Anyone live in a household that eats 2 different diets?

[3 ladybugs]

My husband (41) has cataract surgery tomorrow. He admittedly didn't go to the doctor very often and to get cleared for the surgery he had to get a physical. Well the results of the physical were that he has slightly high blood pressure (not enough to worry about), high cholesterol (a lot to do with family as he has NEVER had low cholesterol), is morbidly obese (then again I think most of america is because the standards are a bit off) and is pre-diabetic. 

 

The good news is DH is willing to change all of this, and do the work he needs to. He has already stopped eating lunch and takes a brisk walk during his lunch break at work. :) However we know we need to do more. He really needs to eat Paleo. That is good, we have done that before and did it for a few years (stopped about 6 months ago when baby lost some allergies). Eating Paleo will reduce his refined sugars, increase his protein and that will help with both weight loss and with his pre-diabeties. He started a statin (which I know he NEVER wanted to take), low dose aspirin and I plan on getting him kombuncha which he will have a cup a day (to reduce blood pressure, or is it to thin the blood?? Either way, I can't have it)

 

The problem is when I eat strict paleo (which is what hubby needs) I loose weight. Now I don't mind losing a bit, but when I say I loose weight, I really LOSE weight. We went on a 21 Day Sugar Detox and I had to stop it at 2 weeks because I had lost over 10 lbs. I didn't have any to lose at the time. Right now I could loose maybe 9-10 lbs. It took me 6 months to gain that weight back eating strict paleo (though at the end I realized I wasn't getting anywhere and wasn't as strict). I am also allergic to cashews, pistachios and peanuts. The last 2 are not bad, but cashews are EVERYWHERE when you are paleo! I also have low blood pressure and low cholesterol (unless I am on a high animal fat diet).

 

Our boys are on the narrow side. Doctor isn't concerned about them, but they are VERY thin. My baby still fits into his 12 month size swim suit. He turns 3 in a couple weeks. My oldest I have taken to making all of his clothes (for the most part) because he is very thin but tall. So I don't want them to lose either! My youngest has a dairy allergy (seems to be getting better but I don't think we are completely out of the woods yet), and a white potato allergy.

 

My question is, how do you maintain a house with 2 different eating styles? This isn't like the kids only eat processed foods, and mommy needs to eat healthy, we all eat healthy, it is just different ways to look at it. 

[regentrude]

Modular meals. Prepare the different components separately - for example, grilled fish or meat, salad or veggie stir fry, bread/rice/pasta - and everybody takes the components that work for them and leaves out the rest. The paleo person can forgo the grain products.

ETA: And because there are many ways to prep each component, this gives you lots of variations and is not boring, even though the underlying structure of each meal is similar.

 

I am sure it is entirely possible to eat paleo without the nuts to which you are allergic. 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2016 by regentrude

[Crimson Wife]

My youngest is gluten and dairy-free but not celiac so she's ok with having gluten in the house. What I do is cook mainly GF but the older kids will have regular bread, pasta, etc. It isn't hard but we're only dealing with an intolerance rather than an allergy or celiac.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think that's a pretty easy diet to work with.  Just add on some starchy sides.  Maybe add on stuff that is less appealing to your husband if possible. 

 

 

[3 ladybugs]

Modular meals. Prepare the different components separately - for example, grilled fish or meat, salad or veggie stir fry, bread/rice/pasta - and everybody takes the components that work for them and leaves out the rest. The paleo person can forgo the grain products.

ETA: And because there are many ways to prep each component, this gives you lots of variations and is not boring, even though the underlying structure of each meal is similar.

 

I am sure it is entirely possible to eat paleo without the nuts to which you are allergic. 

Is there a website that talks about different plans for that? I think I would need help. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is there a website that talks about different plans for that? I think I would need help. 

 

I think the basic thing is to avoid making casseroles and stuff like that.  If you make meat, veg side, and starch side then people can take which part they want or don't want.

[Peaceful Isle]

My husband and I eat Atkins low carb. It's pretty easy. I just add a carb side for the kids.

[KungFuPanda]

Unless your husband works from home, the adjustment shouldn't be too bad. You and the kids can eat your heavier, starchy-er meal at lunch, then serve a meat and veggie dinner. If you don't usually eat breakfast together, you don't have to change much. If you do, you can add a smoothie or some cheeses for you and the kids.

