Well, for the most part. I mean, he'd still live on pickles, PBJ, mac 'n cheese, pizza and pancakes if we'd let him, but as far as a diverse and well-rounded diet? I think he's got us beat.
And, yes, I get the irony of the thing. I'm the one making these healthy choices for him, after all. I mean, we often ask him his opinion between two healthy options (or ask him which "meal" he wants and stick in fruits/veg as a side), but we're also pretty lucky that he's not a super picky little guy.
When I sit down to eat a lunch with him, I occasionally find myself thinking, "Hmm. How is his healthier than mine? Maybe I should skip the chips for an apple..." And, while Dave is a salad fiend, he's probably the pickiest eater in the house (sorry, hon! At least you eat tomatoes!), so I find myself having a difficult time finding new recipes to try that we'll ALL enjoy.
So, while we're not working towards a weight-loss resolution this January 1st, one of my hopes is to get healthier as a family. As I mentioned in my "intentional New Year" post, we're researching our CSA options (but that won't take effect until late spring) and work towards purchasing more fresh fruits/veg and breaking our processed food habit. We've fallen off the farmers' market bandwagon (we only went a few times this year), so hope to start hitting up the couple of winter market options. Soon.
The funny thing is that, while a lot of people use this time of year to focus on weight-loss and health, I find that my body starts to actually crave lighter foods. After the glut of sugar (and, believe me, I'm downright addicted to sugar), fat and generally heavy meals during the holidays, there's nothing I want more than a nice salad or roasted vegetables. I'm hoping, also, to find a few nice vegetarian main meal recipes to throw in the mix.
Anyhoo, here's some of Had's advice (paraphrased) for you --
* If you love something, it's delicious, even if it's good for you. (Find what those delicious healthy things are and enjoy. He eats fruit and yogurt or pure applesauce as voraciously as he does a slice of pizza.)
* Try everything, at least once. (He will get three or four mouthfuls of something before he realizes that maybe, just maybe it sucks. By then, I can convince him to finish. ;-))
* Share! (I'll often split an apple with him since he doesn't generally eat an entire one on his own. I have to remember this when I choose to eat a pickle with a sandwich; he WILL see it and he WILL want one, too.)
* Mix-and-match. (Don't just try to eat boring, good-for-you stuff. A sandwich or wrap is okay if it's made with minimally-processed bread and healthy toppings, especially extra veggies. Hadman will even eat a complete salad if we drizzle a tiny bit of natural, organic ranch dressing on. Don't beat yourself up over the "bad" on your plate; pat yourself on the back for upping your intake of the "good.")
* Don't drink soda. (I'm sure he would if he could...but I won't allow it. Ain't nobody got time for that crap. As it is, I'm trying to ween him down from the watered-down juice. Gah.)
* Treats are treats. (You're not entitled to them -- and, crap, neither am I. Hadley's "treat" is all-fruit, all-natural <read: no added sugar> fruit "gummies." He gets them maaaaaybe once a week. Lately, he's also been getting my gingerbread cookies a little bit, but he still knows they're treats and that it's a BIG deal to get them.)
I think it'll be easier, in all, to remember our monkey's relatively stellar diet the next time I start to choose a bagel over fruit and yogurt.
And, yes, I get the irony of the thing. I'm the one making these healthy choices for him, after all. I mean, we often ask him his opinion between two healthy options (or ask him which "meal" he wants and stick in fruits/veg as a side), but we're also pretty lucky that he's not a super picky little guy.
When I sit down to eat a lunch with him, I occasionally find myself thinking, "Hmm. How is his healthier than mine? Maybe I should skip the chips for an apple..." And, while Dave is a salad fiend, he's probably the pickiest eater in the house (sorry, hon! At least you eat tomatoes!), so I find myself having a difficult time finding new recipes to try that we'll ALL enjoy.
The funny thing is that, while a lot of people use this time of year to focus on weight-loss and health, I find that my body starts to actually crave lighter foods. After the glut of sugar (and, believe me, I'm downright addicted to sugar), fat and generally heavy meals during the holidays, there's nothing I want more than a nice salad or roasted vegetables. I'm hoping, also, to find a few nice vegetarian main meal recipes to throw in the mix.
Anyhoo, here's some of Had's advice (paraphrased) for you --
* If you love something, it's delicious, even if it's good for you. (Find what those delicious healthy things are and enjoy. He eats fruit and yogurt or pure applesauce as voraciously as he does a slice of pizza.)
* Try everything, at least once. (He will get three or four mouthfuls of something before he realizes that maybe, just maybe it sucks. By then, I can convince him to finish. ;-))
* Share! (I'll often split an apple with him since he doesn't generally eat an entire one on his own. I have to remember this when I choose to eat a pickle with a sandwich; he WILL see it and he WILL want one, too.)
* Mix-and-match. (Don't just try to eat boring, good-for-you stuff. A sandwich or wrap is okay if it's made with minimally-processed bread and healthy toppings, especially extra veggies. Hadman will even eat a complete salad if we drizzle a tiny bit of natural, organic ranch dressing on. Don't beat yourself up over the "bad" on your plate; pat yourself on the back for upping your intake of the "good.")
* Don't drink soda. (I'm sure he would if he could...but I won't allow it. Ain't nobody got time for that crap. As it is, I'm trying to ween him down from the watered-down juice. Gah.)
* Treats are treats. (You're not entitled to them -- and, crap, neither am I. Hadley's "treat" is all-fruit, all-natural <read: no added sugar> fruit "gummies." He gets them maaaaaybe once a week. Lately, he's also been getting my gingerbread cookies a little bit, but he still knows they're treats and that it's a BIG deal to get them.)
I think it'll be easier, in all, to remember our monkey's relatively stellar diet the next time I start to choose a bagel over fruit and yogurt.
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