This is about my Mom, who I love dearly, knows a heck of a lot about medicine (she's a nurse), and yet suffers from a number of health problems including Diabetes, Obesity, High Blood Pressure, and Depression. No doubt a lot of all of this is genetic. And goodness knows she tries to take care of herself, but she's such a generous person who is always working for others, that I think her health get's pushed to the sidelines.
I switched to veganism last June, and because it's helped me with my health issues (brought down my weight, and cholesterol, and brought up my energy levels and inner strength), everytime I come home from college I try to cook as much as I can for my mom and my dad. They've always been good sports in trying my foods, and have recently agreed after a lot of nagging to do meatless mondays! Anyway, I think it's fair to say they're now officially flirts. They haven't made any radical changes, just little things here and there, more willingness to try a veggie burger, and eating maybe half vegan or vegetarian meals when their daughter is home for a couple of weeks and guess what?! My mom's health is drastically improving! Over the past 3 years, (roughly when all these changes started happening) my mom has gone from weight 240lbs, to 210, without a ton of new exercise (just some short walks on the weekend). That's a huge change for her, from a lifetime of obesity. She also says her type 2 diabetes has been better ever since she started trying some of the new vegan recipes that keep showing up in her Diabete's magazine. (this is her particular fav: http://forecast.diabetes.org/recipes/chickpea-patties-mango-chutney)
Anyway, she's reallying getting how a vegan diet can really really help change her life, and slowly, ever so slowly I think it's getting through that she can do this. And remember flirts, little by little it can work for you too!