If you've been logging a ton of extra hours at the office, it turns out that you're affecting not only your health, but that of your family! Why? A new study says that working too much can have a negative impact on the nutrition of you and your kids.
Recent research found that parents experiencing high levels of work-life stress have one and a half fewer family meals per weeks than parents with low level stress and also eat about half a serving less fruits and vegetables a day. And the difference was especially evident with working moms as opposed to working dads! The study concluded that compared to moms who were unemployed or worked part-time, those who worked full-time ate more fast-food, spent less time on food preparation, and gave less encouragement to their kids about eating healthily.
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Though the news isn't altogether surprising (hey, moms are busy!), it does show that for the sake of their family's health, parents need to establish better eating habits for their kids even while balancing home life with full-time jobs. That being said, it shouldn't fall solely on the mom's shoulders to provide the right kind of nutrition. Fathers should take on part of the responsibility, as should kids if they're old enough! I mean, what's wrong with teaching your teens how to make an easy but healthy meal for themselves? I'm hopeless in the kitchen but I still know how to whip up a salad!
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If they need it, I think all moms should enlist help from their family members in setting up a healthier diet—especially more traditional Latina moms like mine, who, throughout my childhood, would insist on cooking dinner even if she could barely keep her eyes open from exhaustion. I appreciated it, but I always wanted her to realize that it's OK to ask for help. And don't worry, your kids will still think you're Superwoman if you do–I still think my mom is!
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