Although my husband and I have watched Food Inc. together and talked about nutrition, I was the one who read several books, found the 100 Days of Real Food blog, and suggested we try the 10-day Pledge. We’ve been shopping at the farmers markets for a few months, but this was going to be a much bigger step. I mentioned the idea of eating only “real food” to Jim weeks ago and set a start date a month in the future… because I expected him to need a lot of convincing.
It’s not that Jim doesn’t understand the importance of good health and nutrition. I mean, he’s a scientist after all. But he has a tough time with the textures of vegetables and fruits. He doesn’t like to eat them except for potatoes and corn (which has to be ON the cob). He’s actually come a long way to be able to force down raw spinach and Granny Smith apples. So I expected that trying a diet of whole foods, lots of plants, and less meat would be vetoed.
Then Jim surprised me! He’s been remarkably open minded about eating real food. He’s been supportive about eliminating or reducing processed foods. He’s done his own research about different types of sweeteners and levels of processing of cane sugar. He’s been grateful for the positive change I am inspiring in our family. He appreciates all the extra shopping and cooking I’ve been doing, and he helps with all of the extra dishes. (So many more dishes!)
Best of all, Jim has happily tasted (and enjoyed?!) all of our test meals, including tonight’s butternut squash soup and cheesy orzo. The soup is Ina Garten’s delicious butternut squash and apple soup with curry. The orzo needed to go before we switch to whole-grain, so I mixed in some cheese to make it interesting. The apples in the soup and on the plate were three different varieties that we picked/bought from a nearby orchard last weekend.
Simmering butternut squash and apple soup
Butternut squash and apple soup, cheesy orzo, fresh orchard apples
I’ve heard similar feedback about reluctant husbands from other friends who like the idea of eating more real food. I thought you’d like to know that, at least in my case, I had greatly underestimated mine.
Camp-Counselor Mom 
this is good to know! I need take some more time to research but I think I’m going to have to try this 10 day challenge. One thing I am curious about though is how it compares budget wise to our regular groceries. I definitely believe quality foods are worth in comparison to buying overly processed ones but have a budget to stick to!
I had a similar experience! Munier also surprised me after we started eating “cleaner”. He likes vegetables, but didn’t used to care much for whole grain breads and pastas. Furthermore, I figured his frugal nature would resist the extra cost of all-natural, organic, or grass-fed/free-range. Nowadays, he is totally on board with it and actually prefers healthier and more ecologically responsible options, even if it costs more.