Is Eating in Front of the TV Really Harmful?

Exploring the potential health effects of eating in front of the TV reveals various concerns, including impacts on digestion, weight management, and overall well-being. This behavior may lead to overeating, reduced awareness of food intake, and poorer food choices. Understanding these impacts can help individuals make more mindful eating decisions and promote healthier habits.

With so many great shows and films to watch on television these days, it's tempting to catch up while eating. But is a TV dinner really a good idea?

The "TV dinner" doesn't have a great reputation health-wise. The concept, which originated in the US in the early 20th century, conjures images of a processed meal packed with salt and additives, eaten balanced on your lap while sitting on the sofa.

But what if you choose a different type of meal while watching your favorite television series? You might think that having a colorful plate piled high with vegetables and whole grains is a healthy habit. But does the simple act of eating it in front of the TV undo those virtuous choices?

There are some indications it might. Studies suggest that habitually eating while watching TV isn't good for us, no matter what we're eating. Here's why:

Distraction and Memory

Scientists have long known that our wider environment plays a crucial role in our diets, and there's a wealth of research showing a link between watching TV and a higher risk of obesity, largely due to lower levels of exercise associated with such sedentary behavior.

But watching TV may also be affecting how much we eat. Being distracted is one of the leading theories behind why we might eat more while watching TV at the same time, says Monique Alblas, assistant professor of communication science at the University of Amsterdam.

When we're engrossed in a riveting plot, we have less attention available for eating, so we're not aware of the bodily signals telling us we're full, which could lead to overeating. There's also research suggesting that we don't remember what we've eaten when consuming food in front of the TV and struggle to accurately estimate the amount we've eaten, which could mean we eat more later on.

Impact on Eating Habits

Alblas has found that people spend longer eating when they're watching TV at the same time. She used existing data collected by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research, where people kept a diary of everything they did over a week, including eating and watching TV, and even what type of TV programs they were watching.

When Alblas analyzed the data, she found that people spent longer eating when they were watching TV. They also spent more time eating on days when they watched TV compared to days when they did not. This suggests they didn't realize how much they were eating because they were distracted. The findings themselves don't show that people ate more necessarily or what food they ate exactly, as only the length of time spent eating was recorded. However, Alblas notes that existing research shows time spent eating is correlated with consuming more calories.

"If you don't taste food in the same way, you might not be as satisfied, and you're more likely to snack sooner afterward," says Floor van Meer, a data science researcher at Wageningen Food Safety Research in the Netherlands. She has conducted numerous studies on the activity of the human brain when eating while distracted. In one study, participants asked to memorize either a short or long number while eating reported their food tasted less sweet when memorizing longer numbers. Van Meer also saw less activity in the parts of the brain associated with taste perception.

The Influence of TV Content

There's a theory that humans are always trying to meet a "hedonic goal," meaning we expect to get a certain amount of pleasure during any given day or activity. If we don't achieve it, we seek it elsewhere. If a TV program doesn't live up to expectations, you may eat more to compensate.

Our emotional state also plays a large role in our eating behaviors. Some research suggests that we may choose less "hedonic" foods, such as chocolate or buttered popcorn, if watching something that makes us happy compared to something that makes us sad.

Advertising and Food Choices

Research has found that exposure to food adverts can make people eat more generally. But what concerns researchers the most is the association between food adverts and eating ultra-processed foods (UFPs), which has been linked to obesity and other diseases, including heart disease.

"Evidence suggests that even brief exposure to food adverts can make children more likely to choose the advertised foods, with repeated exposure reinforcing this preference," says Fernanda Rauber, a researcher at the Centre for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She has found that children are more likely to eat UFPs than minimally processed food when watching TV.

Complex Interactions

The relationship between watching TV and eating is complex, even when it comes to the effects of distraction alone. Research also suggests that being distracted can lead us to eat less – or not at all, says van Meer. For example, some primary schools in the Netherlands have shortened the school day and let pupils eat lunch while teaching continues. Parents report that their children come home with full lunchboxes, suggesting they were too distracted to eat.

This effect has also been found in research with adults. In one study, participants who watched the same episode of a TV show twice ate an extra 211 calories compared to those who watched two different episodes, likely because they were less distracted.

Should We Avoid Eating While Watching TV?

There are several theories on why we may eat more when eating in front of the TV. However, reliable research in this area faces challenges. Researchers often rely on food diaries and self-reported TV-watching behaviors, but people often underreport their consumption of unhealthy foods.

Direct observation methods may introduce behavior change bias, where participants modify their eating habits knowing they are being observed. More research in real-life settings is needed because our eating behaviors – and what influences them – are complex.

How much TV influences our food intake depends on many factors, including the type of content we're watching. It can alter our mood and influence us in unconscious ways – such as if a character is eating on screen, we may feel compelled to eat along with them. The pace of the program can also make a difference; for example, action movies can induce us to eat more than an interview show.

Ultimately, research suggests that our eating behavior is complicated and almost impossible to fully untangle. There is more to the "TV dinner" than just processed, high-fat, high-salt convenience foods. If you are sitting down to have a healthier option, it might be worth considering whether you really want to reach for that remote control after all.

For questions or comments write to writers@bostonbrandmedia.com

Source: bbc‍