My siblings and I grew up eating farm fresh everything. We never ate out or from a can. It was all from scratch 3 times a day. Feeding 6 kids, my mother was like a cooking robot God bless her. I don't know where she got the energy. She kept a very clean home and ran a tight ship. Back in the day my father used to get tons of fresh food from his clients. I remember shucking corn, doing snap beans, cucumbers by the ton, tomatoes cooked down, all kinds of God's goodness. We really ate well. Always plenty yet we were rail thin and active.

That being said, at this point in life it doesn't really matter. When we were inoculated for polio as children, some of us, probably all of us in the US, were given a dose of cancer virus directly through the polio vaccine. Look it up. The CDC may have scrubbed it but it's true. Population control and all that. Most of us will die from some form of cancer, some won't. High fructose corn syrup will clog your arteries, pesticides will eventually build up and kill us too. Heart attack. Liver, kidney, pancreas will fail. Fact.

At this point, if you make it past 50, what you eat, ate, will eat won't doesn't matter. Might as well enjoy life while you can. Moderate everything and hope for the best.

Anonymous wrote:My white husband had a diet like OPs husband growing up. So gross. Lots of hot dogs and American cheese. Dinner was a protein (Usually red meat or lots of ham!), a starch and a tiny garnish-like serving of vegetables. I do not enjoy the meals at my in- laws. I was born in America and of Indian ethnicity.

+1

In my case, it is difficult to come from a family where food is valued, and marry into a family where food is an "obligation", and not part of a positive part of life - but something to quite literally, rush your way through to get away from the people at the table. In my family, food and warmth were part of the celebration of life. What WASPs might consider loud - laughter (never at anyone else's expense - unlike the ILs), talking and sometimes even singing - were the norm. One was never cold or closed off or competitive - that would be called out immediately, as would any negative behavior against another person - especially family! Again, opposite at the ILs. It is a big transition, but do what you can do, and admit that your husband was raised differently, and what is okay for you might not be okay for him, and vice versa. DH was raised here and to me, suffered (among other more important things) a rotation of about five dishes, all having basically the same ingredients, none of which you or I would consider healthy, and all half heartedly, hap hazardly and reluctantly made from a place of obligation and resentment - definitely not from the heart, as you and I know it. To you and I, that is no way to live. To my DH, that is "family", however depressed and depressing. I come from a family of impressive cooks, and it was a big transition, but (and I hate this phrase, but it applies) it is what it is. I exposed DH to celebrations at my families, both sides - so he could see for himself what a warm family looks like, including amazing food. That is one of my gifts to him and my children. We meander through some holidays at the ILs, but always have a back up celebration at our house, so DCs have that. Just wanted to share, OP. You are not alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up eating a "typical all-American diet". Some typical meals at our house:
Grilled steak, baked potato, steamed broccoli
Pot roast, salad
Roast chicken, steamed green beans, dinner rolls
Spaghetti, meatballs, salad
Salmon, asparagus, rice
Pork chops, sweet potatoes, spinach

In other words, protein/vegetable/carb in varying combinations. We had a lot of things roasted or grilled with minimal added fat/oil. We went to Chinatown for dinner a couple times a year, and ate at the local Tex-Mex restaurant a few times a year. Also went out for sushi, Thai, Indian, Italian, and anything else we could find, but no more than 1-2 times a month total. Our dinners out, regardless of cuisine, were generally FAR less healthy than the "American" food we ate at home.

OMG...My American diet was like this growing up. So boring, so bland, no fat. The basic starch, vegetable, and meat. Often baked chicken or dry as hell pot roast and the starch was baked potato, baked yams, baked squash. The vegetable was always steamed, steamed broccoli, green beans and God awful steamed cabbage.

Frankly, I would be better off health wise if I had stayed on that diet. It was very healthy, very well rounded and very boring. Food for sustenance, not taste.

I cook very much like this, but I’ve long since added more taste than my very germanic parents like.

+1 This is how my in laws eat. No sauces at all, lots of boiling, baking, steaming, and grilling in the summer. Lots of green beans, cabbage, and white meat chicken and turkey. Lunch is a sandwich and a banana. The most unhealthy thing was probably the holiday baking--pies and chocolate chip cookies, but that was the holidays.

Ugh, Yes! The ubiquitous baked chicken...The only thing I had to look forward to was the skin. And the pies? My mom made them from scratch and did not believe in adding sugar to the our crust.

And we definitely didn't make lasagna...that would be too much sauce and complexity, lol. My guess is the OP's husband is at least part Italian-American...not English, Germanic, or Scandinavian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does "you missed it too" and "you missed it too, keep up!" mean?

It means that the pp you called an idiot for not realizing she was only over for special dinners is over for that family's regular meals sometimes, too. So in that Indian family they regularly eat the heavy unhealthy stuff that you swear no one eats except for special occasions.

