Here’s my confession: When I went to cook our leftover fish for lunch, I didn’t know if they were farm-raised or wild. I didn’t know if they were sustainable. Hell, I didn’t know what fish it was. I was just going to eat it because it was there and I wanted it. But I thought I’d email my mom and ask just what I was eating, and this email made my day:
oh – it is swordfish.
you have taught me well. Do you think I would bring farm raised fish into the house?!?!?
I was such a proud son. After that I got to thinking about all the other “healthy impressions” I’ve made on my family. For instance:
They love lentils. Don’t get me wrong; my mom flat out told me she’ll never give up her greasy pizza-parlor pizza. But now and again both my parents have come to find lentils just as good. Other healthy impressions:
- My dad eats lots of oatmeal and peanut butter, sometimes from jars.
- My mom knows that whole wheat(or, as she calls it, “wheat”) pasta is better for her.
- We all eat mostly gluten-free, vegan desserts since I’m the baker.
- Salad is a regular component of our meals
In more ways than I’ve realized, I’ve never had to be “militant” about any of my healthy choices for it to rub off on the people around me. And that makes me feel damn good.
My dinner was a very simple mixture of meat and potatoes, and I’m not even from middle America. When the fat had rendered and the meat was cooked through, I dropped the heat and added the lentils to fry a bit.
Served with a bit of fresh rosemary. Really, the rosemary here would have been better fried in a little olive oil and drizzled on but there was enough flavor in the dish from seasonings for it not to need that. And even though my mom made her own dinner for herself and my dad, they both unabashedly took some leftover lentils to eat. Healthy, indeed.
What healthy impression have you made on someone in your life? Go ahead and brag about it because you deserve it.
Awww, that e-mail is sweet!
My mom now drinks green monsters…and calls them green monsters, which makes me laugh every time she says it
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Aww
My whole family has always been healthy eaters – we love sharing recipes and talking about different ways we practice sustainability and healthy living! Pretty awesome.
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i’ve definitely helped my hubby when it comes to eating healthy – even though he’s vegetarian, he needed help when it came to branching out from just pizza and grilled cheese.
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I’m not sure if I’ve made an impression on anyone. Lol! If anything, my dad likes to say that I’ve helped him branch out more. Honestly, though, my parents eat healthy (always have), and my brothers eat well enough. My boyfriend I’ve been teaching to like foods, like asparagus, that he hated growing up. Yay veggies!
And I did the first day of your push-up challenge. Woohoo!
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Congrats on making a good change in your family
! It’s such a good feeling to know you’ve made a positive change in someone’s life. I’ve turned around my mom’s eating a lot (dad’s a different story!). I helped her lose 45 pounds (and maintain it) in a healthy way. She eats oatmeal and peanut butter almost everyday, buys whole wheat bread/pasta, eats a ton of veggies, and takes regular walks. While I may have occasionally been pushy/annoying (sometimes I can’t help it!), I think having her see how what I ate made me so happy and energetic and tasted so good really made a difference. I must admit, it was kind of selfish too – it’s great when mom comes home from the grocery store with a bunch of delicious fruits and veggies!
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I find myself having to play the “bad guy” when it comes to getting a healthy meal around the house seeing as my parents are “meat + potato + bread = meal” kind of people and I don’t really enjoy the same thing over and over.
My Mom has become a bit more willing to go for nightly walks and surprises me sometimes when she chooses to go longer or farther than usual, so I’m quite happy about that.
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i’ve def made an impression on my family. they are mostly vegetarian now and i have finally gotten my mom to at least cook half white half brown rice for their dinners (mom is traditional japanese w/ her sticky rice!). they also try whole grain pastas and everything i make at home. dad is more willing, mom i’m still working on!
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You should be proud of the impressions you’ve left on your family! It’s not an easy thing to do…especially since adults are very conditioned in their ways.
2 things my family learned from me recently:
1. Those Fiber One bars with “added antioxidants” aren’t, in fact, “healthy.”
2. Peanut butter is just ground nuts…there’s no *actual* butter in there haha
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When I make vegan desserts my brother is always surprised by how good it is and says “Wow, I could eat vegan desserts all the time!” That makes me happy!
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When I first met my fiancé, he would only eat milk chocolate. Now anything less than 70% cocoa is “crappy chocolate”. Very proud I am.
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I feel the same way about my family. Granted, they have always been very sincere about food and sustainability and generally healthful, wholesome meals cooked at home. But I enlightened them to the difference between good peanut butter and crap peanut butter, opened them up to almond milk, Daiya cheese (yay), frequent oatmeal breakfasts, and whole grain everything! Ever since I was little (and hated salads) they have been a component of the meal. I’m so thankful they gave me the right head-start into wholesome foods. And I’m so glad you have had such a similar experience in your family’s adventurous eats!
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That is so cute! You have done good for your family.
I think that’s the way to do it. Just live your life and when they see how happy and healthy you are they’ll come to you. My friend just called me yesterday to talk to me about how to make healthy changes. 
It makes me so happy!
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