Snacks and Meals
May 12, 2008
Did you know? In families that watch tv during meals, kids eat fewer fruits and vegetables. They consume more pizzas, snack foods, and sodas than kids in families who turn off the tv's.
It's easy to picture the eating-while-watching-tv scenario. You don't pay attention to either activity. You stuff your face with whatever is closest to hand.
Eating a sociable, scheduled meal is a very different experience. Somebody (preferably an adult) is in charge of what gets served. Everyone knows that they are expected to show up hungry. That means that we snack less both before and after the meal.
Nutritionists tell us that snack foods (especially those that are heavily advertised on tv) tend to be a bad bargain – lots of calories for not much nutrition. The food we eat sitting down with our families tends to be more planned out, and include more fruits, vegetables, and calcium.
As well, when we eat together, kids learn what a portion is. They learn what foods get put together to make a meal. They learn what, in our culture, is "good" to eat. They see fewer ads for nutritionally-questionable foods.
All in all, sounds like a good bargain to me.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
