Treating the man in your house to a special Father's Day meal this weekend? If so, he'd better watch what he orders.
When it comes to your household, who do you think has the most influence over your kid's eating habits? Must be mom, right? After all, she works hard to cook and serve up every colour under the rainbow and cajole said nutritious concoctions into her kid's belly night after night.
And when she's not in the kitchen, she tends to obsess about what her kids are, or aren't, eating. Surely for all the time she spends slaving over the stove, mom must have the biggest impact on her children's eating habits, right?
Well, you would think so. Mrs. President, Michelle Obama, thought so too. But according to a new study by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, that's simply not the case.
The 15-month study examined how parents' time management affected their meal choices, with a particular emphasis on fast-food versus service restaurants (because of the proven correlation between fast-food consumption and childhood obesity).
When kids were asked to keep a food diary, it was their dads who held the most sway as to the "what and how" of eating, particularly when it came to junk food. After analyzing the data, lead researcher and Texas University professor, Dr. Alex McIntosh, noted, "It was father's time spent at fast-food restaurants --not mother's time spent there-- that was associated with kids' time spent in a fast-food place."
The reasoning behind the results, though somewhat surprising, isn't rocket science. Because fathers are frequently told they need to spend more quality time with their children, dads often eschew mom's hard nutritional regime in favour of having fun. Unfortunately, says McIntosh, that 'fun' usually entails "letting loose with mom's food rules". And guess who winds up the hero?
Although McIntosh insists that mothers do still play a vital role when it comes to their children's food choices, in terms of statistical findings at least, dads trump. Traditionally, mothers have been blamed "for everything that goes wrong with children, especially when it comes to food." So, moms, it seems you're off the hook a little for this one.
This Father's Day, instead of heading down to the local greasy spoon for brunch, hand over your apron, sit back, and let dad take a leaf out of your wholesome cookbook.
Pass the Pringles.
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