LONDON: Setting up home with a boyfriend can mean eating unhealthily and ending up overweight; conversely, men gain not pounds but long-term health benefits from such a situation, according to a new study.
The latest issue of the health journal Complete Nutrition can make young women think twice before moving in with boyfriends. A report by dieticians at Newcastle University's Health Nutrition Research Centre, says women who move in with their partners tend to put on weight. They eat more of high-cal foods and consequently pile on the pounds. Women, normally figure-conscious before getting into a relationship, usually relax their strict regimen soon after setting up home and pig out on foods high in sugar and fat.
In contrast, the men cut down on what they call “bad foods” after they move in with their girlfriends. Your typical dude with his 'devil-may-care' attitude will now have more of fruits and vegetables and less of high-sugar and fatty foods.
The dietician researchers attempt to explain the contrasting results saying both partners try to adjust their routines and lifestyles to impress their partners during this “honeymoon period”. Both believe that changing their eating habits will please their partners. Another reason was both partners become less inclined to exercise which affects the woman more.
But, the benefits men get may not be so 'long term' after all. The stereotypical roles of man as the provider and woman as the homemaker and cook will continue for some more generations, according to sociologist Lex Brooke. Women especially, with their role as cook, will continue to determine the couple's diet, he said.
The report in Complete Nutrition was based on survey findings in Australia, North America and the UK. Dr Amelia Lake, a registered dietician and fellow researcher at Newcastle, said people should be aware that “your partner is a strong influence” on their lifestyle. She added that couples should take the opportunity to introduce long term positive changes into their diets and lives by mutual support. Couples should take this report, also as an opportunity to review their relationships and address health issues before making a commitment.
The survey included married couples.
