Husband will not eat sweet potatoes and doesn't like coconut...

[Deb Batchelor]

My husband and I are on our 3rd week of Whole 30 and I am concerned about his nut intake. He is telling me he is always hungry (not sure if it's hunger or just the urge to snack). I try to tell him to add a sweet potato or we can get some other sort of starch but he refuses to eat them. Also, I tell him to add some more fat. He will only eat 1 avocado a day for some reason so anyways, at night he's eating me out of house and home consuming nuts. Anyone have any ideas for starches I can add that he will actually like? He also hates coconut so that's out of the question except for coconut milk if it's mixed with dinner for a sauce or something. I tried to explain that over eating nuts can be unhealthy too and offered him some raw veggies instead but he won't eat those w/out ranch dressing....I'm all out of ideas.

[Tom Denham]

I often eat cold baked sweet potatoes with a closed handful of macadamia nuts and a closed handful of dried cranberries on top. Maybe your husband would like sweet potato if he could eat it with nuts and dried fruit.

One avocado per day is about right. For more fat, I think it best to choose another fat source like olives, coconut flakes, or nuts unless eating whole eggs or a fatty cut of meat and the meal already has a good amount of fat.

Nuts can be 1000 calories per cup, so a persistent snacker can be distorting their food intake seriously. And I find that nuts don't satisfy me when I snack on them; I always want more. They work fine in a recipe, but don't seem to work as independent snack food.

[PamH]

I would say add fatty cuts of meat for meals if he is still hungry. Not sure what you do with protein.

He needs to break the childhood habit of needing salad dressing with vegetables! Jicama is really an interesting vegetable. Quite starchy, but the crunch is so satisfying. Choose one that isn't too large.

He needs to just start exploring foods. I don't think you can force him.

I use spaghetti squash a lot to fill out protein dishes. There is an avocado-basil pesto sauce that, combined with diced chicken breast, is just awesome tossed with the squash.

I agree that you can have too many nuts. Opt for macadamia, chestnuts and hazelnuts over others to get the best Omega 3-6 ratio. Nuts are also high in phytic acid (in nuts to prevent sprouting before conditions are ideal; pretty much the same defense mechanism that legumes have). Phytic acid in our digestive system will actually interfere with nutrient absorption. Soaking raw nuts overnight in salty water will greatly reduce phytic acid content (dry them in the oven at lowest temp to prevent early molding), but the above 3 nuts are naturally low in phytic acid. Calorie content is deceptively high, too.

Maybe he'll eat mashed sweet potato? Whipped with ghee and some salt/cinnamon?

Again, I think this is up to him to overcome old habits. I get not liking the taste of coconut (well, I don't GET it because it is my favorite taste), so no need for him to force himself to eat it.

good luck!

[KitchenWitchy]

Maybe your husband would like plantain? The yellow and black ones are sweet and the green ones are not. When I am feeling burned out on sweet potato, I like to slice a yellow plantain and cook it in coconut oil. If there is no other fat in the meal, I will drizzle a bit of coconut butter over the top.

Also he might feel less hungry later if he eats more at breakfast and lunch. I find that if I skimp on breakfast, I have a hard time stopping at dinner, and want to snack through the night.

[MrsStick]

Parsnips, beets, turnips, and most other tubers are starchy veggies too! My husband and I love parsnips roasted with oil/salt/pepper/herbs of choice.

If he has to have a dip for veggies, go for a mayo one. I <3 my creamy balsamic dip because it, combined with veggies, keeps be full through a whole day of work. Seriously - lunch today was some brisket with 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and dip. And I eat a TON usually. Just don't ask how much dip I ate...

[Deb Batchelor]

Thanks everyone! I think I might try the parsnips and such. For me, I could eat a sweet potato every day and raw veggies and it doesn't matter but he "wants something with more taste". Whatever that means. I think sweet potatoes mixed with diced apples and cinnamon is the best thing since sliced bread...he thinks sliced bread is the best thing since sliced bread lol. We're working on it. Slowly but surely.