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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI was wondering if anyone here started out going raw and had a significant other (husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever) who was not interested in the raw food lifestyle but who eventually DID come over to the 'raw side'? I'm curious because my husband, although he supports my decisions, has sort of scoffed the whole genre. Not in a mean way, mind you, but he takes the attitude of: "Well, if it works for you, all find and dandy. Just don't ask me to do it."
I'm not looking to 'brain wash' him into changing his eating habits, but I would love for him to at least try what I'm doing and realize just how healthy this is. He's diabetic (type1-insulin dependent since he was six, he's 39 now), overweight and on all sorts of meds. His heart is good, cholesterol not too shabby. He did break his foot a few months ago so exercise, for now, is questionable at best. I love him like nothing else in this world and want him around for a long, long time.
So, I guess I was just wondering if anyone can give a brief description as to if they've been in a similar situation and how was it handled/resolved? Anyone here have some weight loss, feel good stories they'd like to share too?
Thanks.
Comments
Hi Dovesinna, my bf has a very similar attitude to your husband. I am mostly raw (I do eat some cooked vegan dinners) and when I first started down this path, I think he thought it was just a fad I was into. After a months of looking bemused when I whipped up new creations, he casually announced he'd start having a green smoothies with me in the mornings. I didn
And I'm glad you did share it. I'm just about crying, knowing someone out there in the big world is going through something similar. I think what our loved ones don't realize is that we love them so much and that we want them to be healthy and with us for so long as it's 'written'...lol.
With my husband's diabetes, he's always craving sweet stuff and has a reeeealy bad habit of eating three or four Reese's miniatures with a glass of milk when ever his sugar drops, instead of a small glass of juice or a piece of fruit. He's particular about his fruit too, wanting to peel everything. He likes his starches; his mash potatoes, his rice & gravy, his biscuits & gravy (we live in the South). These were the things he was brought up on'; the comfort food his family had. I'm betting he feels the same way as yours, regarding raw-foods as a fad (!).
I'm waiting for our tax return to come in and I told him, under no uncertain terms, I'm buying a dehydrator, mandolin, spiral slicer and MAYBE a Vita-mixer or juicer. Haven't decided on which one of those would be best/most helpful. The rest of the money he can keep for bills, mortgage, etc...lol
**sighs**
I just want to get healthier. I'm okay right now, other than asthma and being slightly overweight. I'm a Taurus and we're pretty healthy folk..lol.
Thanks again for sharing.
My sweet husband supports my raw eating, he even talks to our friends and family in support of it. He's a great salesman of the benefits however, he loves his meat and potatoes. BUT as time goes on and he sees how well I'm doing health wise and weight loss he is slowly changing his habits. I make sure he has choices, mixed fruit at meals, freshly squeezed orange juice, great tasting smoothies, raw dressings (to replace his blue cheese) delicious desserts (his favorites are a Cherry Cobbler with Vanilla Custard Cream by Vanessa Sherwood and a Pumpkin pie recipe from Raw Food, Raw World). Pushing doesn't help at all, I just have choices for him, tell him delicious things I've made during the day, ask him if he'll try a bite of what I'm eating, etc... As to the Vita-mixer vs. juicer, my juicer is new but I use my vita-mix sometimes several times a day. I think it is much more versatile than a juicer. Love my juicer but I make all my dressings, smoothies, dips, soups etc. in my vitamix that I can't make as easily or at all in my processor.
Blessings...
Mine thought I was being eccentric and getting into fads, but he then saw that I can do twice the amount of sports/excersise that I did before, and he has noticed my detox symptoms. He likes the raw food I made, but will always remain a meat eater...
Don't get me wrong: I'm not trying to force him to change. I'd never shove this way of food down his throat. I know he'll always be a meat and potatoes kind of dude too. :)
I just wish, deep down, that he cared enough about himself to want to be healthier. He's told me on more than one occasion that he feels like he's older than he is, that he feels his body is betraying him. He honestly thinks he'll go long before I do and I refuse to believe it. And no, it's not emotional blackmail on his part, not by any means. He gets in a funk from time to time. It seems, when he heals and recovers from one thing, something else 'breaks down'..lol
He's a sweet, funny, loving man, my best friend actually. We've been there for each other, through most of the hardships that life's thrown at each of us, separate and apart. I just hate to see the diabetes kick his a@@ like it has, you know?
Thank you, those of you who've responded to my post. It means a lot, even if y'all are strangers, that you open up about such things.
Have a wonderful day.
Wow dovesinna, it's amazing how similar situations we find ourselves in. My husband supports me (he encouraged me to buy a dehydrator, Vitamix and food processor) but basically loves his meat big time. It's frustrating watching the ones you love doing harm to themselves by what they put in their mouths. You sometimes want to scream at them but that would be counter productive. He even went so far as to have only salads for supper every other day as well as occasional green smoothies. He even admits he felt much better, but when winter came along he felt he "needed " heavier foods (i.e. porridge for breakfast, meat and starch for supper) to sustain him, but he still really likes a huge salad with supper. Old food habits are so addictive and very hard to break. I just hope that in time he will see the benefits of RAW and will come over from the dark side. In the meantime, I have to bite my tongue (daily) and not nag or even suggest improvements. At least we're all in this together and can support each other--that actually helps alot.
