How I got my husband to eat at least less meat

[manuguarneri]

I.e. “I did it! I killed the bloodthirsty beast”

My husband loves meat but he ate too much of it even if he was very aware about the risks for his health and damages caused to the environment.

The nagging wife inside of me tried to convince him so many times trying to make him feel guilty… but it didn’t work. Nothing happened except for turning him very very nervous. But it got worse: the nagging wife was sick of it thus she started doing very stupid things like throwing away all the meat from the refrigerator and preparing vegetarian meals only. The first 2-3 days he reacted nicely saying things like “Thank you darling but… where is the real food here?” and after dinner he ended up eating a lot of bread, cookies or chocolate. Can you believe I was so stupid that once for dinner I prepared boiled potatoes and cabbage only? And I was pretending he liked it? Ok please, stop laughing at me! After that lame attempt the bloodthirsty beast inside of him came out scaring the nagging wife away.

1 lesson learned: I couldn’t eliminate 100% meat out of the clear blue

As the nagging wife was still grounded, I became craftier and started “diluting” meat by replacing part of it with beans or mushrooms in recipes like lasagna, stew and casserole. Guess what? It didn’t work. He was complaining about how the meals weren’t as good as before.

2 lesson learned: I had to cook whether good vegetable or good meat meals instead of a strange mix.

Sorry. The nagging wife is still around but it’s a good thing she is now concentrated on something else. Anyway she is proud to share with you some of my successful tactics:

• Scale down the frequency gradually

• Cook vegetable hamburgers and salty cakes with vegetarian side dishes.

• Accompany vegetarian stew and hotpots with something substantial like potatoes and cereals (otherwise the bloodthirsty beast…).

• Go into Indian and other ethnic food. India is the home of vegetarianism

• Get curious (believe it or not this was no effort for me): I tried new veggie and cereals I didn’t know their existence.

• Add one new ingredient at a time if you’re worried about causing allergies

• Show him the bill: I took on the role of accountant (can you see the nagging wife gloating?) and proved him that we could afford local organic meat without spending more

• Order first when you are out for dinner: I realized I put some unconscious pressure on him by ordering vegetarian courses before he opens his mouth. Can you imagine how much I can satisfy my untenable desire of changing him this way???

Knock knock. Uh, sorry the nagging wife is here for some advisory:

• -meat = + legumes

• Don’t put more cheese on his plate (it’s not very healthy and doesn’t help with global warming)

If you’re wondering about me having kids, yes I have a 6 years old wonderful girl. Did this process work for her too? Yes: not too many spices, I always cook something I know she already likes, I prepare small portions and involve her mentally and practically.

Ok I have to go now. I just noticed that my husband (holy man) didn’t repair the closet door yet! I have to write a note on a paper for him, text him,…

PS: if you find some odd things in my writing you’re probably right. Please forgive me I’m not a native English speaker but I’m hardly trying to improve my English!!!

[IndigoBlue61]

Hehe 😊 This made me smile!! Well done on changing all your family's eating habits! Well worth it!! 😊

[Hidden]

I love the humour, good luck with the husband. I've tried getting mine to eat more healthily (not even going to ask him to cut out meat) but he is wedded to his comfort food and junk food. I am just trying my best where I can! I still like meat, but I'm trying to stick mainly to fish and chicken...

[manuguarneri]

Thank you eatsalottie. I share your feelings.

I was wondering if you can guess the reasons for him to look for comfort food?

What are his comfort food?

My husband has a very stressful job and he thought he deserved junk food. I said him that he deserved to be healthy and fit. And he agreed. He started to desire to change. Human beings stick with the habits and you have to start slowly. Maybe offering him an healthier choice

Good luck and wish you all the Best

[happydodderer]

I have the greatest respect for people who, for moral beliefs, are vegetarian, but we should remember that all creatures on earth, including humans, have to eat other living matter in order to survive. There are no exceptions. Vegetables, in their own way, are just as alive as we are. Behead a carrot and leave it for a few days and the life force in it will become clearly visible ! The suggestion I am trying to make here is try not to be TOO critical of your husbands choices. What he is trying to eat is a natural choice, part of the long chain of life.

[manuguarneri]

I couldn't agree more with you. I Just read a very interesting book called brilliant green (but it's in Italian only ) about dignity and intelligence of trees. Where is their dignity in monoclonal fields?

Probably it wasn't clear enough that my husband asked me for help because he lovedmeat, he wanted to scale down his meat consumption because of health and environment issue but he couldn't do it by himself.

I'm glad to hear that there are people out there who care about the well being of other creatures!

Ps we aren't vegetarian

[Helenoir]

I definitely think there is a global environment issue with eating meat, and it's a shame there is a lack of education on the mater. I started to have meat in only one meal a day and then some days no meat at all. My problem, I found, was my lack of knowledge on macro and Micro nutrients which lead to me not eating enough protein and certain minerals that are found only in meat. As I have increased my time at the gym I was increasingly suffering from exhaustion. Only after had I started to read up on what I should be eating and other food sources to replace meat was I able to feel better. There should be key information out there so we can help decrease our consumption and hopefully lower the supply and demand.

[manuguarneri]

Hi Helenoir,

you're totally right and I'm glad you found your way to decrease meat consumption without suffering from any deficiency.