A 'landslide of food'. Seems that the henpecked man's act of defiance is not significantly different to the dieting woman's ice-cream pigout. Healthy eating is a fine idea, but when it takes on the trappings of a authoritarian regime, it's in the nature of the human beast to rebel.
Food fight or romantic dinner? Communication between couples is key to improving men's diets
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Married men will eat their peas to keep the peace, but many aren't happy about it, and may even binge on unhealthy foods away from home.
"The key to married men adopting a healthier diet is for couples to discuss and negotiate the new, healthier menu changes as a team," said Derek Griffith, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
This seems obvious, but most times it doesn't happen, according to a new study called "'She looks out for the meals, period.' African-American men's perceptions of how their wives influence their eating behavior and dietary health."
Researchers conducted focus groups with 83 African-American men. The majority of men said their wives didn't consult them when helping them to adopt a healthier diet. Even though the healthier diet was often ordered by a physician, the husbands often disliked the food changes, but to avoid conflict, they didn't object. Men focused more on maintaining a happy home than having a say in what they ate.
However, without that communication, those good intentions and healthy diet changes often backfired, the study found. After tasteless ground turkey for the fifth night in a row, some men would head to the all-you-can-eat buffet for "a landslide of food."
"I think at dinner a lot of men are eating healthier, but they compensate for the dissatisfaction of not eating what they want by making unhealthier choices outside the home," Griffith said.
Source: University of Michigan
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle
