Question: Have you ever changed your eating habits for a new relationship (eg. switched to vegetarianism, eaten more meat, vegan)? Which lasted longer, the food regimen or the relationship?
The answer to this in my case is no. Sadly my eating habits are pretty much ingrained in my soul. Jr. bacon cheeseburgers, red velvet cake, snickerdoodles, movie popcorn; these things I simply cannot live without. No one is going to change that about me. I never tried to impress a date by eating salad, or selecting the same steak they did. I simply ordered what I wanted. Yes, sometimes I ordered less pricey items out of respect for my date, but that was it. My best friend growing up was mostly vegetarian and it never effected our relationship. I like what I like, and in the company I keep, they accept me and my grossly horrible eating habits.
I did though, try new things for the sake of a relationship. When Superman first took me to sushi I was freaked out. I had only had it once before and it was basically the surf and turf (chicken and steak). My family wasn't big into trying real authentic, ethnic or foreign foods. We ate some Mexican Food and that was about the limits of our adventurous spirit. Everything else was Americanized Chinese and Italian. My dad liked Indian food, but that was mostly reserved for dates with my mom. Thus, when asked out to sushi, I was nervous. Raw fish, yuck! Luckily my date was a bit of a sushi expert and he knew what to order for my sushi-inexperienced self. I tried it and thought it was ok.
That was not enough for Superman. If he was going to invest in a relationship it had to be with someone who LOVED sushi. Back then he went to sushi several times a month. It was a big part of his lifestyle. So, reluctantly at first, I kept going back. I found a few rolls at certain places that I really liked. so we were good. However, the more often I went and the more variety I tried, the more I really came to like sushi. Then I really came to love it. Now I am basically addicted. So sushi might just be the only change in my eating habit brought on by a relationship. We have been happily married for almost seven years now and sushi is still a big part of our happily ever after.
When it comes to other eating habits I don't really live by the mantra that you are what you eat. Instead, and this stolen from my high-metabolism high school days, I say: I work out so I can eat what I want and not worry about it. This was all well and good when I was at swim practice all day, everyday. Even in college I could squeak by and didn't gain much weight despite my deplorable eating habits. I have tried several times to eliminate sugar, bacon, carbohydrates, but it never sticks. I simply love food too much. I want to enjoy it, savor it.
A good thing did come of High School though. Around about the ninth grade I decided to kick soda drinking to the curb. I wasn't a big fan of pop, but I had it often enough when we ate out or visited Grandma's house. So I went completely off of it when I joined the swimming club. Turns out that is the one habit that seems to really stick. I still, to this day, prefer water or lemonade to soda. The only time I crack is for a dripping cold glass of Italian soda once in a rare while or have the flu and need ginger ale. Otherwise it never happens. No Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper weakness for this girl. Despite all the surrounding temptation I simply will not change this eating habit. I would give up meat if I had to. I would switch to gluten free if necessary. But I don't think I can ever, ever go back to drinking soda, even if all the cool kids are doing it.
A health nut I am not, but I do pay attention to my body and try to be careful of what I eat. For the most part I live a well balanced life on weekdays and tend to indulge just enough on the weekends to reign in my cravings for fats and carbs. My eating habits aren't great, but they are mine. They are basically a part of who I am and who I have always been. So here is to delicious food. Cheers!
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