suggest healthy, organic family meals

My husband and i recently got married witch means i married all of his bad eating habits as well. I love my husband dearly but he drinks soda like its going out of style and he believes all he needs is meat to survive, both of our fathers have had heart issues in the last year alone just from poor diet and bad habits. my father only has forty percent of his heart working now and knows he has to make a change but says its too late for him it and continues on the same path, while my brand new father inn law rejected even my slightest suggestion of trying a heathery diet or to try juicing he said " yeah juicing has helped alot of people but its also killed some dead" so hes gonna take a pill for something that he can change. well to get to the point i need organic good tasting man food so i can save my poor husbands life before he needs it any advice is welcome

Some people find the Primal or Paleo diet a healthy one for meat eaters. It is a diet of meat, vegetables, fruit, and some nuts, but absolutely no grains or sugar or artificial products - so absolutely no soda! I tried the paleo diet and quickly lost weight on it while feeling better than usual, but it can be challenging because so much of the "normal" diet is based on grains. To be healthy on the Paleo diet you have to really stick to it, you can't eat a ton of meat AND a ton of carbohydrates. Personally I found it a better diet for me than a vegan diet, which I also tried. One is supposed to eat only grass-fed or wild meats on the Paleo diet, so this also makes it difficult and expensive if bought from the store, but a good diet for permaculturists who raise their own animals in addition to fruits and vegetables. Remember when changing the diet do it over a period of a few weeks, not all at once. Reducing grains and adding more vegetables is relatively easy, for instance if you usually serve rice or pasta or bread with a meal, use a serving of vegetables instead.

Here's a thread about the Paleo/Primal diet: https://permies.com/t/13539/cooking-food-preservation-food-choices/Paleo-diet

Here's a website I found helpful: http://www.nerdheaven.dk/~jevk/paleo_intro.php

Diet is such a personal thing and folks like to argue about it.

My best advice for you is to be patient. If you are going to wean him off his bad habits, the worst thing is nagging him about what he eats and doesn't eat. Instead, try to find things that he will like as well or better than what he is eating. I think trying a paleo diet would be a good transition. Try insisting on better quality meat, and increase the green salads. As for the sodas, you could try a couple things. One is kombucha - it has a mild carbonation, and for some people hits the same spot that soda does. Or, try brewing your own soft drinks - at least they will have real flavorings and no high fructose corn syrup.

Also, check your library for this book - http://www.amazon.com/The-Sneaky-Chef-Kitchen-Healthy/dp/B001IDZJM2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2 - and others by the same author. This book will at least show you how to get more vitamins and anti-oxidants into him!

Some people are more adventurous when it comes to food than others. If you concentrate on spending your money on better quality ingredients, and amplifying on what he already likes, you will have more success than ragging on him about how unhealthy his diet is.

thank you both i have taken your advice and am very eager to start this new diet im buy two books from amazon right now I will try to contain the nagging.

"I will try to contain the nagging" -- that is a good start.

My husband is starting to come around after nine long years.

I have found that the best way to convince him is not to try.

I simply laid down the law that I would eat my diet and he would eat his. If we have to cook separately then so be it.

He has seen that I eat more than he does and he is overwieght and I am not. He takes blood pressure medication and I don't.

I just try to be the example. Even though I eat vegan when we are out I do make an extra effort to make our home raised chickens and turkeys extra tastey. Now he prefers our meat over factory farmed meat from the store or restaurant.

I have done pretty much the same thing here at our house i haven't told him he cant eat what he wants i just told him that i was going to start cooking and he was going to eat what ever it was i put in front of him or make himself something. he has been doing rather well though and hasn't complained once.

Soda and Meat.
Clearly you married a male of the species.

The caveman in us all loves meat because its big and drips and tastes awesome. You must accept the notion that he may be permanently vegan-free at this stage of his life.
I'd suggest using his appreciation for meat as a starting point. With his next steak, add sauteed onions, peppers, and garlic. Chicken has Parmesan written all over it. The sauce is the thing...hard to say no to a rich, thick, flavorful, chunky tomato and vegetable sauce. While you're at it, serve it the chicken parmesan over whole wheat pasta. Roast Beef...in a sub roll...with sliced tomato, green peppers, how about fresh spinach in lieu of lettuce? I'd wait before trying sprouts on the sub...it's hardcore.
Different styles of cooking may be in order. Mexican style dishes are greatly enhanced with vegetables. Tacos crave salsa, especially homemade. Don't leave out the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, avacado, and a bit of cheese in there to serve as bait. Quesdillas are served with the vegetables on the side...this would be a good way to introduce the feller to salad. Fajitas have the vegetables on the side, heated...just tell him it makes the meat better.

Stuffed Peppers are sneaky...stuff with meat and rice.

Lasagna...layer in some sliced zuchinni.

Stew.
Hard to beat stew. Meat, gravy, potato, carrots, leeks, mushrooms...I'm starting to drool.

I'd urge you to keep a can of Spam at the ready. Sometimes its hard to wean the carnivores and you will need to prevent shock.

I'm finding this blog helpful and informative: http://www.marksdailyapple.com

I have never, in 37 years of trying, been able to change my husbands bad eating habits!

I have been able to prepare some healthy foods that he likes.

I asked him what vegetables that he likes, and at first he said that he didn't like them, But, I noticed that he would eat peas, and when I asked him he said that he did like them, and bananas also. As time went by I learned that he also liked raw bell pepper strips and mini carrots, and lettuce on his sandwiches, and salad if there was rach dressing. If you can put ranch dressing on something then he will eat it. H e will also eat a pear *IF* I slice it and set it out in front of him at dinner time. He doesn't seem to think about it, he just munches some of the pieces with his dinner.

