When people think about having children, they often talk about how they can be good role models for their kids, including maintaining a healthier diet.
Yet when Leah Case takes her 10-month-old daughter Elliot to playgroup, the parents there often admit they let healthy eating slide. They feel like they don't have time.
"Life does radically change when you have kids," Case said. In addition to being a new mom, she runs a wedding photography business and teaches a cardio kickboxing class.
"It is a little more chaotic now and a lot harder to balance everything," she said.
Six years ago, Case lost 50 pounds through strict discipline, including regular exercise and religiously counted calories.
"I noticed, though, the first few months after she was born, I became a lot less vigilant," Case said. "Admittedly, I just wanted to hang out with my daughter."
According to one of the first studies of its kind to look at parental eating habits, that's often the case with new parents. Despite their best intentions, most do not improve their diets after their children are born.
In fact, the study found parents eat more saturated fat than people who aren't parents. A diet high in saturated fat can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, heart attacks and Type 2 diabetes.
