Another Reason to Turn off the TV

Growing up we never (and I mean NEVER) had the television on during dinner. Of course, when I became and adult and lived on my own, most meals were spent on the couch with the TV on. Not sure where that bad habit originated, but there's a new study out giving us another reason to turn off the TV and enjoy a family meal together.

As reported in Yahoo! today (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080708/...), the study revealed that kids who watch TV while eating, are actually eating more, "kids who watched TV while eating lunch took in 228 extra calories than those who ate without the television on." Wow! It appears that tuning into the tube, takes away from tuning into what you're actually putting into your body.

Time to turn off the TV when your kids are eating (and yes, that goes for me too!).

posted July 10, 2008 - 4:06am

Andra's blog
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pattireis00 wrote 25 weeks 3 days ago

Thanks for sharing this. I rarely let my daughter eat with the tv on for the very reasons this article cited (I think I'd read a similar study before) and have studiously avoided having a television in the kitchen or dining area. BUT because my daughter is such a busy bee ALL the time, on a rare occasion I'll let her eat her lunch in the living room and watch a show. I realized yesterday that she actually eats LESS because she's so engrossed in the show -- I even have to threaten that I'll turn off the TV if she doesn't eat more of her lunch! I still think it's not a good habit, especially since people inevitably get less active the older they get (that goes for kids too), but on a rare occasion I think it's okay for some kids.

Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sl...

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Suesbooks wrote 23 weeks 6 days ago

That's a great point and so true. Families should make it a point to have a sit down dinner together. We learn so much from each other while sitting down together. It's a time to reconnect and find out how everyone's day was, what they are feeling, how we can help each other. Conversation is a way to say that we care and want to hear from each other. Also, it's a way to learn good eating habits and about different foods and nutrition. Keep up the great work.

Making a Difference One Book at a Time
www.suesbooks.info

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