10 Tips for Healthy Eating with Your Future Hubby
By Kayley George, RDN, LD
Does your man eat everything in sight and never gain a pound? Perhaps you’ve found yourself picking up some of your partner’s less healthy eating habits and wind up compromising your own personal health goals. This can be very frustrating and cause feelings of self-failure and discouragement.
Developing a healthier lifestyle on your own is difficult in and of itself—it becomes seemingly impossible if your fiancée isn’t on board.
Misaligned eating habits may not seem like a big deal at first. But if the variances go unaddressed, it can lead to serious conflict down the line. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re both on the same page about what kind of eating lifestyle you want to live. Aligning your health priorities will not only prevent contention down the road, but will strengthen your relationship as a couple, and naturally improve your overall well-being!
Sounds great in theory, right? But how do you do it? Here are 10 tips for aligning your eating habits for healthier living!
Communicate
You know that communication is absolutely invaluable for a strong relationship. Your fiancé is the person to whom you are constantly communicating what’s important to you—from your choice of drink at the bar on Friday, to how many kids you want!
You need to communicate to him that your health and eating habits are important to you too. Don’t expect him to read your mind. If you don’t explain to him that you want to make healthy eating a priority, he may not even think about it and in turn won’t do anything about it! Once he understands how important it is to you, he will be much more likely to make it a priority as well.
Make It Fun
One reason your fiancé may not seem interested in joining your healthy lifestyle is because, in his mind, eating healthy is boring or bland. Change his mind! Show him how much fun healthy eating can be!
One way to do this is to make a list of his favorite meals or snacks together. Then, look for healthy alternatives to them on Pinterest or your favorite food blogs! We all know Pinterest is notorious for food porn; the aesthetic pictures are sure to hook him before he even realizes how healthy the recipes are!
Lead by Example
Maybe your fiancé has never developed good eating habits because his diet could literally consist of bacon and brownies and his weight would be as unchangeable as the north star. Or maybe he has tried choosing healthy alternatives in the past but found it too arduous or tedious.
Whatever it may be, the nudge he needs will not come from a “do what I say, not what I do” mentality. If you want him to follow, you have to lead! His strongest motivation will be watching you live a healthy lifestyle and reaping the rewards of health and happiness.
Take Baby Steps
Don’t present a laundry list of things he needs to change about his eating habits. This will not be received well. The most significant and lasting changes occur by implementing small and simple adjustments over a long period of time. Discuss a small change you could make together and then try it out! Some examples of this could be only going out to eat 3 times a week instead of the usual 5 and/or switching out a bag of potato chips for a fresh fruit.
Go Grocery Shopping Together
Show him items you normally buy and discuss how open he is to trying them. Point out healthy alternatives to popular snack-foods like cookies, cheesy crackers and chips (see the list below).
Like the next man (and human being really), your fiancé probably loves stores with free samples. Go to Costco and encourage him to try a healthy sample of a food he normally wouldn’t find appealing! He may just be surprised at how much he likes it. Then purchase it and make it together!
Find Activities You Both Enjoy
Try out fun sports like volleyball, tennis, swimming, biking, or hiking. A great date idea is a romantic bike ride through the park to a healthy picnic under a tree. Sports are an unbeatable way to get out and moving, and laugh at each other as you try something new. Remember, being healthy can also be fun!
If you’re not sure where to start with incorporating exercise together, apply the baby steps principle—you could start by talking a 15-minute walk together every day and add 5 minutes every week.
In addition, there are often local groups that get together for ultimate frisbee or other public park games. Research activities that are happening in your community and don’t be afraid to join in! Groups like this are always welcoming more players.
Cook Together
Cooking at home is a perfect way to bond, experiment with new foods, and save some money! The more you do home-cooking together, the more of a habit it will become, so commit to cooking at home for the majority of your meals. Check out some of my other blog posts to find simple, healthy and delicious recipes to make for a romantic date night.
Spice Things Up
In my experience, men are a big fan of sauces and dips. Have you ever seen a man eat a burger without first lathering it in his sauce of choice? Didn’t think so. Try adding a fun sauce to your healthy dishes. Some of these include Sriracha, Yellowbird, Tabasco, Stubb’s Green Chili Sauce, Annie’s Organic Original BBQ Sauce, or coconut aminos.
Create a Budget for Eating Out
Set aside a specific amount of money for eating out each week and then stick to it! This will wildly decrease your chances of going on a spur-of-the-moment fast food run. Perhaps you can use your budget as a treat for yourself at the end of the week.
Meal Prep for Two
Try batch cooking—making a lot of one meal and saving the rest for later. When you already have meals prepared for the two of you, there will be less stress to figure out what to eat when you’re at work. This is a sure-fire way to guarantee you’re both eating healthily every day. One smart way to go about this is cooking a large casserole or crock-pot meal on Sunday and then enjoying it as your lunch for the next couple days.
Now, for a closer look at healthy alternatives for both you and your sugar-addicted SO. We all have our favorite sweet or savory snacks that we grab for a relaxing evening of Netflix on the couch. Chips, popcorn, candy, etc… we all have our favorites. These foods aren’t bad, the problem is we end up mindlessly and unintentionally eating the entire bag as we’re enthralled in Michael Scott’s next embarrassment.
What might be helpful isn’t necessarily making a “No Snacks” rule, but replacing these empty-calorie foods with some healthier alternatives!
Here you’ll find a list of some popular snacks and their more nutrient-dense replacements:
Gummy Bears → SmartSweets Gummy Bears
These gummies come in many flavors and only contain about three grams of sugar per bag. They will satisfy your sweet tooth just the same! You can find them on Amazon or in the candy aisle of HEB. The best part is, these contain no artificial sweeteners, so enjoy them guilt free!
Cookies → Lenny & Larry’s Protein Cookies
These cookies are just about everything you could ever want and more. With a variety of flavors like chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, apple pie, peanut butter chocolate chip, birthday cake, white chocolate macadamia, and more, you'll never feel the need to bake cookies again! They are 100% vegan and jam-packed with 10 grams of fiber and 16 grams of plant based protein. That’s right—you can even enjoy one before a workout! They can be found at HEB, Costco, Amazon, or Target.
Popcorn → Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop
This popular new brand has taken the world by storm. The Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn is heavenly and perfect for movie night. They also have a lightly salted flavor if you enjoy your popcorn on the savory side. At only 35 to 70 calories per cup, Angie’s popcorn is the perfect snack for any occasion.
Soda → Flavored Sparkling Water
Non-diet soda is almost pure sugar, so you might want to consider swapping it for a lower-sugar and calorie beverage. Sparkling water can be found in any fruity flavor you could possibly desire. It is a great alternative to non-diet soda because you still get the bubbly satisfaction of carbonation.
Potato Chips → Beanitos Chips
With over 10 different flavors, these bean-based chips are loaded with 5 grams of plant-based protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving! And don’t worry, they still deliver that salty crunch and delicious flavor you crave from your favorite potato chip. They also pair perfectly with any chip dip!
Choosing these snacks is a great start to getting your fiancé on board with healthy living which, as you know, can be an area of great difficulty for an engaged couple.
Use these 10 tips and tricks as your guide to gently encourage and implement healthy habits into your relationship for a happier marriage and a longer, more enjoyable life!
Check out our FREE Easy Family Meal Prep guide for more tips and tricks to cook for yourself and your future husband!
If you are interested in a personalized 6-month meal plan for you and your fiancé to look and feel radiant on your special day, contact Kayley (a registered dietitian) for a FREE consultation today!
Published on May 4, 2020 at 9:06 am