5 Tips On How To Get Dad To Eat Healthy

5 Tips On How To Get Dad To Eat Healthy

How do you get dad's to eat healthy?

We celebrate Father's Day in June and it's a great day to celebrate all that our dad's do for us. And, if your kids are like mine, they want to have their dad around for a long time. So why not show dad you care about him and his health 365 days a year? Sounds great right? The question is; how do you get your husband/dad to eat healthy? I mean most men "know everything" and won't even stop to ask for directions, right? Well here are a few things I've done to encourage healthy habits for everyone in the family, Dad included!

1. Lead by example!

Dads are stubborn and that can be a good thing when they're advocating for their children or sticking with a DIY project, but not when it comes to resisting healthy eating. I know from my experience with Jeff, that if I tell him what he HAS to eat, it will go in one ear and out the other. I don't take it personally; it's just the way men's hearing works. I guess they have a built-in filter that affects their listening ability once they hear words like "must", "have", "don't" etc. (It's the same with teenagers, but that's for another blog.) So what's a concerned healthy wife do to encourage the father of her children to accept healthy eating? Don't tell them what to do, show them what to do and how to eat. One of the easiest ways to do that is how you shop for food.

2. If you don't buy it, they won't eat it.

Sounds so simple right? Fill your house with healthy choices and your husband won't be able to snack on processed foods, because they aren't in the house to eat. You don't have to go crazy and start throwing out all the junk food in your house today. Just stop buying processed food and replace it with healthier choices. Some of my favorite snacks are almond butter, lentil chips, gluten-free organic cereal and square protein bars. Summer is an excellent time to start this process with all the beautiful and tasty fruits and veggies available. Why, you can even go on a family trip to your local farmer's market. Get your kids involved and have them ask dad for his expert advice on what looks good and then buy it!

3. Children want to be like their dads.

Unfortunately, 70% of dads under 40 are overweight and almost 80% of dads over 40 are overweight! Those are scary statistics and we need to do something quickly to improve those numbers, not just for dads, but for their children. Dads are an important part of their children's lives and need to be healthy so they can live long, meaningful lives and share in their children's accomplishments. If they are sick with digestive issues, diabetes, heart disease and physical limitations, how involved will they be able to be in their children's lives? What kind of example will they lead for their children? So, encourage your husband or Dad to eat the way they want their kids to - because there's a good chance that their kids will follow in their footsteps.

4. You may not be able to control what he eats outside of home, but make delicious healthy meals at home.

I know many of us are so busy and find it hard to find the time to make healthy meals, especially lunch, but it really doesn't take that long. I know it may seem like stopping at a fast food restaurant on the run or on the way home is quicker, but that's not always the case. Start simple with fresh in season ingredients and go from there. Once you get the idea, just let your imagination soar.

5. Just like with your kids, make healthy eating a teaching lesson whenever you can.

Jeff and our daughter Kellie recently went to China. He doesn't like hot drinks and wanted to drink soda in the morning to get him started. Now I could have said, "You know you shouldn't drink soda, it's bad for you." Instead, I gave him an idea and said, "You traveled all the way to China why not try some green tea." His response was to remind me that there was only hot tea and he didn't like warm drinks. "What about asking for some ice and making it a cold iced tea?" Now that was a solution he could live with! A simple and healthy choice without telling him what he had to or should do.

My dad has always eaten healthy.

Papa Salamone gave me a foundation of healthy eating. He ate good food, didn't binge and always cooked with the freshest and best ingredients. When I started cooking, I naturally followed his example and go to my dad for cooking tips. For example, I recently read that we (as in we ALL of us-including you) need to eat more sardines (ugh). My dad and Jeff love sardines and I needed some new ideas for sardines. He told me to make a sardine tomato pasta sauce, called Puttanesca with zucchini pasta. So I guess my original thought of showing, not telling is right on the money (or food). The more you expose your husband, your family AND friends to healthy foods, the more willing they will be to eat them! It's as simple as that!

Help your children embrace their dad's on Father's Day and every day.

Embrace them with love and good food. Shower them with love and healthy whole foods. Include them in picking out veggies and fruit. Have them start a garden with your children. Start dad's day with a healthy breakfast like Buckwheat Pancakes or a Cacao Avocado Superfood Smoothie. Make a healthy delicious Collard Quinoa Wrap for lunch. How about some Roasted Broccoli with dinner? Remember lecturing won't get past their ear drum to their brain, but sharing healthy food will get to their gut, which is connected to their brain, which is connected to their overall health! Everything is connected to their guts; you just have to get the healthy stuff there. Adding raw, organic and fermented probiotic foods is an easy, tasty way to help dad get healthy. Once they replenish their good gut bugs and get their guts balanced they won't miss eating processed foods!