Food’s Effect on Relationships

Food has more of an effect on your relationship than you think. The experience of sharing a meal can is more telling of your relationship’s status than Facebook. Not only that, though, the food that you eat as a couple can have very real consequences for your relationship.

The Experience of Eating

Take a moment and think about the last meal you had with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Was there an awkward silence? Did the food not taste as good because the silence between you two was so stale? No? Good, move on to the next section.
Just kidding, if your experience of eating with your partner isn’t what it should be, try some of these tips.

Talk – seriously, talking is a must when eating with your partner. Communication is the key to any successful relationship, which includes at the dinner table. Talk about your day, talk about how good (or bad, unless they cooked it for you) the food is, or ask questions about their day, thoughts, or ideas. Life gets busy, use this time to reconnect with your partner. Just remember: don’t talk with your mouth full! The next two tips are really just ideas on how to talk more.

Cook together – there are few things sweeter in life than cooking and eating with your sweetheart. Some men will let their wife do all the cooking, or the other way around, but let me tell you, men who help cook are wonderful and doubly attractive. Get a cookbook, or just look online, and pick out some recipes to try together. Cooking gives you as a couple extra time to talk, as well – the more communication, the better! After cooking together for a while you can create your own recipes together, which gives you two something to bond over and be proud of.

Turn off the TV – today most people have a TV in almost every single room of the house. Unfortunately, most television shows are an individual experience. If the both of you love a certain television show, try watching it before you eat so that you can talk about it over the meal. Otherwise, leave it off so that you can focus on each other without distraction.

Be open about food preferences – it can be difficult to be in a relationship with a vegetarian if you’re an avid carnivore. But, as I usually suggest, be sure to talk about your food preferences, especially if you are picky. This makes cooking together easier as well. If you’re a vegetarian, and your partner eats meat, have him make his own serving of meat. If your food preferences are due to moral inclinations, be especially open! There’s nothing that kills a relationship faster than seeing your partner do something you despise over every meal.

Watching What You Eat

 A healthy couple is a happy couple. The first thing that comes to mind with this topic is weight. You want to remain attractive to your partner and sugar-packed, fatty foods are probably not the best way to go. That being said, if you do eat healthier than your partner, and look better, do not gloat or shove it in their face. You do not want jealously or anger to create a divide in the relationship. Again, talk to your partner about it, and be encouraging.

So, what foods should you choose?

Avoid processed foods – these are often stuffed full of sugar, saturated fats (that’s the bad kind of fat), sodium, and preservatives. These types of food are bound to result in weight gain which leads to feeling a more deprecating of self-image. Eating lots of sugar also creates energy crashes throughout the day. As a couple, you want to eat foods that sustain energy throughout the entire day so that you’re able to do more things together when you want to do them.

Go organic – there’s a lot of hype about organic foods these days, and rightly so! Organic vegetables, fruits, unsaturated fats (the good kind this time), and protein help to maintain that steady energy level throughout the day that I mentioned before, promote a healthy metabolism, boosts hormone levels (you know what that means), and, most importantly, make both of you as fit as fiddles. You’ll look good, feel good, and do so together. As I said, a healthy couple is a happy couple. Sweets are still an option, though. You do not have to cut them out entirely. For example, chocolate covered strawberries are a delicious dessert with many health benefits. If you’re feeling especially romantic, guys, try getting her a gift of a dozen chocolate covered strawberry roses from Shari’s Berries.

Choosing restaurants – avoid fast food as much as possible. It’s okay every once in a while, but you definitely don’t want to make it a habit. Besides, fast food isn’t very romantic. Be smart; use online reviews and menus to choose an appropriate restaurant for the two of you.  Local restaurants are often the best because you get local flavor, color, and food, which means fresh.
Well, I hope these tips on food and its effect on relationships was enlightening. If you have any more ideas, please feel free to comment below!

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About the author:
Mary is a writer who loves to give relationship advice, gardening tips, and food ideas. She is currently living in Idaho with her loving husband and two kids, all of whom pressure her to blog more. Mary enjoys hiking, fishing, and swimming in the great outdoors. In the great indoors, Mary loves to cook, write, and read. 
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