I’m not any of the PPs, but if I were having people over for “regular dinner”, I’d still make sure to have some special dishes. For korean meal we might have rice, miso soup, and a side dish. If we were having non-Koreans over, I’d add meat, a potato dish, and maybe fried dumplings. Not things we eat on a regular basis, but easy enough to whip up for guests.

Anonymous wrote:What does "you missed it too" and "you missed it too, keep up!" mean?

It means that the pp you called an idiot for not realizing she was only over for special dinners is over for that family's regular meals sometimes, too. So in that Indian family they regularly eat the heavy unhealthy stuff that you swear no one eats except for special occasions.

Anonymous wrote:What does "you missed it too" and "you missed it too, keep up!" mean?

It means you should join your first grader in her reading lesson.

What does "you missed it too" and "you missed it too, keep up!" mean?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ashburn...an Indian Mecca. Over the years I've been invited to countless Diwali parties and to neighbors house for dinner cooked from scratch. I've always left so full of carbs and grease. If I ate that food in a daily basis, if have a man sized gut. I love the food, but But OMG, I don't need diabetes!

Except if you're going to parties and special dinners your hosts are serving you special occasion food. No one eats those things on a daily basis in any culture.

You missed it. In addition to Diwali, I go for a regular dinner as well. Same. Super greasy, very carb heavy, and all of the vegetables in a thick heavy sauce. This is not one Indian family, but quite a few.

Don't get me wrong, I love fried bread, but could not tolerate it on the regular and remain a size 6. All of the Indian women I know (with a few exceptions) have pot bellies.

You sound like such an idiot. If they are having you over they are serving special food. They are not serving their normal food. If they could read your post I’m sure they would stop inviting you over.

You missed it too, keep up!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ashburn...an Indian Mecca. Over the years I've been invited to countless Diwali parties and to neighbors house for dinner cooked from scratch. I've always left so full of carbs and grease. If I ate that food in a daily basis, if have a man sized gut. I love the food, but But OMG, I don't need diabetes!

Except if you're going to parties and special dinners your hosts are serving you special occasion food. No one eats those things on a daily basis in any culture.

You missed it. In addition to Diwali, I go for a regular dinner as well. Same. Super greasy, very carb heavy, and all of the vegetables in a thick heavy sauce. This is not one Indian family, but quite a few.

Don't get me wrong, I love fried bread, but could not tolerate it on the regular and remain a size 6. All of the Indian women I know (with a few exceptions) have pot bellies.

You sound like such an idiot. If they are having you over they are serving special food. They are not serving their normal food. If they could read your post I’m sure they would stop inviting you over.

You missed it too.

My white husband had a diet like OPs husband growing up. So gross. Lots of hot dogs and American cheese. Dinner was a protein (Usually red meat or lots of ham!), a starch and a tiny garnish-like serving of vegetables. I do not enjoy the meals at my in- laws. I was born in America and of Indian ethnicity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ashburn...an Indian Mecca. Over the years I've been invited to countless Diwali parties and to neighbors house for dinner cooked from scratch. I've always left so full of carbs and grease. If I ate that food in a daily basis, if have a man sized gut. I love the food, but But OMG, I don't need diabetes!

Except if you're going to parties and special dinners your hosts are serving you special occasion food. No one eats those things on a daily basis in any culture.

You missed it. In addition to Diwali, I go for a regular dinner as well. Same. Super greasy, very carb heavy, and all of the vegetables in a thick heavy sauce. This is not one Indian family, but quite a few.

Don't get me wrong, I love fried bread, but could not tolerate it on the regular and remain a size 6. All of the Indian women I know (with a few exceptions) have pot bellies.

You sound like such an idiot. If they are having you over they are serving special food. They are not serving their normal food. If they could read your post I’m sure they would stop inviting you over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ashburn...an Indian Mecca. Over the years I've been invited to countless Diwali parties and to neighbors house for dinner cooked from scratch. I've always left so full of carbs and grease. If I ate that food in a daily basis, if have a man sized gut. I love the food, but But OMG, I don't need diabetes!

Except if you're going to parties and special dinners your hosts are serving you special occasion food. No one eats those things on a daily basis in any culture.

You missed it. In addition to Diwali, I go for a regular dinner as well. Same. Super greasy, very carb heavy, and all of the vegetables in a thick heavy sauce. This is not one Indian family, but quite a few.

Don't get me wrong, I love fried bread, but could not tolerate it on the regular and remain a size 6. All of the Indian women I know (with a few exceptions) have pot bellies.

My guess is that they are making "special occasion" food for you to appease your American palate. In a couple pounds of vegetables I use a couple tablespoons of olive oil max. No ghee. But if non-Indians are coming I am more likely o make dishes that Americans like - palak paneer, chicken curries, etc. Maybe it's because I live in California but no one in my family makes oily food and everyone cooks in olive oil.

Also - fried bread - "poori" - is definitely not an every day food. We eat chapatti, which most non-Indians would NEVER order at a restaurant. Whole wheat flour mixed with water, cooked on a dry griddle.

Yep and it's gross. It's like chewing on shoe leather with fiber in it.

