Couple Seeks Hypnotist to ‘Cure’ Boyfriend of Fear of Vegan Food

A woman recently made a desperate plea to help her boyfriend to get over his “fear” of vegan food ahead of Thanksgiving Day dinner with her “carnivore-hating” family.

The strange inquiry was sent into a vegan fitness and lifestyle site from a woman who says she has tried numerous failed attempts to get her boyfriend to try vegan food. For fear of the issues this may cause ahead of Thanksgiving, she asked the community if they could help her find a hypnotist to get him over his aversion to tofu and tempeh and all sorts of vegan foods. The couple says they’re willing to pay as much as $1,000 for the right hypnotist that can help to remove the boyfriend’s trepidation.

Vegan food is not scary, and in fact, modern-day plant-based foods are arguably the best they have ever been. But, for someone, it might not be as easy as just sitting down at a table, and digging in a fully plant-based meal.

“The mind and the subconscious is extremely powerful,” says Ava Evans, a certified hypnotherapist based in Los Angeles who has worked heavily with patients dealing with food-related issues. So we asked Evans our burning question: Can hypnotherapy help this man and this couple? Her short answer is yes.

“What hypnosis does is puts you in a very relaxing state, so that you are more suggestible,” Evans explains. She says that hypnotherapy can be used for things like increased motivation or helping rid yourself of sabotaging behaviors or limiting beliefs that prevent you from reaching your goals.

“I’ve helped people that for example have a fear of eating foods because they are scared they will get sick and vomit because they had a bad experience with that food in the past,” Evans says it is not at all uncommon to use hypnosis to help treat people with food issues, or to support weight loss or healthy eating. Evans notes that hypnosis is one tool in the toolbox that can help with food-related issues or food fears.

The woman who sent in the inquiry cites a number of reasons as to why her man is turned off by vegan food, including that the texture of tofu might make him vomit; he has refused to try any of the vegan food she has made him for fear it will make him ill. One of the main reasons her boyfriend is hesitant to consider a vegan diet or try plant-based foods is a general concern of the impact it will have on his physique due to lack of protein. Studies have shown that a balanced plant-based diet can provide sufficient levels of protein and the amino acids one needs. Find a list of the top plant-based sources with the most protein here.

“You only have to look at Patrick Baboumian, one of the world’s strongest men, to see that it is entirely possible to achieve and even excel your fitness aspirations on a vegan diet,” says Jason Hughes, founder of VeganLiftz.com.

All the hypnotherapists we spoke with about this couple's situation stressed that change comes about when the individual themselves wants to change, and not when they are attempting to do so for their partner.

We followed up to see if the couple had hired a hypnotherapist and how their sessions were going. The company says the couple has received inquiries from several hypnotists offering to help, but the couple has not hired anyone as of yet.