Eating in Front of the TV is Triggered by TV Food Ads
Sure we know that the take out pizza, the chips loaded with salsa, the rich, creamy drink might not be as good as it looks on television (especially on those big screens), yet still the ad plants the seed - the desire for eating in front of the TV.
According to Yale University researchers, watching those food ads on TV brings on more snacking in both children and adults. All that snacking is what adds extra calories to our already-overloaded diets, upping the risks of gaining weight.
To begin, the researchers worked with children aged 7 to 11 who watched a cartoon that was interrupted by food commercials - these kids ate 45% more than children who'd watched the very same cartoon but with non-food commercials at the breaks.
Marketers everywhere would be thrilled, this is exactly the reaction they want from those TV ads.
But before you think adults fare any better, the team conducted an experiment with adults who saw TV ads for unhealthy foods and found that they ate much more than subjects who hadn't seen the same ads, instead watching commercials about good nutrition or healthy food.
What's worse, the effects in the adults stuck around well after the program was over.
At this snacking level, based on watching a half hour of TV a day, the children would gain nearly 10 pounds a year unless their snacking was countered by eating less at other times or being more active.
What's more, the team found that both the children and adults (you know, the ones who are supposed to know better), ate more of all kinds of foods, even those not shown in the commercials.
"This research shows a direct and powerful link between television food advertising and calories consumed by adults and children," points out lead author Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.
"Food advertising triggers automatic eating, regardless of hunger, and is a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic. Reducing unhealthy food advertising to children is critical."
Snacking is believed to be one important factor in the obesity epidemic, with kids offering advertisers a target that's just too tempting to pass up.
Limiting TV time is one answer, but here are some other suggestions that you might try to fight automatic eating. Start by skipping the commercials... TiVo for a minute is a perfect solution.
You might also substitute a healthier snack (nuts, yogurt, a high protein/low calorie food), or one large snack instead of several smaller ones if you're tempted to eat while watching your favorite show.
Other ways to help encourage healthy eating habits for both kids and adults:
- Have regular family meals that offer kids predictability and the chance to try healthy options.
- Involve kids in the process of cooking, planning and serving meals. Let them shop with you too.
- Serve a variety of natural foods, and be sure to have healthy snacks on hand, ready to eat.
- Eat healthy yourself - after all kids, and especially teens, are watching how you behave as much as listening to what you say.
- Don't fight over food.
By following these tips you should be able to curb the amount of eating in front of TV that you and family do.
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