 

Grilling also makes it easier to serve different meals. I tend to grill meat and veggies and serve a starch on the side. Just give DH a salad instead of the starchy side. Just be careful your DH doesn't turn into a meatetarian and ignore the fact that he needs to eat a lot more veggies.

[Soror]

I eat auto-immune paleo (which is paleo minus nuts, eggs, dairy, yada, yada). The family is gluten free. I will often pull out meat from the dish for me and make it safe for me if doing a one pot meal for the family. Or sometimes I make dishes that we can all eat. Sometimes I make them stuff so outside of what I can eat I totally make something different. I keep frozen burgers on hand for quick meal and also the makings for salad as well as batch cooking of treats for me. Oh, and smoothies when I really need calories and don't feel like cooking. I think making up a bunch of protein and having some big batches of veggies ready to go would be fine as well.

 

For breakfast I don't even bother trying to make our meals close as the only traditional breakfast food I eat is bacon or sausage. I just make whatever for myself- like meat and veggie hash from leftovers, or an apple w/ some bacon etc. 

 

menu plan for example:

family- gf stromboli; me- safe wrap w/ meat, veggies and mustard

family- chili; me - meatballs -butternut squash risotto(really there are bean free chile recipes I just can't have the spices, beans or tomatoes so it is pointless)

family- spaghetti; me- more leftover meatballs and butternut squash "risotto"

family & me- safe teriyaki chicken, broccoli and carrots- rice for them- 

family & me- cinnamon apple ham, creamy bacon scalloped sweet pot

family & me- thai chicken lettuce wraps

family- chicken tacos w/ rice and beans; me- chicken salad

family & me- roast w/ veggies- the low carber can just skip the potatoes

family & me- chicken curry - rice for them

Family & me- burgers & cucumber salad- baked beans and fries for them

family & me- meatloaf, green beans & mashed cauliflower

Edited June 27, 2016 by soror

[cjzimmer1]

My DH wasn't morbidly obese but his doctor told him he was high risk for developing metobolic syndrome (High cholestrol, high blood pressure, and diabetes).  It was the wake up call he needed. 

 

Here is what worked for him.

 

We skipped the statins because we are not convinced of how good they are for you.

 

He is taking a vitamin regime that includes, niacin,coq10, hawthorn berries, fish oil, vit E, panthenine, daily muti, and grape seed extract and vit d (since his was so low it was unmeasurable).

 

He went low carb but not paleo because we knew he couldn't stick to that long term. 

 

He eats eggs cooked with veggies everyday for breakfast

 

Between lunch/supper, one of those meals will be no carbs either a large salad, meat and veggie stir fry or meat and roasted veggies for etc.  The other meal will include meat veggies and a carb.  I try to avoid wheat products as my research seemed to indicate those are worse.  Mostly we eat brown basmati rice, but sometimes we have quinoa.  I've also found some pasta made from lentils that I will use on occasion to keep things interesting for him.

 

He walks 3-4 times a week.

 

In 3 months he lost 30 pounds, cut his triglycerides in half, raised his HDL into normal range (barely but 8 point increase from where he was), and lowered his LDL (still slightly higher than desired but it was a drop of over 40 points). His doctor said to keep doing what we were doing and expected to see the numbers continue to trend in the right direction.  We haven't been back yet to see where he is at.

 

Since he wasn't super strict paleo it made the meal planning a bit easier and also my kids LOVE salad.  They are excited when we have salads as meal days (DH not so much even when I make sure to load his salad with protein). But I could make sitr fry and just not serve DH's with rice.  We had tacos and he had taco salad.  If I made a component meal where the meat, starch, and veggies were separate, I just didn't serve him the starch.  I did learn that by adding a second veggie to the meal, DH seemed less bothered when his plate was 2/3rd veggies when it was two different veggies than when the 2/3 was all the same thing.

 

My kids are all super thin and eat enormous amounts of food so there is no way we could feed them paleo or even low carb so I just also made a huge pan of roasted potatoes or had some bread, a big pan of baked brown rice etc.  I would serve it to the kids and not DH.  Usually I'd try to make enough so they could have it for supper the next day so I didn't have to cook a separate starch every single day.

