Originally, my family initially cut out all processed foods, grains, and dairy for my health, but the unexpected improvements to each family member that followed were eye-opening!
My family wasn’t exactly clapping or panting eagerly like bushy-tailed puppies to eat in this new way. Pant. Pant. Pant. “What’s for supper tonight, Mom? We’re so excited to eat cut apples and oranges for dessert again.” Pant, pant.
Uh, no.
Instead of cute puppies, think Jurassic Park—where that little, deadly dinosaur, the dilophosaurus, would stare, posture, and then spit and attack swiftly. That’s more like it…
So how can you keep the dilophosauruses from spitting in your face and killing your efforts? How can you get panting puppies drooling over dinner?
Sheer tenacity. Don’t give up and use every tactic in the book. Listen to me. Insulin pumps and bypass grafts aren’t pretty. Your family can dig in their heels in denial till they’re knee deep in China, but the fact of the matter is that diet matters…
Check out my NINE TIPS to get and keep your family eating good, real, whole foods by clicking here to go to the full article, “Does Your Family Have Diet Disgust?” It’s in Molly Green Magazine, and they display it with such nice graphics. Below, I’ve given teasers from each of the methods. So, if you have a moment, click on over and read them in their entirety! All the photos here come from Molly Green Magazine (click here to see the magazine cover).
(As always, you know I care about people feeling good and functioning well so they can live their lives with fullness, richness, and contentment. And I’d write no matter what, but from Molly Green Magazine, I do get a free membership for contributing.)
1. The Cry-and-Speak Method
If you’ve stood with your head bowed, scraping what you thought was a perfectly good meal (which required effort to make!) into the trash while the cupboards are raided for some immediate post-dinner potato chips… (more)
2. The Raised-Voice Method
…Sometimes, don’t ask me why, people just don’t think you’re serious until you raise your voice… (more)
3. The Long-Route Method
What about eating out… (more)
4. The Hiding Method
People like familiarity, and hey, we should have the comfort we expect in our own homes… (more)
5. The Out-of-Groceries Method
…You’ll be reminded ten times when you’re out of crackers, and you just say, “Okay. Thanks for telling me.” You don’t need to say more. And you don’t need to buy any more either… (more)
6. The Don’t-Mention-It Method
My kids informed me that they wished I hadn’t told them we were changing our diet. They suggested that if I had done it slowly and methodically, they probably would not have noticed… (more)
7. The Involvement Method
If your husband doesn’t normally eat fruit, before you head to the store, ask him, “Which fruit do you want me to get for you…You’ll be surprised what a pointed question like that does to the psychology… (more)
8. The Recognizing-Needs Method
It’s normal to have some food absolutes. Foods you can’t live without. (And foods you can’t live with!) Identify those for each family member, and allow for those, especially at first… (more)
9. The Familiar Method
Make familiar recipes that require no or only subtle changes to be healthy. Some recipes are super easy to adapt! The recipes that don’t taste the same when adapted? Skip those for a few months or more. Come back to them later and try them again; you’ll be surprised how taste buds adapt. Some people just need familiar foods, not exotic experiments… (more)
What do you think? Do you use these methods? What I’d leave out?
Eat well. Be well. And if you were following the last few posts, you know I have to say, “Think well.”
Warmest wishes.
The HSD 
Awesome article Terri! I love the way that they incorporated the images with the article too. It looks so professional, I am very impressed by you. Woo Hoo!
I love this article and though I do not have as strict dietary guidelines in our family, I find myself doing some of these tricks regardless. #9 is a definite necessity here, not only because of my 4-year-old (who actually isn’t picky thank goodness) but because I cannot always get the things I need to make the recipe. 🙂
Hi, Jenny! I know! Cooking in a foreign country is interesting! Even different fruits and veggies. I can only dream of Thailand!
The designer of Molly Green Magazine does amazing stuff (How DO they do that?). I’ve decided blogging is the way to go, though! LOL! I don’t like deadlines anymore!!!!
You guys doing okay? All good here! Blue skies.
I can feel you on the deadlines, that is way more stress than it’s worth and makes writing a chore instead of fun. I am glad you will keep blogging, I love your posts. 🙂
We are awesome! Chad is working a ton ( slinging beer is a tough job, but someones gotta do it, lol) and I am loving life and learning Thai and working here and there.
Blue skies here as well, in fact this weekend is supposed to be the hottest weekend on record for Phuket… even my heat-loving self may melt. If you hear from me next week, you will know I made it. 🙂
Oh, no! Go stand in the refrigerator! (On the heat wave hitting Phuket.)
Thank you, and right! Someone has to make tasty beer. I hope your Thai is going better than my Spanish as of late. 😦
Keep cook and I’ll be lookin for a post.
Terri
I thought you might enjoy this article on gut bacteria and cancer. When I read the story you were the first person I thought of (I am not sure if that is good or bad)…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-14/how-gut-bacteria-are-shaking-up-cancer-research
My nose was itching. Or my ears or whatever. Ha! Thanks for passing it on. I like to read stuff.
I am happy that they’re moving this way, but I’m swallowing bile. Darn it. Our health crisis is an insane, mucky, out of control, disgusting mess. The best way to manipulate the biome to fight that cancer, you and I know, is to eat whole foods, fresh as you can, real food, and eliminate/minimize sugar–and a few other “simple” ideas that span the test of time. And they won’t just come out and say it. So internet freak doctors like me have to. Ugh. Oh, well. Rant over.
The body is an amazing gift. So interactive. The immune system interacting with neurotransmitters interacting with bacteria interacting with food. Simply too cool.
Well, pass me articles anytime!
Re that link, this sort of thing just makes me want to spit:
“The microbiome is very stubborn. Everything we’ve done so far has only had a temporary effect.”
They entirely miss the point, don’t they. The body is a dynamic eco-system, dammit!
Ha! That line really caught me too! “The microbiome is very stubborn…” Stubborn, my foot! HUMANS are very stubborn. Scientists are very stubborn. Doctors are very stubborn. Bacteria stubborn? Start by feeding them correctly–that always helps in a Petri dish…