needs to change his way of thinking about food. Get out of the rut and try the fantastic possibilities of what food can do and how good it can be. Great idea for others- I'm just old school. My family eats what I make or they don't eat. Don't get me wrong, I indeed have flexibility but they need to be flexible too. 

I hear ya, Cmiansiti...that's how I was raised, you eat it or go hungry...but I know he wasn't and I think that is a big part of it...at family dinners at his house even now his mom makes 3 different meats because people like or don't like certain things...I'll just have to keep trying :) 

Thanks Jim, I will definitely do my best! 

Even just making small changes or one thing, if he gets results that's a motivator. Boost his ego by telling him you notice positive changes, tell him he's sexier, you can tell the difference in bed, that kind of stuff. I'm not saying make up lies, just reinforce any true and positive changes with him. Us guys like to hear it and even the happily married ones who have no interest in straying get a boost from the thought that just maybe women might find us attractive. Especially us 50 something guys like me. :) More motivation, maybe more willingness to do more and keep things going?  

Here is some advice that has been well documented for getting fussy children and adults to eat vegetables. One, find out whether or not he's a "super taster". Those people, about 25% of the population, (like yours truly), have more taste buds on their tongue and are more able to detect bitter substances produced in vegetables that discourage insects and other animals from eating them. I LOATHED vegetables as a child. I wouldn't touch them if my life depended on it! Fortunately, I had a mother who refused to give up hope on my fussy palate. There are a few different types of testing strips you can buy online to easy assess his ability to taste some of these bitter compounds. That might explain WHY he doesn't like to eat his vegetables, but it doesn't give him an EXCUSE to not do what's best for his health because, like others have said, as an adult, he should have the knowledge that it's what is best for his health and have ability to change those habits if he really wants to change. I learned many years ago, when I used to develop employee training programs and training materials for various companies, that it takes anywhere from a minimum of 7 to 10 attempts to instill or change a behavior when teaching someone a new job. For some, it only takes 2 or 3 tries, and for some, it could mean 20 or more. So, in order to get someone to do something new (and that includes eating vegetables, etc.) they have to try it over and over and over and over again. It's been scientifically proven to work. The more attempts he makes at eating a particular vegetable, the more likely his brain will eventually think it's safe to eat and it will begin to taste better to him. Most parents give up much sooner than their child's brain and most adults immediately avoid those foods they don't immediately find pleasing. Don't let him give up trying. The key is to keep trying those foods/vegetables over and over again, particularly when done on a daily basis with the same vegetable, and eventually his brain will follow suit. That's how I "made myself" love vegetables and now they make up about 70% of my diet! I haven't met a single vegetable I don't LOVE now! It is possible. You just have to commit to the process and NEVER stop trying. 

Awesome advice twinnie, thank you, I definitely will take that to heart :) 

Thanks, great ideas!!!! We use a lot of ground turkey instead of beef and lots and lots of cayenne so we're allllmost there ;) 

LOL! Thank you @Socolova. Dairy was the hardest thing for me to give up, but through giving it up I realized how much dairy that I was regularly consuming. I think there is a lot of great advice in this thread. The super taster thing is crazy, but we did an experiment my senior year of high school to test for super tasters in my class. I am not one, fortunately. 

Tell him what you need to eat and let him cook whatever he likes within those limits for you. He can add/subtract stuff to his own portions as he sees fit. Of course, that's easy for me to say because I'm a good cook and do the cooking more often than not. I go on a diet and she loses weight. Win win. :D 

He sounds like my kind of guy. Probably not going to sacrifice meat and potatoes for quinoa in the near future. I can handle more chicken and fish instead of red meat. I can do spinach or whole wheat, or even spaghetti squash for my spaghetti. Wild rice instead of enriched white rice. I love green beens and potatoes cooked up in a pot with just a little ham for flavoring. Nothing wrong with baked or mashed potatoes if you don't overdo it. I hated squash, but DW started making some acorn squash I think, with a little brown sugar and butter and it tasted great. Also sqush tasted pretty darn good on the grill, or with pieces in between chicken, onion, and peppers on shiskabob. He has to want to eat healthier though - just like us. 

Very true DK, good points...NM, that's actually a really great idea, he does cook :) 

He may want to try a Paleo diet - lots of proteins and fats with minimal carbs aka fruit and veggies.