There are a few over-50 couples I know where both spouses have health problems that could be due to what they’re eating. In one case the husband has heart disease and the wife has diabetes.
In another case the husband is obese and the wife has diverticulitis. In the last case, the husband has kidney problems and the wife obese with rheumatoid arthritis. All of them have high blood pressure and they must take multiple prescription medications to deal with their issues.
In each case I know one of the spouses would be willing to try transitioning toward plant-based eating to help their condition, but the other spouse is heavily resistant to it. I’ve always thought if I could get the willing spouses away from the resistant spouses, we could make some serious strides to mitigate the damage of the diseases they’re grappling with, maybe even totally overcome them.
However, the willing spouse must keep the peace in the household. Transitioning to plant-based eating would cause “domestic disruption” that the willing spouse doesn’t want to deal with. That said, each couple maintains the status quo by shutting up about it, eating food that at least one spouse knows is making their situations worse, and taking medications to cover it up.
Does that make any sense?
Many people are self-destructing to keep the peace. But, in the case of transitioning to plant-based eating, oftentimes you must be disruptive and even selfish to pull it off. The question is whose best interest are you operating in, yours or the disease? Or is it whose worst interest? So what if you ruffle a few feathers. That’s better than having a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, digestive problems or dealing with whatever else may make you uncomfortable or miserable.
Operating in your own best interest may be necessary for you to live a life of peace, especially if what you do can help your spouse in the long run. The process of getting better is usually accompanied by some type of agitation, but don’t let that stop you from doing what you know is the right thing to do for you and your family.
