babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
They Say: Working Parents Don’t Have Time to Eat Right
A small nutritional study out of Cornell University found that working parents often resort to time-saving coping strategies when it comes to feeding themselves and their families.
Can I get a “well, duh?”
With the exception of the foodies, most of the parents I know look into their fridge and dinner and think to themselves, “Okay, what’s the shortest path to a semi-nutritious meal?” It’s hard to think about preparing a major meal at the end of a long work day, with homework, bath, and bedtime still ahead.
That said, the Cornell study found that in low to moderate income families, those time-saving strategies can lead to unhealthy habits for parents and their children.
Half of the 25 mothers and 25 fathers that were surveyed used one of the following coping strategies:
- skipping breakfast or other meals
- eating at work
- ordering take out or fast food
- overeating because they missed a meal
- relying on quick and easy processed food products
A previous study had found that low-income parents rely on these strategies not only because they’re busy, but because it saves money. Working through lunch, for instance, means not giving up those wages to take a break.
Study author Carol Devine says her findings show that the obesity problem in America isn’t just a matter of food choices; our stressful lifestyle contributes. “We are not going to fix the obesity epidemic simply by telling people to eat well and choose good food,” Devine told Time magazine. “This study is telling us that it is the structure of our lives that makes it very difficult to do what doctors recommend.”
Does your busy day-to-day schedule have an impact on your family’s meals? And if you’ve figured out a way to serve up healthy, homemade fare during the work week, share your tips with us.
Photo: artotem, Flickr
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
Andrea commented on Sep 16 09 at 2:59 pmCrock pot– our standby is salsa, black beans, corn, and chicken breast, all day on low. It takes less than five minutes to prepare and can be made the day before, can cook on low for up to 10 hours, and it’s really good. That way when we all get home we can just eat and move on. Not the fanciest of options, but it’s a great solution for busy evenings. The leftover rice and corn make good light lunches too.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0