Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

0

I am convinced that a paleo way of eating will help my family reverse some of the problems we are having. My kids will put up a fuss because I have let our diet slip so far from the lovely mostly organic, local, nourishing traditions style diet we used to eat. They have become massive sugar addicts. I am embarrassed to even admit how bad it is (even though it is probably not as bad as most of America). My big problem is my husband.

My husband is diabetic and has all the things that go along with that. He is over weight and although he has lost some weight he still has some to go. He wants to become a cop but needs to pass the physical tests. The only thing is he hates veggies and I think only chokes them down because he has to. The list of veggies he hates is long and really limits me. What am I to do about that? He hates:

Mushrooms spinach greens of any kind (kale, collards, etc) summer squash zucchini radishes cucumber winter squash beets any fluffy lettuce (he only likes iceburg and romaine drenched in dressing) okra sweet potatoes (tolerated roasted or fried) cauliflower green beans (used to like them but now complains)

What does that leave? Onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, a few roots and carrots? Meat he has no problem with of course.

I am thinking I will just cook and he who wants to be picky can starve LOL Help!

flag	asked May 1 2011 at 20:29 PaleoCurious 326●2●5

Kit · Answer 1 · 2011-05-01 20:40:23Z UTC

3

Feed him meat, and vegis he does like, add some more interesting ones for yourself. He may take to them. After some time on paleo tastes seem to change. I now find carrots almost unbearably sweet.

My hubby will eat swede and carrots boiled and mashed together with black pepper and butter to replace the potato part of the meal.

answered May 1 2011 at 20:40

Kit
404●3●7

2

I agree! Make him what he likes, it will be the most effective way to get thim to see the light. If you just have to make yourself a different vegetable, that doesn't sound so bad! – sherpamelissa May 1 2011 at 21:18

Grace · Answer 2 · 2011-05-01 20:52:05Z UTC

2

I've been struggling with my partner for a while on this same question. AND he's a SCIENTIST. How is food this powerful?? Anyways, I've resigned to a new strategy: lead by example! (hopefully some rockin' abs this summer will do the trick) But also, he's really concerned about too much fat in his diet - he's even nervous about eating eggs everyday! So I'm looking forward to showing off my blood work at the end of this month to prove Paleo isn't going to give me a heart attack. Good luck! It's a tough issue!

answered May 1 2011 at 20:52

Grace
173●1●6

	I know the feeling... my girlfriend has a nutrition science degree, myself a biology degree. I've explained to her the premises behind Paleo a hundred times, and she gets it... but she's the pickiest eater alive. It's sad that she accepts that gluten is so toxic, that overconsumption of carbs leads to metabolic syndrome, but she forges on anyway. Nothing I can do. – becker May 1 2011 at 21:36
	"How is food this powerful??" It has tremedous addictive power! Sugar is as powerful an addiction as nicotine. Gluten proteins stimulate opiod receptors in the brain and linoleic acid (n6) stimulates endocannabanoid receptors. Going paleo is like breaking addictions to nicotine, marijuana and heroin - all at the same time! Easy to understand as a scientist, but hard to do as a real human being. – Dave S. May 2 2011 at 13:13
	I hear the same things from my hubby, he's decided to focus on his 'concerned' for my eating habits because of the eggs, 'good'fat and no processed carbs in any form. I keep reminding him how I lost the dang 20lbs I couldn't get rid of, my heath is much better, my skin, my hair, I am now absorbing nutrients and have less stomach issues (allergies, new ones came to light but I guess they were hidden). Maybe my cholesterol will be higher but if you look at it closely it shouldn't be as bad as before. SAD made me sick for years....and yet he still worries???? this stumps me!! – Kelly May 2 2011 at 13:49
	Luckily my man mostly leaves me alone whilst chuckling softly to himself. I'm only bothered when he starts to whine that about his "softness" now that he's not playing college sport anymore. It's something I would like to do together - but I guess you can't only lead by example :) – Grace May 3 2011 at 22:11

amina · Answer 3 · 2011-05-01 21:23:38Z UTC

my mom pulled the old, "he who doesn't eat will starve" routine and you know what happened?!? We didn't starve. Eventually we learned to eat, and one day enjoy the vegetables. Yeah, it didnt taste like the sugary drugs we begged and longed for, but we ended up being superb athletes, students, and overall some pretty good ass kids to have emerged from a poor household with a divorced mom. Not the worst that can happen...

