Learn to Cook

I have had several fathers and men ask me how we eat so healthy in our home. They want to know how they can convince their wife to start cooking healthier so that the family diet is better overall. If you have to ask this question, then you need to take a step back and consider what you are asking. Discuss with your wife how you are currently eating, and how you would like to eat better - then figure out how you can help.

I cook over half the meals in our home - my wife doesn’t do all of the cooking. Fortunately, she and I are on the same page about healthy meals. However, I don’t force her to cook anything that she doesn’t want to - that would be a fairly absurd request of me. If I want something healthy that she doesn’t want to cook or won’t be eating, then I shouldn’t expect her to make it for me.

If you’re looking to change your diet and you and your partner aren’t on the same page about it, then you better step up and start making some of the meals yourself. There’s absolutely no reason that your partner should change their cooking habits simply because you want them to or you request it. While it would be nice if they’d eat and prepare healthy meals, it’s also not something you should expect to happen.

Imagine for a moment that you were in a similar situation. Since you don’t normally prepare meals, then let’s use a better example. Your wife wants you to change your workout routine - she doesn’t like how your body looks. Instead of weight lifting, she wants you to start running so that you lose some weight. How are you going to react to this request? Most men out there would simply say no - it’s a pretty ridiculous request.

In the scenario of changing your diet, and potentially trying to help change the family diet, to be more healthy, there is an option. You simply need to start preparing meals. While this may sound like it’s too much work, it’s really the only option if your partner doesn’t want to incorporate healthier ideas. However, preparing healthy meals doesn’t have to be difficult or overly time consuming.

Focus your meals on simple and basic ingredients. Don’t try to over-complicate the meals, and don’t try to make things that will take a lot of time to cook right out of the gates. Cooking doesn’t have to be hard, people just like to make it hard with too many ingredients or steps. Chicken, rice, and a basic sauce from the store tastes great - add a simple frozen vegetable to the side and you’ve prepared a fairly healthy meal with not a lot of prep.

There are obviously more advanced recipes that you can get into over time, but start with simple ideas and meals. As you start preparing healthy foods, your family may find that there are foods that they enjoy enough that will be incorporated into your other meals that your partner is making. Don’t try to force anything on them, but simply offer to help and prepare the healthy meals you’d prefer.

Being able to cook is a skill that everyone should have. Preparing healthy meals at home isn’t difficult, but it will require a little time - you can definitely do it if you want to.