Growing up, my family always sat down together in the evening and ate the meal my mother made for us. If you didn’t eat, you didn’t make something different. When my sister developed a difficult food allergy {corn} everyone changed their diet. We ate fresh, homemade food all the time. As a result, I don’t like most processed foods.
My husband and son grew up in a very different household. My in-laws often used processed foods and everyone ate whenever they wanted. If someone didn’t like something or couldn’t eat it, they made something else. As a result, my husband and son prefer the kinds of food they grew up with.
I will admit, I used to be just a little bit judgmental about this. I’m working on that.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with either method, it has caused a lot of stress and heartache for me. At first, I tried to compromise. We would sit down together to eat and I would use more of the processed foods they preferred. I was miserable all the time. My body did not respond well to the flavors or extra sodium. My previously corn-free diet was also high in vegetables, something my family is not fond of, and rather than white bread we used whole grain.
Meals left me feeling sick and bloated. I found myself dealing with near constant heartburn. Worst of all were the days when my joints hurt so much I could barely move. I couldn’t keep up with my son on hikes; cub scout campouts became nightmare hours of cold and pain.
I have spent a lifetime struggling with my weight due to PCOS but I have always been very active. On a diet of primarily processed foods, I gained weight no matter what I did and it always seemed like my body hurt. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and I decided it was time to make some changes in my life.
After consulting my doctor, I approached my husband with my plan. They would eat whatever they wanted and I would return to my home-cooked, corn-free diet. It’s a bittersweet change for me. I feel like somehow I have failed because I can’t find meals that make all three of us happy.
I hope that this change makes me feel better. I will continue to try to persuade my husband and son to eat healthier. For now, I will continue to make the shopping lists and buy the groceries we all need. If it makes our lives just a little bit easier to have two different meals, then so be it. Life is an adventure; we make of it what we want.
Do you experience any struggles like this while planning meals to please your whole family?