That sounds like a gross poori Sorry you haven't had better!

Was talking about roti/chapatti -- the junk we eat day to day at home being gross. What's not to like with a poori -- it's soaked in oil; put enough oil on anything and you can tolerate it.
-an Indian who doesn't get the obsession with Indian food

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ashburn...an Indian Mecca. Over the years I've been invited to countless Diwali parties and to neighbors house for dinner cooked from scratch. I've always left so full of carbs and grease. If I ate that food in a daily basis, if have a man sized gut. I love the food, but But OMG, I don't need diabetes!

Except if you're going to parties and special dinners your hosts are serving you special occasion food. No one eats those things on a daily basis in any culture.

You missed it. In addition to Diwali, I go for a regular dinner as well. Same. Super greasy, very carb heavy, and all of the vegetables in a thick heavy sauce. This is not one Indian family, but quite a few.

Don't get me wrong, I love fried bread, but could not tolerate it on the regular and remain a size 6. All of the Indian women I know (with a few exceptions) have pot bellies.

My guess is that they are making "special occasion" food for you to appease your American palate. In a couple pounds of vegetables I use a couple tablespoons of olive oil max. No ghee. But if non-Indians are coming I am more likely o make dishes that Americans like - palak paneer, chicken curries, etc. Maybe it's because I live in California but no one in my family makes oily food and everyone cooks in olive oil.

Also - fried bread - "poori" - is definitely not an every day food. We eat chapatti, which most non-Indians would NEVER order at a restaurant. Whole wheat flour mixed with water, cooked on a dry griddle.

Yep and it's gross. It's like chewing on shoe leather with fiber in it.

That sounds like a gross poori Sorry you haven't had better!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up eating a "typical all-American diet". Some typical meals at our house:
Grilled steak, baked potato, steamed broccoli
Pot roast, salad
Roast chicken, steamed green beans, dinner rolls
Spaghetti, meatballs, salad
Salmon, asparagus, rice
Pork chops, sweet potatoes, spinach

In other words, protein/vegetable/carb in varying combinations. We had a lot of things roasted or grilled with minimal added fat/oil. We went to Chinatown for dinner a couple times a year, and ate at the local Tex-Mex restaurant a few times a year. Also went out for sushi, Thai, Indian, Italian, and anything else we could find, but no more than 1-2 times a month total. Our dinners out, regardless of cuisine, were generally FAR less healthy than the "American" food we ate at home.

OMG...My American diet was like this growing up. So boring, so bland, no fat. The basic starch, vegetable, and meat. Often baked chicken or dry as hell pot roast and the starch was baked potato, baked yams, baked squash. The vegetable was always steamed, steamed broccoli, green beans and God awful steamed cabbage.

Frankly, I would be better off health wise if I had stayed on that diet. It was very healthy, very well rounded and very boring. Food for sustenance, not taste.

I cook very much like this, but I’ve long since added more taste than my very germanic parents like.

+1 This is how my in laws eat. No sauces at all, lots of boiling, baking, steaming, and grilling in the summer. Lots of green beans, cabbage, and white meat chicken and turkey. Lunch is a sandwich and a banana. The most unhealthy thing was probably the holiday baking--pies and chocolate chip cookies, but that was the holidays.

Ugh, Yes! The ubiquitous baked chicken...The only thing I had to look forward to was the skin. And the pies? My mom made them from scratch and did not believe in adding sugar to the our crust.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up eating a "typical all-American diet". Some typical meals at our house:
Grilled steak, baked potato, steamed broccoli
Pot roast, salad
Roast chicken, steamed green beans, dinner rolls
Spaghetti, meatballs, salad
Salmon, asparagus, rice
Pork chops, sweet potatoes, spinach

In other words, protein/vegetable/carb in varying combinations. We had a lot of things roasted or grilled with minimal added fat/oil. We went to Chinatown for dinner a couple times a year, and ate at the local Tex-Mex restaurant a few times a year. Also went out for sushi, Thai, Indian, Italian, and anything else we could find, but no more than 1-2 times a month total. Our dinners out, regardless of cuisine, were generally FAR less healthy than the "American" food we ate at home.

OMG...My American diet was like this growing up. So boring, so bland, no fat. The basic starch, vegetable, and meat. Often baked chicken or dry as hell pot roast and the starch was baked potato, baked yams, baked squash. The vegetable was always steamed, steamed broccoli, green beans and God awful steamed cabbage.

Frankly, I would be better off health wise if I had stayed on that diet. It was very healthy, very well rounded and very boring. Food for sustenance, not taste.

I cook very much like this, but I’ve long since added more taste than my very germanic parents like.

+1 This is how my in laws eat. No sauces at all, lots of boiling, baking, steaming, and grilling in the summer. Lots of green beans, cabbage, and white meat chicken and turkey. Lunch is a sandwich and a banana. The most unhealthy thing was probably the holiday baking--pies and chocolate chip cookies, but that was the holidays.