Want to Convince Someone to Eat Healthier? Here’s What Not to Say

May 31, 2015

by Cathe Friedrich

If you eat a healthy diet, you’d probably like to help other people in your family, including your spouse and kids, get on the fast track to dietary health. Sadly, admonishments to eat a better diet often fall on deaf ears. Frustrating, isn’t it? After all, you have their best interests in mind. Why is change so hard to implement? Over time, people become set in their dietary habits and getting them to change can be like pulling teeth. Now a new study points out what NOT to say when helping your family make better diet decisions.

Negative Nutrition Messages Don’t Work

When you’re trying to get a family member to eat better, do you tell them “Don’t eat this and don’t eat that?” According to a new study, that’s the wrong approach. Researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing more than 40 studies internationally looking at how positive and negative messages impact food choices.

Their conclusions? You’ll get more cooperation if you deliver a positive message by telling your loved ones what to eat rather than what not to eat. Explain to them WHY something is good for them rather than just telling them what to eat. According to this study, negative nutritional messages work best for nutritionists and people well-versed in nutrition, who understand the ramifications of eating an unhealthy diet, rather than nutrition non-professionals who just want to eat what they enjoy.

This study points out what well-meaning people who try to change how their family eats already know – nagging and negativity don’t work. It won’t convince them to change other health habits either like quitting smoking or beginning an exercise program. Based on this study, what works better is to tell a significant other or child who doesn’t eat right what to eat and why it’s good for them. Better to leave what they shouldn’t munch on out of the conversation and instead promote positive changes. It’s all about painting things in a positive light rather than making the people you care about feel deprived because they can’t enjoy favorite foods like cookies, pizza, and French fries.

Why Is It Important to Get Your Family On Board?

Naturally, you care about the health of the people you live with. Plus, having your kids and significant other on board makes it easier for YOU to stay on track as well. It’s harder to stick with a clean eating plan when the rest of the crew at home wants pepperoni pizza. Start by making small compromises and changes. For example, eat pizza, but make sure the pizza is loaded up with vegetables. If you’re concerned about the calories and carbs, only eat a portion of the crust. Serve pizza with a salad or a side of veggies. You’ll win points for being flexible.

Another option: Prepare a healthy meal and include one less that healthy item on the side – one that you wouldn’t normally eat but will be a crowd pleaser. Again, you’re showing your willingness to be flexible and getting your family to eat healthy things they might not normally devour.

Other Ways to Get Your Spouse on Board with Healthy Eating

Building upon the positivity approach, skip the nagging and point out the pros of eating healthy and how it’s helping you. Let the clean-eating naysayers know how much more energetic you feel since you’ve started eating a more nutritious diet. You’ll win more converts if you point out what’s good about eating healthy and how it can be life-altering rather than how you MUST do it.

Forget about the all or none approach. Instead, encourage small changes. How receptive would you be if someone tried to radically change your dietary habits? Research shows complete diet overhauls are rarely sustainable. Eating habits are so deeply ingrained that they’re best changed incrementally, one small change at a time. If you prepare the meals, you can introduce those changes in a non-threatening manner.

Make one tiny dietary change at a time and you’ll encounter less resistance. For example, replace one starchy carbohydrate with a non-starchy vegetable or replace a decadent dessert with a fruit-based one. If you do the cooking, substitute as many healthy ingredients as you can for unhealthy ones.

Encouraging Kids to Eat Healthier

Positivity works better for kids too. Rather than telling them what not to eat, suggest a healthy substitute and explain why it’s good for them. Simple switches might include Greek yogurt in place of ice cream, baked zucchini fries instead of French fries, or baked kale chips instead of potato chips. With the right substitutions, your kids will discover eating healthy can taste delicious.

Get them involved in the grocery shopping experience. Encourage them to pick out a vegetable they’d like to add to their plate at dinner. A child is more likely to eat something healthy if they chose it.

Begin the education process early – let them know what vitamins and minerals are in a particular food and how they impact their health. Many kids are food-phobes, so introduce new foods into their diet slowly, but don’t pressure them to eat them.

Finally, be creative. Give healthy foods their own special names that have meaning to your child like “superhero veggies,” or arrange food on your child’s plate in the shape of a smiley face. Do what it takes to make eating healthy food a pleasant experience.

The Bottom Line

When you eat a clean diet, you want the people close to you to join in so they can enjoy the benefits too. As this study shows, negative messages are less effective than positive ones. Emphasize the positives and what to eat rather than stressing what’s not healthy. Don’t expect those around you to change overnight. Make the journey to dietary reform a work in progress.

References:

Eurekalert.org. “‘Do’ is Better than ‘Don’t’ When It Comes to Eating Better” May 27, 2015.

WebMD. “6 Steps to Changing Bad Eating Habits”