A short article on relationship issues and differing eating....

June 8, 2004

> Food Fight

>

> Seems like everyone's on some kind of diet these days. Those who aren't

> avoiding carbs are watching fats. Or portion size. Or salt. Or all of the

> above. Is it just our impression, or are all these restrictions complicating

> our domestic relationships? Hungry for answers, we went to Tampa-based

> dietitian Sass, co-author, along with health writer Maher, of

> " Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your

> Love Life " (Marlowe & Company, $14.95).

>

> Suppose I just want to eat my baked potato in peace. But my sweetie swears by

> Atkins and tells me I'm eating all wrong. How do we resolve this?

>

> It's not about who's right. It's about respecting the other person's opinion.

> You avoid conflict by not pushing your behavior or your beliefs on someone

> else.

>

> But if we see someone eating the wrong thing, shouldn't we try to stop them?

>

> Playing food cop and nagging doesn't work. Gently asking how you can be

> supportive generally works better.

>

> What if Honey keeps bringing forbidden foods into the house?

>

> If you're the one who's changing, you have explain to your partner what you're

> doing and why it's important. I hear a lot of people say they didn't realize

> they were sabotaging their partner's diet until the partner told them.

>

> You're a vegetarian. How do you and your carnivorous hubby handle life's

> lesser challenges, like choosing a restaurant?

>

> We'll check out a lot of menus on the Internet before we go out. Or sometimes

> we'll get takeout from different restaurants and eat at home. Would it be more

> fun if we ate hot fudge sundaes together? Probably, but there are other ways

> to have fun.

>

> -- Rita Zeidner

>

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