Adults with children eat more fat than childless couples

The surveys prove that the adults with children are more overweight compared to adults without them. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine conducted surveys on 6600 adults in which it was found that people with children consume saturated fat equivalent to a pepperoni pizza every week.

Lead researcher Helena Laroche, from the University of Iowa, explained that the study did not prove that the presence of children made the adult consume more fat. She also added that people with children might have different eating habits due to many reasons.

Study indicates that adults with children ate more easily available food like ice cream, pizza and salty snacks. It also added that the time pressures, the ads aimed at children and adults and perception of adults that their children would be interested only in hot dogs or macaroni and cheese also contributed to the adults with children becoming overweight. The study was done on adults of 17-65 age range, with and without children.

Ms Laroche said: "Once these foods are in the house, even if bought for the children, adults appear more likely to eat them."

"Children's and adults' eating is enmeshed," said Susan Kraus, a nutritionist with Hackensack University Medical Center, in Hackensack, N.J. "It's hard to say which came first."

According to her, parents also needed education just to know there were a lot of different products, or even to keep an open mind that a child might try something, which might give the parents’ a pleasant surprise.

Dr. David Haslam, National Obesity Forum said that parents were the main reason for the children going astray, as the parents consumed crisps whenever the kids had.

“You can see why it happens - it is difficult if your child leaves a triangle of pizza from their lunch not to gobble it down” he said.

The researchers feel that more research is required to check if the ages of the children really made any difference. They also commented that the changes in the food habits have to be inculcated not only in an individual but also in the entire family.

Dr. Haslam also agreed to the comment of the researchers and stressed that the good food habits had to be inculcated even in the extended family that included school, friends and granny’s house.