Healthy eating for the whole family, scary stuff!

I've started to view my role in the family a little differently lately. After all the hoo-haa with the March Against Monsanto demonstration and the endless posts on Facebook regarding what's healthy and what's not OK to eat, I realized one of the main roles I play in my family is that of health care provider. I say health care because I can do things to keep my family 'healthy'. What we receive from the doctors and other medical professionals and pharmacies is 'sick care'.

So what does this mean? It means I have become very strict on what goes into the mouths of my family. I am starting to take more control over what we put in and on our bodies. From the water we drink to the stuff we use to wash our hair. I've never been a huge consumer of processed foods, if they are around I'll have some, but I won't often go seeking them or buying them at the supermarket.

My husband, on the other hand, LOVES the stuff and is what I call a sugar addict. He doesn't see the problem with it. He often says that he needs the sugar at work to keep him going, to give him energy. Forget trying to explain to him that he sounds like a drug user when he talks like that. He doesn't really seem to care about the quality of the food and drink he consumes. I'm not sure if he really understands the health dangers of eating the stuff. The most problematic part of it all is that he doesn't understand what normal portion size is. If he opens a box of biscuits it must all be eaten. If he opens a packet of M M's he has to finish them in one go. It is also normal for him to eat this stuff 2-3 times a day, most days. Also the part that pisses me off is that it's a LOT of money for JUNK!

So finally standing my ground and telling my husband NO MORE SUGAR! no more crap processed crumbed fish from a box, no more take-away pizza, no more frozen fries has been one of the scariest things I've done in my life. Scary because I was sure it was going to be followed up with divorce papers! So actually I have to be honest, I didn't really say it in the end, I just didn't serve it. And when I served the alternatives, i.e. fresh fish, crumbed by myself with salad, not fries, I didn't make eye contact because I knew I'd be looking at the most evil look my husband has ever given me!

It's been a few weeks now, and we've had Chinese take-away once, a few biscuits wrappers have been found in his car, but all in all, my hubby is aboard the good-eating train! I served lentil burgers today and he loved them! Who would have thought? I was so nervous even suggesting having lentil burgers. I myself wasn't sure if I would like to eat them, but yes they were pretty good! And my daughter even ate her 'lentil meat balls'. So now onto bigger, healthier and tastier things without the fear of being handed divorce papers!