I love it every now and then:eating in front of the TV. With us, pizza day is also couch day. But there are also a lot of households where dinner is eaten every day in front of the television. Do you all sit together at a cozy set table in the evening? Or is food in front of TV your favorite too?
If the kids were in charge, then you probably know it. The more screen time, the merrier! But, is it really that nice to watch TV while eating? And just as important a question:is it actually healthy?
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On average, children of primary school age watch 2 hours of television a day, if we are to believe the Kijkwijzer figures. There are certainly not only drawbacks to this! The TV is also an important source of information for them. Moreover, there will be a lot of educational programs on that box, from which our kids can learn something too.
However, too much screen time is not good for them. And of course that also applies to the parents. “But we don't sit around eating that long either”, I hear you think. “So eating in front of the TV can't hurt so much, can it?”
You could say:what difference does it make whether I hide my food at the dining table or in front of the TV furniture? Well, the latter is not a good idea anyway… It is not good for both children and adults to sit too close to the TV. Always keep a sufficient distance from the TV.
And if I do my job well on the couch? That's not much different than when I sit down at the table, is it? Well, that's not entirely true either.
The TV is a pretty distracting factor, especially for children. One that they won't have their fill of quickly! And that includes the food on their plates. This also applies to adults. If you are focused on the television, you are less likely to feel satiated. In other words:you eat happily. Eating in front of the TV therefore makes you eat more. But that doesn't mean you eat with taste. In fact, it will rather be the opposite.
Is it advertising yet? Then you better sit down at the dining table… Food advertisements make you want to eat even more. When you have just finished your meal, an advertisement for chocolate bars comes along. Well, then you'll be 'hungry' again. And those little rascals especially.
If you eat in front of the TV instead of just at the dining table, you are a lot less aware of how much you eat… But you can also largely miss the taste as long as you concentrate on the TV while eating. It is especially important for children to (learn to) appreciate flavors. In this way they develop a broad taste. In addition, consciously enjoying flavors ensures that you eat more slowly. That in turn is good for digestion, and you will feel full sooner.
To be fair:with all those busy schedules, there isn't that much family time left. So I'm going to kick this open door anyway:enjoy each other a little more. Turn off the TV, have a nice meal together and then all play a game. But of course we're not going to completely stop pizza day. Because every now and then eating in front of TV, nice from the couch, that should be possible and secretly still very much enjoy! Also handy for your couch night:go for a meal box. All you have to do is get off the couch to receive the delivery!
