Why you can not eat in front of the TV for those who do not want to get better. How you have dinner, that's how you and your family are

The University of Minnesota conducted a study to find out how dangerous and/or harmful it is to eat in front of the TV. Particular attention was paid to how this process affects the health of the family and the atmosphere that reigns in it.

It turned out that if you eat in front of the TV, then the risk of health problems, incl. and mental, seriously increases.

Who took part in the study?

The study involved 120 American families, one of whose members was necessarily a child aged 6 to 12 years. The scientists asked them to film 2 family meals and discuss whether they liked the meals they ate.

It turned out that 43% of families (almost half) sit in front of the TV during meals. And only 31% of families turn off the "box" before a family dinner.

Having received this data, the researchers studied the health of all participants in the experiment. It turned out that representatives of those families who watch TV during lunch and dinner have a worse feeling than representatives of families who communicate and share news and experiences with each other at meals, as well as discuss pressing problems.

What are the main reasons

There are two reasons for this state of affairs:

• When a person eating food is distracted by a blue screen, they are less aware of what they put in their mouths. Because of this, he overeats and eats more unhealthy foods.
• Dining table conversations act as healing therapy. Family members share their thoughts and experiences with each other, which positively affects their mental health.

Therefore, scientists recommend that all families turn off their TVs during family lunches and dinners, and communicate more with each other. After all, it is not only useful, but also pleasant, and also has a positive effect on the relationship between parents and children.

Lunch in front of a screen will not bring any benefit or joy, scientists say

A group of specialists representing the University of Minnesota said that families turning on the TV while eating together are making a serious mistake. According to the researchers, for both physical and psychological health and well-being of a person, the TV should be turned off during meals.

Among not the most frightening, but quite significant arguments, scientists cite the fact that food eaten in front of the TV simply brings less pleasure. Surveys conducted by scientists have shown that families whose members looked at the screen while eating, later rated the quality of dinner lower than those who at that time were not distracted by anything other than talking to each other.

Also, scientists advise not to underestimate the role of a joint dinner in itself as a form of communication within the family. In particular, it is during dinner that parents have a chance to unobtrusively ask their children how their day went, and also to show them by example how to eat right.

After conducting a study involving 120 families with children aged 6 to 12 years, scientists came to the conclusion that people who eat with the TV off are more likely to eat right. By not being distracted by TV, they were less likely to overeat, thereby avoiding excess weight. In addition, such people ate more slowly, which, according to scientists, is also good for health. Finally, although it is rather difficult to connect these facts directly, people who did not turn on the TV during dinner were more likely to eat healthy food than fast food.

Scientists draw attention to the fact that many of the patterns they identified were observed even if members of a particular family turned on the TV “in the background” and did not actively watch it.

Experts shared their findings on the pages of the scientific journal Appetite.

Many people enjoy eating in front of the TV. However, American scientists have found that this seemingly harmless habit can lead to obesity. /website/

Scientists from the University of Illinois conducted a study in which 60 families took part voluntarily. Video recording was used to assess the impact of food distraction.

Half of the test participants ate while the sound of a vacuum cleaner was running in the next room for 15 minutes. The other half ate in silence. It turned out that those who dined with noise ate more sweets and drank more drinks than those who ate without extraneous sounds.

It also turned out that the participants in the first group paid less attention to their children at the table. This led to the fact that the children also could not stop in time and continued to eat even after saturation.

This experiment suggests that the noise of the vacuum cleaner was a distraction while eating. The same principle applies to watching TV. A person who is fascinated by the plot cannot stop. He eats quickly, chewing food poorly. At the same time, he may not even feel the taste of food.

Focusing on food can help you avoid overeating.

With a leisurely meal, a person feels full after 10 minutes. And the one who eats in front of the TV does not concentrate on the feeling of fullness, so he continues to eat and eat. Adding fuel to the fire is appetizing advertising, which can make you want to eat an extra piece, even if a person is not hungry.

An even worse role is played by watching negative programs, such as crime chronicles, action films or scandalous TV shows. In this case, food will charge a person with negative energy. It has been scientifically proven that food eaten in a bad psychological state will not benefit a person.

Psychologists advise the whole family to fight the habit of eating in front of the TV. During dinner, you can simply not turn it on, but talk to each other. In addition, experts recommend not to teach children to watch TV. It is best to wait until the child is very hungry. Then he will eat quickly and without any TV.