Hi,
When I started going raw I began with green smoothies. My husband called it "snail food" and made fun of me.
Now he wants some every morning.... is very interested in how it's making him feel better, etc. It's actually a little annoying because I drink a quart of green smoothie every morning and I DON"T want to share!
Anyway, I would say just give him time. Don't say anything. Be cool, and continue your quest for ultimate health. When he sees you transform, have more energy and start to glow, he'll start paying better attention and want to get in on the plan, too! But my advice is to teach him to make his own smoothies, so you don't have to share!!
PS DH is now even willing to be a taste tester for new recipes. I really never thought it would happen!
Funny thing...I think: he asked me how my doing raw foods is going to affect (i.e INCREASE) our main, basic food bill?! I know for a fact, it's cheaper to shop the outer perimeter of your local grocery store (if you eat dairy and meat too) than it is to be lured down the inner, middle isles. Those places are where the consumer is trapped, to never again see the light of nutrition's day....lol.
Seriously, when I get a dehydrator, I'm pretty sure I can make enough dehydrated goodies to sustain me between raw meals as well. I read somewhere about dehydrating kiwi slices...mmmmmmmmmm, that sounds so good; slightly sweet, slightly tart.
I really think, that utilizing the suggestions you kindly folks (makes y'all sound old, I don't mean that..lol) have given me here, perhaps, in time he'll see just how this affects me, how it affects my health and my well being. I'll keep ya posted and please, keep the good suggestions, comments a'coming. They're always appreciated. :)
LOL!!
I was surprised about how well my girlfriend has received Raw. She loves my avocado chocolate smoothie, and brags about it to all of her friends. I never tried to push this on her (she's comes from a family of major foodies/epicures), but she bought me a dehydrator for Christmas! Very sweet, even though she's excited about making beef jerky in it :) Her big hang-up I think is wanting a warm dinner, so I'll make us both a big salad for dinner, and a side of brown rice for her. The best way to convert I think is by making really delicious treats (how much better for your loved one to be eating a raw cacao cookie than a pint of Ben & Jerrys), and leading by example. Good luck!
I could literally cut and paste every work of sv3's post above and say it was my experience with my husband.
He will always try the things I make at home, but besides smoothies I haven't gotten him to admit to really enjoying much of it. Have taken him to may raw restaurants in NYC and SF, and he'll occassionally find something he loves, but mainly groans the whole time and then asks if he can "get a slice" (pizza) on the way home.
I don't feel insulted or anything, and since he is a Kiwi, he's big on meat, but I feel somewhat isolated from him when we go out to dinner with others, and when we end up making separate meals at home. And he's having some digestive issues and comes from a family with a lot of Krohns disease, yet he eats pretty much nothing but white carbs. He admits he feels better when he eats vegan, but just doesn't have the willpower I guess.
So what I've tried lately, is sneaking things into his diet....making him a green smoothie and adding E3 Live (he raved about it all day). Putting Maca into smoothies too. And I make homemade guac and salsa a lot and get him to use endive leaves and cucumber slices instead of chips. And he likes Nori rolls (if I put some fish in his). And I always make sure to have some raw desserts avail, so I can tempt him to pass on cheesecake at dinner and have some raw macaroons when we get home instead.
Small victories, but I hope to find more.
I have been a health nut for about 36 years. My DH has always been SAD. 5 of those years I have been raw. Of those 36 years DH has had gout attacks and his gull bladder removed. All related to food. Needless to say, now that he is having a hard time walking, (due to years of gout attacks) he has become a vegetarian. True, not raw vegan or even vegan but at least it is a start.
We have to realize cooked food and many commercial type" foods", are addictive. There for, we have to treat the person as addicted to cooked and SAD foods.
I am so lucky. My partner has nearly completely accepted raw and even chooses raw over non-raw foods nearly all the time. He was vegan when I met him; I was the meat-eater recently turned vegetarian. I immediately went vegan, and a year later started learning about raw. He already knew about raw, but wasn't sure about it. It was hard at first because I didn't feel supported, but we had a talk about how important eating raw was to me and how much better I feel when eating raw and he starting getting into it. Now he's trying new raw recipes! Yesterday he made me raw fruit pancakes with date sauce. Delicious!
Yes, lead by example!!!!! Keep at it and things will change. Your actions put energy out into the world and these will effect him. Also no one wants to get left behind, if you make real changes that he can see and feel emotionally that will be the magic trick.
And, cooked food is addictive!!!! Read Victoria Boutenko's 12 steps to Raw, overcoming cooked food addictions. This will give you many insights into why it is so hard for some people to change their diet.
You will have to be very supportive and the impetus for change. I am fortunate that my boyfriend was totally on board with me after only a few weeks of me eating high raw and it's been 2 1/2 years now. I think he even likes it more then me sometimes!
I have helped both my parents and my sister to eat more raw foods and they were very resistant at first. My mom and sister now make these foods for themselves and are getting healthier, my dad on the other hand will only eat raw food if I make it for him, he just eats frozen mac and cheese at all other times, LOL.
So the trick is makes tons of really good tasting raw food and especially raw deserts! You can slowly move away from the deserts as time goes on. This has helped me get many friends interested and respecting of this diet.
Getting a Vita mix will rock your world, I highly recommend it!