Healthy eating can be considered bad words by your family, including your husband. While convincing your husband to eat healthy can be a challenge, helping him to understand that the goal of healthy eating is not to take away the joy of food, may help you to win him over. In fact, healthy eating doesn't have to equate to eating bland vegetables; it should be based on moderation and variety.
Step 1
Use healthier ingredients to make your husband's favorite foods. For example, if he regularly eats burgers and fries, save on calories and fat by using ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef, and bake the fries instead of frying them. Finding healthier methods of cooking allows your husband to still enjoy his favorites while following a healthier diet.
Step 2
Negotiate on favorite food items. Having healthy eating habits is not about deprivation. If your husband absolutely cannot live without a certain food, strike a bargain. For example, instead of forcing him to give up his favorite beer altogether, ask him to incorporate a healthy food item in exchange for a healthy serving of the beer. This can be done by his having a serving of vegetables or fresh fruit instead of eating an unhealthy carbohydrate. However, remember to keep the bargained food in a healthy context. In the case of beer, for instance, the Mayo Clinic advises that men should limit their intake of alcohol to a maximum of two alcoholic beverages per day.
Step 3
Teach portion control. By itself, food isn't bad; it becomes unhealthy when it is prepared in an unhealthy manner or eaten in oversized portions. If your husband has a sweet tooth, convince him to choose a healthier version of a food that can be eaten more frequently in smaller portions. For example, if your husband has a constant craving for ice cream, encourage him to trade his normal variety for a low-fat frozen yogurt flavor instead. Although he may be accustomed to eating a whole bowl or the entire carton, teach him to stick to the recommended serving size, which is typically 1/2 to 1 cup.
Step 4
Practice some minimal deception. If your husband seems unwilling to eat foods like whole grains or vegetables, sneak them in as substitutes. For instance, instead of using white bread crumbs pre-packaged in the store, toast whole grain wheat bread and make bread crumbs in the food processor. Add them to meatloaf or hamburgers and boost your husband's intake of dietary fiber; it all counts. Add small cubes of zucchini or cooked carrots into your pasta sauce. They are much less noticeable when they are in the sauce. In addition, the difference in taste between white enriched pasta and whole wheat pasta is often minimal. Switch your regular pasta with whole wheat pasta to add additional dietary fiber and a healthy carbohydrate.
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