Can I reform a SAD-Eater?

I don't think it's any secret that one of the most important people in my life -- my new husband -- is a SAD eater. If I am on the "extreme" spectrum (his words) of eating, then he is pretty close to the other extreme. This was quite a contentious point while we were dating and before we got married, and still is an on-going battle to some extent. For now, he is mostly respectful that I want to eat this way, but until recently has shown zero interest in joining me. That was fine with me for a while. Early on, I had tried to push and persuade, but that just seemed to backfire and alienate him even more. So I gave up and decided that he had to make his own decisions as an adult and I could just try to set the best example I could.

Well, he got his cholesterol checked earlier this year and it was bad. Very bad. Plus he has been dealing with these cold/flu-like symptoms that haven't been going away for weeks. It's not quite a full-blown illness, but it's enough to make him have coughing fits, congestion, and complain of no energy. He thinks maybe he has suddenly developed "allergies", despite never having them before. And he has been doing nothing to help his health but feed it fast food sandwiches at breakfast AND lunch. Sometimes with fried potatoes and always with soda. Last week, he discovered a blood pressure machine at work and decided to try it. His BP, which had been normal in the past, was in the "hypertension" range! I freaked out a bit.

So late last week we had a long talk about his health. VERY reluctantly, he has agreed to allow me to prepare all meals for him for the next three weeks. It's going to be tough. He is an incredibly picky eater. He doesn't like soups, stews (this includes chili), tomatoes, most vegetables, oatmeal, cereal, most ethnic foods, beans... the list goes on and on. He also likes his food HOT and sometimes travels for his job which means he doesn't have access to a microwave. I've been racking my brain all day already wondering what I'm going to feed him.

We start on Saturday.

Revived

The chaos (for now) has ended. I am now married and living with my husband. That still sounds weird. :) It's been an interesting transition living with a SAD-eater. Before, in my single days (heh), I avoided most temptations by not bringing them into the house. Now, they are everywhere. However, I feel the need to be a good example to the Husband and so I am usually good about avoiding them and I haven't been "falling off the wagon" as much. I'm still not perfect (who is?) but I committed to a plant-based diet for life.

I've found the biggest motivator so far has surprisingly been education. Not that I didn't understand the science before. I've read ETL. I've read The China Study. I've watched Forks Over Knives. But it's this continuous delving into these subjects through books, movies, and other media that has been helping me. One interview in particular with Dr. Esselstyn resonated with me. It's from a podcast called Powerful Living that I recently found online:

http://www.wellnessforum.com/Audio/DONWALKER_061709_DrCaldwellEsselstyn.mp3

If you haven't listened to this, it's excellent and motivating. Like Esselstyn says, "[No one] with a brain in their head would ever continue to eat this way which is going to guarantee them all these chronic killer diseases." I also liked that he addressed the "everything in moderation" question, asking why anyone would ever want to have a small amount of "grass-fattened stricknine" or "organic arsenic"? Hmm, yes, why would they??

I liked this interview so much I recently picked up a copy of Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and am looking forward to reading it. I've also picked up the King Corn and Fast Food Nation DVDs from the library. It is going to be an educational week. :)