You cannot stop him from eating things that are bad for him, but you can get him whatever healthy foods that he will accept.

By the way, if there are heart problems in the family then diet soda is better for him, even if there is nutrasweet in it. And, my husband could not tell the difference when I brought him a cold glass of soda one time, and I did get him on the diet soda instead of sugar soda kick. Lately I have kept a picher of unsweetened ice tea in the fridge, and he has come to like it because it is cold. I make the ice tea at half strength, to keep it too mild to need sweetening. Otherwise, without the sugar, it is too bitter.

Oh, yes! I learned to cook the very lean beef so that it is tender (just cut back on the heat, cook it more slowly, and serve it a little more rare), and I found out that he likes a stir fry. Soy is full of salt but other than that I can put vegetables and chicken breast in it. Even when you take soy sauce into account my stir fry is healthier than what he eats during lunch.

I was looking for a thread on cooking vegetables for someone who 'doesn't like them' and found this one. Some good suggestions here.

I have to admit I 'hide' veg in what I cook quite often.  Grated carrots (and other root veg) go in minced beef dishes like bolognese and chilli. A chicken curry will have about equal volume of turnip (Swede/Rutabaga) and/or cauliflower. I can feed him a salad as long as I call it a 'cold supper' and it doesn't have too much 'green'. Lettuce is hidden under the sauce with rice dishes so it wilts and goes soft.

I try not to include things I know he really doesn't like: celery is one.

My main policy is adding veg to what we eat rather than trying to change the diet completely. Luckily neither of us is fond of soft drinks - our house runs on tea with milk.

My husband had a very limited vegetable repertoire when we met, to the point that I wondered if I could really marry a guy who doesn't eat salad. Bit he was open-minded.

So we tried... Everything! Mache. Mizuna. Chard. Bok choi. If it was green and he hadn't tasted it yet, we gave it a try. Turns out bitter greens like arugula and baby spinach went much better than lettuce. Counterintuitive, but it's the "lots of texture little taste" he had issues with.

We also bought several vegetable-centric cookbooks. Not necessarily vegetarian, but one where veggies had all the attention. And we started the meal planning around the veggie first, with a very simple protein on the side.

Anything by Ottolenghi is great because the instructions are really precise and everything is weighted (plus the flavors are strong and punchy, which might help adopt harder to love veggies like celery root) . We also recently bought Six Seasons, which is perfect of you have a vegetable garden or a CSA share.

Adding plenty of fat helps bring out the flavors and make vegetables more glamourous (and since we're serving smaller portions of mostly vegetarian protein, a little olive oil in our veggies is only healthy. And well, if bacon fat makes brussel sprouts sumptuous, it's worth it imho).

The technique counts for a lot too. Braising or grilling brings out lots of flavor and sugar. Grating root veggies reduces the crunch and mixes flavors (so something like radish which can be spicy on its own gets smoothed by carrot). Pureed soups can help where texture is the issue.

Adding molten cheese on top rarely fails. Sometimes a hint of maple syrup or hoisin sauce cuts the bitterness (like in asian style braised bok choi).

There are still vegetables he won't eat, and some he will only eat because it's too much trouble to sort out. But he's now strongly on the "mostly plant-based" side of the spectrum (and an awesome cook)

The same techniques do not necessarily work for kids though. My kids prefer their vegetables steamed, grilled with no spices or lightly boiled (NOT boiled to death). Sometimes raw. So we'll often have at least a fancy veggie and a plain veggie on the table at dinner time (even if that's just putting the salad spinner straight out of the fridge some days and taking out some leftovers, or reheating some frozen corn and peas).

Being consistent pays off: it took five years of raw veggies in her lunch box before my eldest daughter started eating them (I called them "sacrificial veggies to the god of compost", mostly designed to appease the judgemental lunch ladies They actually all ended up in the stock pot at the end of the day,  until she hit a growth spurt and was suddently interested in carrot sticks. Now it all disappears. ). It should take less time with an adult who is willing to taste (I'm skeptical of adults who do not even want to *try* a bite of something new).

Oh, and for fruit, I've found that cutting them up in bite sizes is 50% of the win. A child (and most adults) will go through an insane amount of fruit as long as it does not require any work. My father does these beautiful varied fruit plates everyday at breakfast, and it's so much more tempting than just a couple of fruits on the sideboard. And even if you're just laying fruit out on the side board, nice serving pieces that showcase the beauty of the fruit will make them more popular (I'm using up all my fancy tiered trays and cake stands to display fruit on my sideboard, and it makes a difference).

I can relate, I changed my diet and cut sugar due to my own health issues, for me, I had to eliminate the temptations from my house and quit buying the things that were harmful to myself and my family.  I began by giving away and eliminating the toxic items from my pantry and house, I stopped buying and bringing them into the home, and I refused to cook poor meals.  We had our battles but these I expressed to my husband, were all decisions that I had to make for my own health.  I also did this for my children.  He could decide to eat his choice outside the home but I firmly asked and maybe demanded that he not bring the garbage into the home.  

We had many fights and he was not happy, we were both sugarholics.  After many years or maybe less, he started noticing that he felt better when he simply ate what I had cooked and he slowly jumped into the bandwagon.  It hasn't been easy but all you can do is focus on your own health and wellness and hope he follows suit.  I did find healthier alternatives to his favorites and I would try to include them into the budget.  I do share a story on my blog about it.  https://yourhealingfoodie.com/2016/11/28/facing-reality-its-all-about-the-pie/.

Hope this helps you on your journey

I stick to simple meals like spaghetti, tacos, enchiladas, hamburger pie, anything you can make unhealthy you can make organic.  Get creative and know you are not alone in the struggle.