Family & Friends
"There are many barriers to making diet and lifestyle changes that I call the social roadblocks to health. The human nervous system is wired to recognize social conformity." - Dr. Alan Goldhammer
Your decision to adopt a WPF diet likely involved careful consideration of the possible effects. But it’s also likely some of your friends and relatives will not know or understand all the information that went into your decision. Being able to share that information can be really helpful when people are not as supportive as you would like them to be.
In his article Strategy for Health, Dr. Alan Goldhammer (co-author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering The Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness) writes that the changes you make can create the pain of cognitive dissonance in those around you who may not feel good about themselves. They may try to bring you down, tempt you with unhealthy foods, or suddenly become health experts and try to share their unfounded concerns about your new diet. This section will offer tips and guidance for talking to your family and friends about your dietary and lifestyle changes.
Getting My Family Onboard
It may take time to get your family on board with your decision to eat a WPF diet. And it can seem stressful to prepare different dishes for the different preferences in your household. But there are ways to reduce that stress even as you work toward changing your family's mind about your new lifestyle. Before you talk to your family about your decisions and desire to get them on board with you, watch the video for tips to reduce resistance.
Your decision to adopt a WPF diet likely involved careful consideration of the possible effects. But it’s also likely some of your friends and relatives will not know or understand all the information that went into your decision. Being able to share that information can be really helpful when people are not as supportive as you would like them to be.
In his article Strategy for Health, Dr. Alan Goldhammer (co-author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering The Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness) writes that the changes you make can create the pain of cognitive dissonance in those around you who may not feel good about themselves. They may try to bring you down, tempt you with unhealthy foods, or suddenly become health experts and try to share their unfounded concerns about your new diet. This section will offer tips and guidance for talking to your family and friends about your dietary and lifestyle changes.
Getting My Family Onboard
It may take time to get your family on board with your decision to eat a WPF diet. And it can seem stressful to prepare different dishes for the different preferences in your household. But there are ways to reduce that stress even as you work toward changing your family's mind about your new lifestyle. Before you talk to your family about your decisions and desire to get them on board with you, watch the video for tips to reduce resistance.
Video
I Am the Only Person in My House Who Eats This Way
You may try repeatedly to convince your family to adopt a WPF diet, and they may continue to resist you. What do you do? Creating two meal plans may not be an option -- even though it might make everyone else happy, it can be stressful and exhausting for you. Thankfully, there are ways to plan meals for everyone without becoming a short-order cook. Below are some ideas for making meal planning less stressful:
You may try repeatedly to convince your family to adopt a WPF diet, and they may continue to resist you. What do you do? Creating two meal plans may not be an option -- even though it might make everyone else happy, it can be stressful and exhausting for you. Thankfully, there are ways to plan meals for everyone without becoming a short-order cook. Below are some ideas for making meal planning less stressful:
- Make your meal from the healthy side dishes. Let the Standard American Diet (SAD) eaters have their main dish, but serve healthy side dishes that all can eat.
- Schedule a make-your-own night. Allow each person to make their own pizza, taco, or stir-fry, so everyone can choose the foods that fit their preferences.
- Batch-cook a few healthy dishes for yourself and freeze them. Doing so will save you the time of preparing two menus every night. You can heat up your meal as you prepare food for everyone else.
- Invite family members into the kitchen. Let those with differing needs or wants prepare their own meals.
- Create theme nights. By making meals something to look forward to, your family is much less likely to see healthier food as punishment.
- Make some of your family’s favorite meals healthier. Dishes like chili, lasagna, and burgers can easily be made in a WPF way. Your family may surprise you and like it, or they may not know the difference.