How to Help Your Partner Eat Healthier
- 1). Know the difference between healthy diets and fad diets. Healthy diets include an abundance of whole, unprocessed foods, a variety of nutrients, plenty of greens and other vegetables and fruits on a daily basis and a limited amount of processed foods, alcohol and sweets. Fad diets include drastic measures like eliminating entire food groups (the exception to this being people who are allergic or intolerant to certain foods), extreme fasting and replacing real meals with protein bars or shakes. Before you educate your partner on healthy eating, make sure you are educated.
- 2). Share knowledge without editorial additions. Say, "I just read an interesting article about how diet affects our mood," but leave out, "and I think your mood swings could really improve if you ate better." Share only the facts and let your partner decide how those facts apply to his or her own life.
- 3). Lead by example. Take ownership of your own health and let your partner learn by watching you.
- 4). Understand that different people have different dietary needs. Metabolic type, blood type, genetics, hormones, activity levels and food sensitivities are just some of the factors that effect the type and amount of food a person needs to eat. Your partner's health needs may differ from your health needs.
- 5). Encourage your partner to listen to his or her body and you do the same. Paying attention to how you feel after eating certain kinds of food will give you essential clues about what is and what is not healthy for you.
- 6). Make staying home fun. When trying to eat healthier, it is essential to cook more and dine out less. Make an event out of your meals at home. Turn on music, chop together, tell stories. Include foods that are thought to be aphrodisiacs such as asparagus, oysters, berries and chocolate.
- 7). Seek help. Suggest that you and your partner take a healthy cooking class together, attend a workshop on nutrition or schedule a joint appointment with a dietitian. Sometimes a little outside motivation goes a long way in keeping you both on track.
- 8). Avoid lectures, demands, putdowns and passive-aggressive tactics. I used to eat a tremendous amount of sugar, and I was in a serious relationship at the time when I was working to decrease sweets from my diet. When I ordered dessert at a restaurant one night during this time, my boyfriend rolled his eyes and asked, "Are you really sure you should get that?" Not only did his remark hurt my feelings and piss me off, it took the joy out of the meal and showed that he had not noticed all the improvements I had made in cleaning up my diet. Be kind and careful when you do choose to discuss your partner's eating habits. And remember: any declarative and confrontational comments from you have the potential to be met with resentment and opposition.
- 9). Embrace patience. Lifestyle changes happen slowly over a long period of time and usually occur only after many failed attempts. And don't forget that a healthy diet is about the overall big picture and can include some unhealthy choices from time to time.
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