I was talking with another single mom the other day who confessed that she “never had time to cook.” Meals at their house usually consisted of take-out, easy-to-prepare meals or food from the deli at the supermarket. While this fit the “stereotype” of the harried single parent family, it got me to wondering if some of the stats are accurate—do single parents eat less healthy than others do?
My own experiences are a little skewed because not only do I love to cook, but I am also pretty thrifty—so cooking at home and preparing meals for my family has always been a priority. When we eat out, it is truly a treat, and I guess that is a little “old-fashioned.” I do know plenty of families and individuals in this modern world—two-parent families, single people, and single parent families who rely on take-out and quick-fix food for all their meals, or at least a few times a week. What I don’t know is that if more single parent families choose this eating lifestyle than other types of families?
I read a newspaper report recently that said children of single parent families were more likely to be obese, due to sedentary lifestyles and poorer eating habits—judging from my own family, it is hard to believe this is due to the life of a single parent family. We are always on the go, my kids have been incredibly active, and we just don’t have the income for a lot of extra foodstuffs and junk food. Of course, I cannot judge everyone based on how my single parent family has gone, but I also cannot help but think that there can’t be THAT big of differences in the eating habits of the average single parent family and the eating habits of the average two-parent household. But, again, who is to define “average”?
What do you think? Do you think that your family eats less healthy than others and, if so, is it due to your single parent family status?
Also: Does Television Influence Children’s Eating?