Edited June 27, 2016 by cjzimmer1

[Soror]

 

My kids are all super thin and eat enormous amounts of food so there is no way we could feed them paleo or even low carb so I just also made a huge pan of roasted potatoes or had some bread, a big pan of baked brown rice etc.  I would serve it to the kids and not DH.  Usually I'd try to make enough so they could have it for supper the next day so I didn't have to cook a separate starch every single day.

 

That is my kids :) I'm not convinced that everyone should be grain free unlike some paleo people, I actually lean toward not restricting the diet unless necessary. However, because of how I eat they eat Paleo a good chunk of the time. Part of my diet goals are lots of veggies and a good amount of good fat and I think that is good for everyone.

[regentrude]

Is there a website that talks about different plans for that? I think I would need help. 

 

I don't know of any website. But it's really easy - you just need to make five decisions:

 

Choose the protein you want to eat (pork chop, salmon, burger, steak, lamb, tilapia, chicken breast, chicken thighs - whatever is available, on sale, in the freezer...)

Choose a way you want to prepare it (grill, bake, broil, sautee...)

Choose vegetables based on which are in season/on sale/in the fridge/you just have a hankering for

Choose a way you want to prep those (salad, stir fry, steam, roast)

Choose a starch (rice, pasta, potato, bread, quinoa, gnocci) that you find goes with your prior choices

 

Cook. Get creative with herbs and spices.

You can even write a computer program that randomizes your choices, or make cards and do random draws :)

 

really, it's basically only avoiding casseroles, stews, any one-pot meals

Edited June 27, 2016 by regentrude

[hornblower]

Not anymore but I used to.

Wasn't till about 3 years ago that my vegetarian dh was assimilated into what someone has called the 'vegan agenda' :D 

At various points in our lives, some of us were omni, others were vegetarian or vegan. Now we're all vegan but still  do some version of modular buffet style meals mostly because there still are only a handful of things all 4 of us will eat.

 

Everyone just builds their plate. I don't believe there is any need to have each meal be 'balanced' whatever that might mean so some meals might be a monomeal of just one ingredient. It all works out in the end. Pretend you're in a restaurant - everyone's plate is different but it's no big deal. 

I disagree about the paleo but that's a whole other topic. ;) 

 

[slackermom]

We all eat differently here. Dd11 is a vegetarian. I have IBS. Dh gets intense migraines from SO many foods, so he has to be very picky/careful about his food choices, everything made from scratch and bringing food with him when he goes out. His basic diet looks like Paleo plus whole grains and potatoes.

 

I do not meal plan in the typical sense, but I prep and cook basic foods in large batches, and keep it on hand for quick meals as needed. During the summer, meal time will usually look like a salad bar, with everyone taking what they want to create their own plate. Dinner usually involves putting on a pot of water to boil, then I pull a half dozen things from the frig: greens, some other veggies (ideally pre-chopped), some chicken that I grilled earlier, a pre-cooked grain like quinoa for dh, cheese for me, etc. Once I have everything out, I toss some pasta for dd in the water, maybe sauté some of the veggies, wash some fruit, drain the pasta, and dinner is served.

 

 

 

 

[AK_Mom4]

We do. I eat low carb all the time, but the rest of the family does not.

 

Everyone but me eats lots of carbs at breakfast and lunch. For dinner, DH cooks low carb meals - meat and veggies usually. Sometimes he adds a side like Mac and cheese, but if not it's no big deal and easy for me to avoid.

 

If you and the kids ate your bigger meals at breakfast and lunch, I think a paleo style dinner with your DH would work just fine.

[IfIOnly]

I think the basic thing is to avoid making casseroles and stuff like that. If you make meat, veg side, and starch side then people can take which part they want or don't want.

Yep.

 

Stirfry, extra veggies for dh and rice for everyone else

 

Spaghetti, zucc., spaghetti squash, or steamed cauliflower for dh and pasta for every one else

 

Roast chicken or beef with roasted carrots, potatoes, onion, and green beans. Dh doesn't do the poatoes.

 

Have salad stuff available for a quick side or meal with meat.

Edited June 27, 2016 by ifIonlyhadabrain

[SparklyUnicorn]

You can still do casseroles or mixtures once in awhile.  I get how convenient they are!

 

Some of my favorites I've modified for low carb.  In some cases that would work for Paleo.  I've used riced cauliflower, for example, in place of rice.  You have to modify the liquid and/or use thickeners such as Xanthan gum (which seems to be easy to come by now in the gluten free section).  So a tad more work, but still doable.

 

 

[BooksandBoys]

I eat low carb paleo, but I always make a starch for the kids and husband, usually rice or potatoes. The rest of the family needs paleo due to food intolerances and allergies, so it works well as a base diet. Generally, I make a meat (seasonings vary), a veggie (roasted, steamed, or sauted), and the starch. We have sauces available for those who might want to mix the ingredients in their plates.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

My DH is gluten free but the kids and I are not.  It's fairly easy now that I know what I'm doing and how to alter recipes so they're gluten free.  We eat separate meals except for dinner. I always cook a gluten free dinner so we can sit down and have a meal together and talk about our day.  Breakfast and lunch we do our own thing.

[J-rap]

We have various diets too, and at first I thought it'd be hard, but it really isn't.  We nearly always have meat or legumes, lots of vegetables, and then an optional carb-heavy side.  The paleos load up on the meat/legumes and veggies; others prefer a smaller amount of meat, veggies, with bread or potatoes, some (like me) prefer a small amount of meat/legumes and lots of veggies.

 

We used to be mostly vegetarian, so probably the biggest difference has been serving more meat again.  But even then, I still prefer legumes over meat, so I do tend to lean toward that when I cook.  (I usually keep extra meat in the freezer though, already portioned, that I can cook if necessary for my paleo people.  I think technically legumes aren't always accepted in the paleo diet, though my paleo eaters seem to be okay with them sometimes.)

 

I've heard that one of the most important things regarding the paleo diet is to make sure you get meat that is grass fed, free-range, and all of that.  

 

The hardest thing is pizza!  I've experimented with pizza crust made with cauliflower before, and that was okay.  :)

 

 

 

 

[Liza Q]

My 17yo has multiple food allergies and my husband is a diabetic. My 15yo is too skinny and should not be low-carb or paleo, I think, and he is not crazy about several of the things that work best for my daughter.

 

Making separate things and mix/matching does work but it can be hard. Basically, everyday I favor one person. I still make sure that there is some healthy food available for the others, but I can't always guarantee it will something they like.

 

For example, my daughter can't eat beef. If my husband and son really really want steak, I plan it on a day that I have a good leftover for my daughter. My husband shouldn't really have potatoes or rice...so he just has to suck it up and not eat them when I make them for the kids. All baked goods are gluten/egg/dairy free for my daughter's sake. Unless it is a special occasion, in which case she has to suck it up. Some nights I just make 2 meals and then everyone has leftovers the next day.

 

Every day is an adventure!

[Lizzie in Ma]

whew boy, challenges for sure.

Dh can eat anything

I have been gluten free, low carb, high fat since last November

eldest dd is low fat, low sugar ( can't get her off it entirely) for Lyme but many of the meals I make are compatible as the fats I use are good ones, like olive oil and coconut oil

youngest barely eats at all so I have to try to pack as much nutrition as possible into anything she will eat

it can be done, but it is damn hard

 

[Shred Betty]

My DH requires many small very specific meals and options ready on hand with his work schedule working from home. Also has very strict no spice requirement and eating timing requirements due to severe indigestion and his being a hobbyist bodybuilder.

 

So DD and I make sacrifices. As in no onions and no garlic unless kept separate and added to food after DH is served. Also no family sit down meals here. Sometimes she and I do that but it's quite rare :( I have to do the modular meal idea prep in advance. Different though: I think of it in terms of ingredients.

For example:

I recently figured out I can prep ahead and not combine ingredients to have more options pre made and available.

Mash a big batch of potatoes. Package in 7oz increments freezer ziplock bags.

Cook large batch of ground beef, add a bit of flour and beef stock make it a little gravy. add corn. Add 6oz ground beef and corn to MOST of the mash bags, and freeze. Make SOME bags with only ground beef mix and freeze.

 

Now I have

1) sides of mash in my freezer to serve with a steak another day

2) most of the ground beef with mash I call a full meal "shepherds pie"

3) sides of meat only I use as base for tacos! Yum. Just need taco shells,