Hello dear readers! Let me guess, are you watching TV right now? And not only now, but also in the kitchen during lunch and in the evening on the couch? 80% of people consider watching movies and TV programs to be the best vacation. So in this article I will prove the opposite to you and tell you whether you can watch TV.

TV and propaganda

Every day a person is exposed to a huge flow of information: at work, at the university, on the radio, from outdoor advertising. At best, the brain is able to filter this information and take only what it needs, but often this flow negatively affects mood, thoughts, and state of mind. No wonder there is a science of mass communications, where they teach how to influence the masses, the consciousness of a person and through what channels.

These channels are TV and the Internet. But the problem is that on the web we ourselves are looking for what we want. In the case of television, it is more difficult to reject information.

Let's remember the times of the USSR. Then there was little to see on TV, the information was strictly filtered. This was propaganda - the main tool for influencing the decisions and worldview of a person.

On TV, they impose not only political views on us, but also create an ideal world. We learn that our relationship is not as fabulous as in the movies. House and life are not in such order. Work and lifestyle itself want to be better. All this is influenced by beautiful and bright advertising.

The top skill of advertisers is when they create an artificial need for a person for their product. For example, before you did not think how many microbes live under your toilet rim and what military plans they build against you. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to clean up, but until there were funds from companies known to us, there was no need to fight microbes. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So let's figure out whether the TV is useful for at least something or one negative from it.

Positive and negative aspects of the issue

Since the TV has a great influence on a person, it is worth comparing all the points and deciding whether you need it or not.

Benefits of watching TV

1.Easy access to information
Of course, everyone should be aware of the events taking place in the world. That's what news broadcasts are for. The TV allows you to find out all the news that you can find while changing channels. But this leads to a minus called propaganda. And so that this plus does not turn into harm, you need to be able to distinguish truthful information from imposition and manipulation. More on this later.

2. Expanding horizons
In addition to news on TV, there are a large number of educational programs that broaden one's horizons and teach something. But in this case, it is also important not to overdo it. After all, it is much more interesting to explore the world on your own than lying on the couch.

3.Rest
No matter how much they talk about outdoor activities, sometimes you just want to stay at home and relax. TV will always help with this, because there you can watch movies and listen to music.

Perhaps these are all pluses. You will say that they are all very significant and compensate for all subsequent minuses? After all, information is important, and you also need to rest. But now let's take a look at how television negatively affects your life.

Why you can't watch TV

1.Creating virtual reality

If you say that serials and various reality shows do not affect a person in any way, but this is just a way to distract from problems, I will not believe it. This is where all the negativity lies. A person runs away from real life so as not to decide anything in it. It is much easier to lie on the couch and worry about the characters on the screen. While watching something, it seems that everything is perfect on TV, everything is so simple and always a happy ending, but in your own life everything is more and more gloomy.

Worse when envy appears. After all, a rich life is often shown on the screen. Do you think it acts as a stimulus to action? No, on the contrary. There is a feeling that this will never be achieved, because everything is bad anyway. Depression appears.

2. Influence on the psyche

Nowadays, censorship is practically non-existent. And the blue screen provides an opportunity to learn what violence, murder, theft, eroticism and other such things are. Okay, if you encounter such phenomena once a month, but, unfortunately, we see it every day. As a result, when a person wants to relax after a hard day, on the contrary, he receives a portion of negativity. This has a bad effect on the psyche, there is irritability and, again, depression.

3. Human degradation

I know many people who complain about life and yet do nothing. And what do you think is their main entertainment? Yes, sit in front of the "box" and click channels. It's already an addiction. A person loses interest in the world around him, does not want to make decisions and change something. It suits him more to follow someone else's life than to act himself. Do you have such acquaintances?

4. The destruction of families

Remember the moments when the electricity suddenly goes out? Then the whole family sits on the sofa and talks by the light of a candle: dad jokes and everyone laughs. Today the family gathers together except for dinner. Dad is at the computer, mom is watching TV, and the children are on their phones - there is no communication. Everyone is getting used to it. This is very bad. Better buy board games, arrange a dinner, invite guests - anything, just to do something together.

