In these times of quarantine, it is natural to create new habits as a family, but not all of them are healthy. One of them and one that is really common is eating in front of the television and, although it seems an innocent and habitual practice, it can have negative consequences for health.
Here we tell you why you should not eat in front of the television and avoid this habit as much as possible.
CONSEQUENCES OF EATING IN FRONT OF THE TV
OBESITY AND OVERWEIGHT
When you are eating and watching television, you are less aware of the foods and quantities you consume, which causes you to lose the notion of feeling satisfied.
This, in the long run, can lead to obesity and overweight, especially if you create the habit of having breakfast, lunch and dinner with the television placed in the dining room or in the place where you usually eat.
This problem affects children to a greater degree, who in addition to meals, tend to consume junk food while watching some programming, and even more dangerous if they stop doing physical activity due to being in front of the screen.
EATING MECHANICALLY
This risk causes more problems than you might imagine because, in addition to being overweight, it causes the famous binge eating and possible stomach pain.
If it becomes habitual, it is very possible that various digestive problems are generated.
COMMERCIAL WITH FOOD
Food advertisements are designed to further stimulate your appetite and awaken cravings for unhealthy food and thus never make you feel full or even spend more than you need on food products.
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Mealtime is one of the most important moments for living together as a family and communicating. The fact of watching television breaks this moment and the family stops communicating.
Not only that: this could cause behavioral problems in children, because by not feeling supervised, they do not grasp the rules and orders necessary for mealtime (from how to hold a fork, use a napkin or chew food well).
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO TO AVOID EATING IN FRONT OF THE TV?
· Avoid having the television in the places where they try to eat. If you can't move it, put the remote control away or unplug the device.
· Do not eat with cell phones or tablets at the table either.
· You can choose to play background music at a low volume (preferably music without lyrics and harmonious for the moment).
· Take the initiative and find a fun topic to talk about as a family.
· Find some after-dinner activity that they can do after eating (a board game is a great option).
· Get in the habit of everyone clearing the table and helping with the dishes.
· If they watch a movie, you can offer healthy snacks to prevent your children from overeating sugar and fat.
A steroid hormone known as cortisol helps the body control and deal with stress. When a person is in a dangerous or high-pressure situation, their body releases cortisol, and this can impact their metabolism. People often reach for food for comfort when they feel stressed. Cortisol causes those excess calories to remain around the belly and other areas of the body for later use.