Communication between couples 'key to improving men's diets'

Washington, May 23 (ANI): Women try to keep their husbands on a healthy food track, but a number of men tend to secretly binge on unhealthy diet when away from home, according to a new research.

The new study claimed that this can be avoided if wives take the time to discuss menu changes with their husbands, but while this seems obvious, most of the times it doesn't happen.

"The key to married men adopting a healthier diet is for couples to discuss and negotiate the new, healthier menu changes as a team," said Derek Griffith, assistant professor at the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health.

Researchers conducted focus groups with 83 African-American men.

The majority of men claimed that their wives didn't consult them when helping them to adopt a healthier diet.

Despite the fact that the healthier diet was often ordered by a physician, the husbands often disliked the food changes, but to avoid conflict, they didn't object.

Men were more focused on maintaining a happy home than having a say in what they ate.

Griffith revealed that the only examples found of couples negotiating healthy food choices came about to benefit the children in the home.

However, the study found that without that communication, those good intentions and healthy diet changes often backfired.

It was discovered that, after tasteless ground turkey for the fifth night in a row, some men would head to the all-you-can-eat buffet for "a landslide of food."

"I think at dinner a lot of men are eating healthier, but they compensate for the dissatisfaction of not eating what they want by making unhealthier choices outside the home," Griffith said.

Elaborating more on this Griffith said that Physicians can help by recognizing that wives play a central role in what men eat at home.

"Doctors could suggest that men have a tactful conversation with their wives in a way that ensures the husbands aren't sleeping on the couch that night," Griffith added. (ANI)