My husband is giving a try, and I need some advice :)

Hello there, more newbie questions! :)

This is day 15 of my lfrv challenge :D. I am feeling so good already that my hubby is willing to give it a try, yay!! BUT he says that he won’t start 100%. Instead he will have a low fat cooked vegan meal a day for a couple of months and after that, and depending on how he feels, he will decide if he stays on this path or not. I think it is a good start taking into account that he does eat meat.

So, I need some advice so that even if he has some cooked food, he still can feel the benefits of this healthy lifestyle, so here’s my questions:

Which meal is better for that cooked meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner)?

What veggies are better for him to consume in this meal? What about potatos, quinoa, and millet?

What would be the daily caloric ratio (percentage) of that cooked meal vs. fruit & greens?

Does the daily global caloric intake remain the same?

Any other suggestion?

Thank you so much! :)

Replies

chris nelson January 18, 2011 at 5:06am

some people gotta walk before they can run get one of the dr. mcdougall cook books its all low fat high carb cooked vegan foods he uses spices and no oil but i think that is a ok for someone transitioning from a meat based diet to a vegan one i have looked through one of his books at work and the recipes look good, and i dont think your hubby wont have to much a hard time stick in with it, i had a guy that i met at work who just became vegan older fellow he actually did the mcdougall 12 day challenge and after words he told me that it was no problem. get some books so every one can know whats going on while the transitioning is happening and you and your hubby can stay reminded on why your doing it. have him eat the fruit for breakfast and lunch and the cooked at night....that my 2 cents :}
manzana January 18, 2011 at 4:49am

Thank you everyone for your advice! I am taking note of everything. My husband doesn't speak english, and there is very little information in spanish on the lfrv diet. It is a real shame because as much as I can tell him about the benefits, etc, it would be great if he could get his hand on some great books. Maybe then he would go cold turkey but as for the moment I feel happy with this first step. In a month or so, I will insist on a 2 week 100% challenge :)

I don't think he is going to struggle with the meat, I've already bombarded him with info about it, and he is actually considering quiting meat for good.

As for the sleep and exercise, we both are doing really good.

Tonight he's making slightly steamed spinach with potatos for dinner. One step at a time :)

Cheers!
enjoYOURun January 17, 2011 at 5:19am

while its definitely better than the SAD, i think cooked low fat vegan won't give him the crazy amounts of energy/hydration/well being as full on 8-1-1 and it would just give him the wrong idea...

have you are him read 8-1-1... I think its super important to actually know the reasons behind this lifestyle, the actual damage grains, processed good, meats and dairy do to your body, and the mechanisms at play that make this way of life so successful... that way you can fully embrace it and promote the change of personal self concept that ends any temptation to fall off...

have him do a 2 week experiment on 100% 80-10-10, and make sure you have plenty of fresh fruit/greens around... make it super easy for him to follow correctly... Its only 2 weeks, and he'll start to feel all the amazing benefits and hopefully stick with it, and if he falls off, by that point he'll actually FEEL the negative consequences of that other "food"...

and make sure to stress the importance of physical activity, sleep and water as well.

Its great that he's showing interest and you're being such a good influence for him, keep it up! I hope it all works out!
BigG. January 17, 2011 at 4:27am

No try just do.

Try is kind of wishy washy.

Best to eat cooked at the end of the day.

Potatoes and oatmeal.

If he is addicted to meat he will have a hard time eating just simple foods the danger is he will start adding salt, fat etc. to compinsate.

The key is he has to be willing to do it himself. He will go through some strong emotions and if he has emotional poise he will do fine if not he will need to find a way to move that new found energy.

Also remind him sometimes in order to feel better he might feel worse.

Congrats one less person consuming blood,guts and muscles is a good thing.

Take Care,
Perry Fullerton January 17, 2011 at 4:06am

I second that advice. A nice big tasty green smoothie in the morning is the way to go. Either get the greens in there or start one of his meals with a big salad later. Or better yet do both!