Most of us prefer living alone because of the convenience it brings. Sometimes, when we're too lazy to get up and buy food, or too tired to cook, we'll just eat whatever is there inside our fridge.
Take this as an example, a recent joke I read in a newspaper was, a girl saying, "My boyfriend is out of town, so I'll probably eat popcorn and ice cream for dinner." It seems perceptive: when we're only feeding ourselves, it's quite simple to make unhealthy and even totally odd meal choices.
A new survey from the Queensland University of Technology proved that people who eat alone are those people who are least expected to have healthy diets. The researchers discovered that people who live by themselves not only eat the same diet every chance they get, but also eat less fruits and vegetables.
The researchers have pointed out reasons that might contribute to bad diets for single people. First, there's the absence of responsibility to others, or probably the encouragement to eat well from others. The inadequate social pleasures of cooking and eating with family, a loved one, or roommates can also lead people to eat simpler dishes or pre-packaged meals.
Not enough cooking skills, especially for men, could also be part of the problem. That is particularly true for divorced or widowed people who may have previously depended on a partner to cook. The study revealed that single men have unhealthier diets than their female counterparts.
Lastly, single people may eat lesser fruits and veggies because it might be hard to keep fresh produce at home without spoiling or making repeated trips to the supermarket to get it. Dr. Katherine Hanna, a researcher explained that economic factors also play an important role on lower consumption of foods like fruits and vegetables and fish, because they require more recurrent purchase and consumption.
Assuming that the dining solo habits of Americans are similar to those of the Australians (it may not be), this research could emphasize a potential health concern for the already not-too-spectacular American diet. Earlier this year, a study showed that 60 percent of Americans eat alone on a regular basis.