Kim The Nourishing Cook · Answer 4 · 2011-05-01 21:59:32Z UTC

My husband is the same way, so I completely understand. I make what he likes, but sometimes I also throw in something he doesn't and ask him to try it. Depending on what it is, he will try it 80% of the time. He's happy that I'm paleo because we eat a lot more meat, but I am much more attuned to eating veggies than he is.

It's hard to cook for multiple people who all like different things. But I stopped catering to them a long time ago. I will make something that generally people will eat, but stopped worrying if they would 'love' it. That is up to me since I am doing the work of cooking and shopping. If my husband cooks (only once/week or so) than he cooks what he wants, but makes sure there are things I can eat.

It's kind of a dance but it seems to work, although there isn't any one time that EVERYONE is happy, which kind of sucks, but oh well! On their birthday they get to choose the meals. :)

semirade · Answer 5 · 2011-05-02 00:04:59Z UTC

Hey from a guy that has been a single parent because my wife died - cooking for myself and kids = cook what is good for everybody and if nobody wants it - they're on their own - if I learned to cook for myself = what's the prob - so can they!!! Don't cater to doing everything! kids and hubbies learn for themselves!

Egk · Answer 6 · 2011-05-01 20:40:43Z UTC

1

make him eat romain, sweet potatoes and steak (fatty) for a week. with butter. all he wants. I think he will like it and feel better to boot. he can add oher veg later, or not. the first step is to see how his BG levels react.

Does he he like eggs? how are you cooking the green beans?

answered May 1 2011 at 20:40

Egk
514●3●4

	Yes, he will eat any style of egg. I cook veggies in different ways including roasting, grilling, stir frying, etc. I try to add spices and fat to make them tasty and appealing. – PaleoCurious May 1 2011 at 20:45
	How about pureeing roasted veggies into sauces. Another idea: this weekend I took a plate of julienne zucchini made with a primal pad Thai sauce, and everyone thought it was pasta!! Only one person who doesn't eat vegetables saw some green and refused it; but the rest happily ate it!! – Kelly May 2 2011 at 13:51
	try cauliflower, garlic, herbs, and bacon fat pureed. i think it's better than mashed potatoes! – Grace May 3 2011 at 22:12

Rose · Answer 7 · 2011-05-01 21:12:36Z UTC

There are a few threads here about Paleo without veggies; many people disapprove of such a lifestyle, but there are those of us who thrive on it. I'm biased by my own success, of course, and not everyone who eliminates many or most veggies does well, but lots of folks do, too. Try these threads for starters:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/tagged/zero-carb#axzz1L8ZeFxKW

Of those, here are the ones I think might be the most informative for someone new to the idea:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/31385/current-former-zero-carbers-how-did-little-no-fiber-impact-your-bowel-habits#axzz1L8ZeFxKW

http://paleohacks.com/questions/28029/not-desiring-vegetables#axzz1L8ZeFxKW

http://paleohacks.com/questions/26634/vegetables-necessary-in-the-diet#axzz1L8ZeFxKW

http://paleohacks.com/questions/36094/what-am-i-missing-by-not-eating-green-vegetables#axzz1L8aW84bu

Good luck to your husband!

David Rourke · Answer 8 · 2011-05-01 23:37:53Z UTC

My wife is similar. I do most (all) of the cooking, and she will usually eat at least some of what I make. If not, she's a grownup and can eat what she wishes. I find it painful to watch her eat crap, but have accepted that it's not for me to control. Her diet is overall better than it was before I went paleo.

PaleosLordofthePaleoverse · Answer 9 · 2011-05-02 02:12:09Z UTC

0

Look at the Archevore blog of Kurt Harris for having a healthy diet with few vegetables and no nutritional deficiencies. How does your husband do with organ meat and bones? They are an extremely health food source.

answered May 2 2011 at 2:12

PaleosLordofthePaleoverse
181●3

I agree with the organ meat and bones suggestion. For folks who hate liver, a bone broth with sliced chicken hearts is great. Chicken hearts don't have the strong taste of liver. They don't have as much nutritional bang, either, but I find I can eat a lot more of them, and more often than liver, too. – Rose May 2 2011 at 4:45

What am I going to do with these people?

9 Answers