Wednesday, June 1, 2011

paleo spouses and relationships

i've estimated that george eats paleo 70% of the time. he occasionally will get lunch at work or will have dinner out with friends from time to time. since i do all the food shopping and cooking, unless he brings something home, there are no non-paleo foods in the house.

there was definitely a transition period when we first moved in together and he was no longer eating processed foods on a regular basis anymore. "grab and go" was the hardest transition for him. in the past, if he wanted a snack he would grab a bag of chips, preztels & cheese, a sandwich, crackers, etc. with paleo, there aren't many things in bags or prepackaged. every now and then i will bring george home extra nuts, larabars, banana chips or some full fat cheese.

george will fully admit that he feels better when he eats stricter. the proof is in the pudding (pun absolutely intended) he will also admit that his previous eating habits were not healthy. i believe a full day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at mcdonalds was a reality for him once before. yikes.

his palette has expanded immensely. he is trying new foods all the time. i think this helps keep it exciting and interesting for him.


i think my situation is easier than others because i do all of the cooking. it can be hard living with someone who doesn't have an interest in paleo eating and nutrition. it will be frustrating sometimes and will take work from both sides.

  • eating paleo may not be their top priority and that's ok! stick to your guns and they might become more interested. i'm lucky that george is very supportive of everything i do.
  • as long as the food tastes good, they will eat it. show me a guy (or girl for that matter) who would turn down bacon and eggs for breakfast and a steak and roasted sweet potatoes for dinner.
  • have a laid back approach with it. don't be the paleo police logging every morsel they put into their mouth. they are adults.
  • lead by example. your spouse will see how you thrive on paleo and may become more interested.
  • there is no sense arguing over food or nutrition. you can't change someone who doesn't want to change, and that's fine!
  • make sure they if they do want help or they do want to change, that you are there to support them 100%.


famous Gio's pizza on MV


george is very active. he plays hockey 1-3 times a week and plays golf at least twice a week from march-november. i think that is part of the reason he was able to eat so many neolithic foods in the past and never have body composition issues. that and he isn't generally a larger person.

at the end of the day, he is my best friend and i wouldn't change one thing about him.

oh and he would kill me if i didn't mention this: be sure to check out george's youtube channel with all his golf and helmet cam hockey videos :)

5 comments:

George said...

you will always have my support kerri, eating like this has changed the way i look at food now and i dont know where i would be if we didnt eat like this. ive relized i dont need a " grab and go" snack and wouldnt die from starvation with out a bag of doritos or a sleeve of nutter butters. id miss having fast food all the time and ill never eat mcdonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner again.

ps- i golf from janurary-december by the way

George said...

*i dont miss having fast food all the time

Dan Mannion said...

I'll be moving into a house with my girlfriend soon. Have to remember some of the lessons here.

Abby said...

I am the sole chef in my house too (my bf grills sometimes... but that's always great!). I am so incredibly lucky to be with someone that supports and enjoys the paleo lifestyle. Sure, he's like your husband, probably 70%, but he doesn't rub it in my face or bring home SAD items. I write about my man Zack on my blog here - http://primalnut.com/2011/05/24/so-happy-together/

Anonymous said...

I have been Paleo since February of this year...I have lost 45 lbs, stopped needing high blood pressure meds as well as anti-depressants...my life has changed and I will never go back. My husband was worried and skeptical, but as he saw the changes in me..he began to come around. I never pushed him to join me, I just 'showed' him :) It has changed his life in only a couple of months...Happy journey!