Help! My husband won't eat anything I cook!!

Why is it killing you? It sounds boring as all hell but if that's all that the man will eat, what's the big deal? Of course, you should cook what you want to eat and make sure that your children don't fall under his influence and eat well-rounded, balanced, interesting meals that you fix for them but I'd toss hubby a PB&J and be done with it.

What does his mother say about it?

Have him do his own cooking.

He may get bored, he might not. He might complain that it takes too long or you should be doing it or whatever. Explain to him that only one meal is cooked by you and you will make enough for two. He can have half of it or you will put away the half you don't eat for one of your future dinners.

If he changes his eating habits, great. If he doesn't, at least you will not be stuck having to cater to this. It's not like you are refusing to help out with a medical diet (such as for diabetics) or a religious diet (kosher or halal) or that you are sabotaging any attempt of his to lose weight. You are not required to kowtow to this and, as you have probably surmised, it is not a good diet.

It is high in fat, cholesterol and salt, and moderately high in sugar. It does not contain many vitamins or antioxidants such as are found in fresh vegetables, plus he is eating a lot of carbs. About the only thing that's at all okay is the plain grilled chicken -- so if you make for yourself, definitely make extra for him, and if you make burgers, leave the fixings out and he can use them or not as he pleases. But otherwise, forget it -- you're entitled to have a salad, or crudites, or corn on the cob, or wheat bread or pancakes or even a tuna sandwich for God's sake, without having to also work on making him something that he will consume. He's a big boy. He can make his own dinners.

Yep. Or better yet, make yourself what you want to eat and let him fend for himself. He wants something a certain way, he can make it a certain way.

I'd definitely stay away from the whole "changing his eating habits" thing -- he's not a child, and it's bad news when the dynamic in a marriage goes that direction.

My "yep" was to eoe, but obviously agree with Jes as well.

AirForcegirl- I have been dealing with this problem for over 37 years. My husband is allergic to fowl and shellfish. Some regular fish get him sick. If he's not allergic to it, he doesn't like it. Give him a steak and a baked potato, and he is in "hog heaven".

So..............., I cook him what he likes, and can tolerate. If I am in the mood, I will make something different for myself. No big deal.

Actually, it is rather boring, but in the long haul, much easier. I can make a big pot roast, and he will eat it, day after day, and won't complain.

A big NOPE! He is a child and the demons of his childhood are rearing their little heads. Having your meals cooked for you is a privilige not a right. What's the worst retaliation you can think of? He'll stop mowing the lawn?

It's a little easier to swallow (no pun intended) when, as jespah said above, it's a dietary thing for health or religious reasons. Sounds like this guy is just stubborn and incrediably set in his ways and I'll bet he's just as bullheaded about ALOT of things.

My husband, if left to his own devices, will eat almost exactly what yours does. I let him. It's his life & his body. I figure he can feed it whatever he wants.

Here's what I do: I tell him what I'm making for myself, and ask him if he wants me to make enough for both of us. If not, he can make his peanut butter on white bread, or canned vegetables mixed with Spaghetti-O's (this is his idea of Creative Cooking!)

He's usually willing to have at least a spoonful of what I make, and sometimes he gets to like a particular dish that's actually good for him.

I make a lot of Middle Eastern foods that he thinks are not really food (it's what I grew up with). He's from the Midwest, a meat-and-potatoes place if there ever was one. If he doesn't want it, as I said, it's his body & his decision to make, but the rule is, if he wants something different, he has to make it himself.

That said, I should add we don't have children, except for the four-legged kind. They like anything as long as we're eating it!

Yes, Panzade, having someone cook your meals really is a privilege. To me it's a gesture of affection.

The worst retaliation I can think of is divorce. After all, some people get divorced because they can't agree on which way the toilet paper goes. Sad but true.

My opinion is, cook what you want, he can eat it or not.

Oh, and is he fussy about other things, AirForceGirl? My DH was in the Air Force before I met him (a captain), and he worked 60+ hours weekly. If he works this much, maybe his fussiness comes from present unhappiness? Just a thought.

Nope my husband is not fussy about anything else, just the food I cook.

Wow. I'd never have guessed that.

So, what do you think, AirForcegirl? Are we helping or just pissing you off?

Does your husband work long hours? Do you work? I only ask because it will make a difference in my response.

Does this mean he'll eat other things, if other people prepare them? Or is he a generally one-note eater?

No, my husband won't eat anything that is not on his "list" even if other people make it.




we are both in the Air Force.

Ok - so the problem isn't your cooking but his tastebuds (or lack of them).

Make what you want to eat. Offer to make more of the same for him. He can say yes/no. If he says no, he can prepare his own meal. It works for my lad much as it does for BorisKitten. Sometimes the lad ends up eating a big bowl of pasta with butter and salt that he's prepared. Sometimes he realizes that what I'm cooking looks/smells a lot more tempting than he'd anticipated. Sometimes he has a big bowl of pasta with butter and salt, and a side of what I've prepared.

They're grown men. They can cook their own meals if they don't like what's on offer. Now, if they've done something special, like help you rehang the fence gate - they deserve to have the meal they ask for

and don't even think about trying to change his eating habits. he'll come around or he won't. trying to force the issue is not going to work - unless it's the doc telling him to change his routine.

On the other hand, looking ahead to the pitter-patter of little feet and the smacking of little lips, does AirForceGirl really want to perpetuate the diet of Meat & Potato man?

I've found that those little lips usually do what they're gonna do - regardless of Ma and Pa Eater.

One of my very best female pals could live on potatoes. Her husband, meat and potatoes. Their kids? They love calamari and samosas and caviar and salads and fruit and bizarre condiments and ...

I've marvelled at the number of times we've been at communal meals in Chinese etc restos where Ma Eater is signalling not to bother offering something to one of her sprouts as he won't like it (i.e. she won't try it) while her sprout is emptying the dish out of my hand while I'm peering at her. I lost two dim sum dishes of hot salt and pepper squid that way

Re: Help! My husband won't eat anything I cook!!
Changing eating habit will depend on how strong relationship you have with your husband. Strong relation helps mutual submission.