The close of a marriage affects everyone differently, but there is a body of research that focuses on how men and women are affected by divorce in different ways. One recent study looked at the nutrition habits of both men and women in an effort to find out if divorce causes changes in diet, and whether those changes are different for men and women. For men in Texas who are preparing for a military divorce, the findings may be of interest.
Researchers looked at data collected from more than 11,000 participants. Each person was asked about marital status, as well as dietary habits. Respondents were surveyed two different times over a span of as many as five years. Their responses were recorded, and conclusions were made about their patterns of nutrition.
It turns out that men who had gone through a divorce during the period under study consumed far fewer fruits and vegetables than those who remained married. It appears that their daily intake of fruits and vegetables declined by nearly 25 percent after a divorce. Women were not similarly affected, and they exhibited very little fluctuation in their dietary habits after a divorce.
These findings may indicate that our nation still embraces the traditional gender-based division of labor under which women take on the bulk of responsibility for meal planning and preparation. When the marriage ends, men who are suddenly single may find it hard to assume that role, and their diets may suffer as a result. For those in Texas who are preparing for a military divorce, it might be time to also consider signing up for a cooking course or cracking open the cookbooks to prevent a similar decline in nutrition.
Source: Fox News, “Male nutrition declines after divorce while females aren’t affected“, May 24, 2016
