Did you know that a study came out in April that says parenting may be hazardous to your health? Now, I don’t know if I am more shocked by the duh factor of this study, or the fact that someone felt money needed to be spent to conduct this study in order to prove that parenting isn’t always a healthy job.

Nonetheless, since I am a mom this topic is interesting to me. (By the way, the study doesn’t mention anything about the psychological minefield related to parenting teenagers.)

The University of Minnesota study looked at 838 women and 682 men and came to the conclusion that raising children is linked to a number of unhealthy factors. The study even went further to say that moms are more likely to feel the negative outcomes of parenting.  Yes ladies, childbirth is just the beginning.

According to the study, mothers had a higher body-mass index, didn’t eat as healthy as childless women and exercised less.

What about dads? The study also said that men with children also exercised less than men without children, but of course dads’ BMI didn’t differ from childless men. How is that fair?!

The study went on to mention that moms get 1.5 less hours of exercise a week and ate 368 more calories than women without children. While, the study never discussed the reasoning behind these differences, all parents can probably fill in the blanks.

As a mom, my conclusion is that most parents like me:

  • Consume more sugary drinks in order to stay alert and keep up with their kids’ demanding schedules
  • Hit the drive-thru more times than child-empty households because between work, school, sports and music lessons there is only a 15 minute time slot available for dinner before homework and showers must be started
  • Due to the economy it is actually cheaper for families to buy frozen meals packed with sodium than cooking a meal with healthier options
  • Finish our kids’ food, because majority of us have had the finish your plate mentality burned into our brains courtesy of the previous generation

As I have mentioned before, healthy eating (i.e. whole grains, fruits and vegetables) is just one way to help increase your chances of preventing colon cancer, and one of the best ways to help protect your children from a future of colon cancer is by teaching healthy eating habits early in life.

I know time and money are precious commodities to families, so how do we break the cycle, slow down and change our eating habits? I want to hear your ideas!

Tags: