Could divorce lead to poor nutrition for men?

Our nation has undergone a great deal of transformation when it comes to gender roles within the family and the community in general. A recent study, however, suggests that women and men may still embrace certain “traditional” general roles within the home, in Colorado and across the nation. Researchers looked at the dietary habits of both men and women, and found that men who go through divorce experience a significant decline in the nutritional value of their daily diets.

The study looked at data collected from more than 11,000 participants, over a nine year period of time. Men and women were asked to estimate their daily consumption of 11 different fruits and 26 vegetables. Then, years later, those same individuals were asked about their marital status and their current dietary habits.

Researchers found that men who had gone through divorce during the period under study experienced a 25 percent decline in the consumption of those same fruits and vegetables. Women did not show a similar change in their diets after a divorce. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables has been proven to have numerous health benefits, including protection against heart disease and certain types of cancer.

These findings may suggest that in many Colorado families, women still take on the bulk of the responsibility of planning and preparing meals. When a marriage ends in divorce, men may be ill-equipped to take on those roles, and their diet can suffer as a result. For those who are thinking about filing for divorce, this information could prompt a series of changes that will provide the skills needed to maintain a healthy diet.

Source: Fox News, “Male nutrition declines after divorce while females aren’t affected“, May 24, 2016