Here are the negatives. And that is not all

A person throughout his life must develop, learn something new, be able to plan his time. And television takes this time. Do you think that when successful and rich people say they don't watch TV, they are lying? No, its true. Instead of TV, they chose self-development.

In addition, television is bad for health. First of all, on vision and the nervous system. But the children are the most affected.

How does TV affect children?

Unfortunately, modern parents do not always find time to take care of their children. And when they are capricious, they need to be played with and entertained. But you need to cook and eat, and work. Then comes babysitting TV time. The easiest way is to seat the child in front of him and turn on the cartoons.

Do you think that nothing terrible is happening and that everyone is fine? Moreover, cartoons are educational? And here it is not. Let's take a look at what can happen to a child with constant viewing of "good" programs:

• disorders of the nervous system (stuttering, aggressiveness, insomnia, headache);
• problems with vision due to overstrain of the eye muscles, later - strabismus and myopia;
• telemania, when a person is addicted to TV;
• obesity - because when watching a child is bored, especially when he is alone at home, the absorption of sandwiches, chips and other harmful products begins;
• a decrease in the intellectual level - when watching, the brain does not strain, there is no need to think.

All these problems can occur in an adult.

The negative impact in the current moment can seriously affect the future: both on the physical condition and on the moral.

I will not tire of repeating that a person, and especially a child, must develop. The ability to sit on the couch in front of the screen will not work. But other talents that are important to develop can bring success.

How to replace the TV and how to develop without it?

We have already found out why you should not watch TV. But what can be useful to replace it?

1.Books
Literature is a great substitute for the constant melodrama on TV. If you want to dive headfirst into a compelling story, then the book is better than the TV series. Books contribute to:

• expanding horizons;
• increase in vocabulary;
• increasing intelligence and literacy;
• developing self-confidence.

In addition, books help to relax and tune in a positive way.

2.Hobby
Think of something you love to do in the evening. It is not necessary to have some kind of talent, you can learn something from scratch. It can be: design, drawing, handmade, cooking, modeling, puzzle. Such classes help develop imagination, relax, see the result of work and become more confident.

3.Communication
If you turn on the TV so as not to sit in silence and not be alone, it is better to replace it with live communication. Do not say that there are no friends or that they are all busy now. You can always find new acquaintances. Combine business with pleasure: sign up for a section: dancing, sports, needlework, theater, etc. There you will learn new things and make friends.

4.Radio and movies
If you cannot do without external noise, for example, while cooking in the kitchen, turn on the radio. There is music playing, and there is practically no news slag. Cinema has not been canceled either. A good movie is the same as a good book. But not a series, but a movie. And it is desirable to watch the disc so that there are no ads. And yes, don't overdo it. You should not watch three films in a row, otherwise it is also addictive.

Here is a list of good films to help you:.

How much TV can you watch?

If you do watch TV, know how to filter information. According to the results of the research, it was determined how much you can watch TV:

• children under 2 years old - you can not watch at all;
• 2 to 3 - only 30 minutes a day, but break this time into 5 minutes;

Eating while watching a movie is a favorite pastime for every family. Unfortunately, such leisure has a lot of negative consequences. Consider why it is better to dine in the dining room without a TV and a laptop.

Why is it better to give up gatherings in front of the TV

Cinema causes a surge of emotions that provoke hormones. Those, in turn, provoke the viewer to eat several times more, without even noticing it.

Negative consequences:

Important! Fans of eating high-calorie foods on the couch are at risk for diseases such as diabetes, arterial hypertension.

How to teach your family to eat without a screen

The first steps in problem solving are always the hardest. But by showing minimal willpower, you can achieve magical results, and even create new family traditions.

Important! The main problem of eating in front of a screen is the mechanical consumption of food.

Ways to solve the problem:

Replacement for a bad snack:

• chopped fruit;
• vegetables;
• berries;
• useful sandwiches and blanks.

Important! No TV at the table means more family conversations. This entails the absence of stress, conflicts, a more favorable, trusting "climate" in the family. Everyone needs to speak out, get support, there is no need to take this time from children and spouses.

Breaking an old habit is hard. However, only the first 2-3 weeks will be difficult. After that, the psyche stabilizes and gets used to the new routine.

No TV means less stress, more time for yourself and family. The absence of gatherings on the couch will eliminate the problem of excess weight, make you go outside. There will be time for children and themselves.