Tim just told me that his dad varies the pancakes with Quaker oat square cereal, and he has a bag of frozen berry medley from which he thaws a half cup of berries that he eats on the cereal. And, you know? From age 5 until I went gluten-free in my 30s, I ate cereal basically every morning AND I didn't even add fruit on top. So he's got me beat there.
I feel really bad about the fact I'm about to have a frozen pizza for dinner. And I do so a couple of times a week.
Oh hell naw. You're an autonomous adult. You get to have pizza.
But making him buy perishables is useless unless someone's going to be cooking them for him as well.
Exactly.
Prepared food from the grocery deli that he can heat up + healthier frozen food choices would be a good compromise, but ONLY if Tim's dad is interested AND willing to try and improve his diet.
Yup, and he's totally thrilled with Marie Calendar's sweet-and-sour chicken. He has no interest in branching out, except for a pot pie.
My father is an autonomous adult who refuses to improve his diet even with heart disease and diabetes. I can't make choices for him.
Yeah, I pointed that out to Tim, too -- my dad has so many chronic conditions that could be managed better with a different diet, but he won't do it. Contrast that with Tim's dad, who is almost 80 and has zero physical health problems. No heart disease, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, no vision problems -- he is a damn paragon of health. In light of that, he can have all the pot pies he wants. They're clearly not destroying his health (although it would be nice if he were more regular, but what are you gonna do).
Any chance he'd eat any of the fruit cups for kids? Sometimes it's easier to eat something that's a small snack.
He buy applesauce cups every other week, so he's getting a little fruit/fiber that way.