For many of us, the habit of watching television, checking the phone or consulting something on the computer while we eat is common because we turn these devices and devices in our table colleagues. A lunch that we devour in a few minutes glued to the mobile or a dinner taken in front of a new season of our favorite series is something common. More than 30% of those under 30 years old They eat and have watching television In Spain.
Although we do it almost unconsciously, research in this area has shown that having a fork in one hand and in the other the remote control of television harms us more than benefits us. Because not paying attention to what we eat can have negative repercussions on our health and be counterproductive, as they alert from the Professional College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Madrid (Codma), according to which the consequences on our nutritional health at different levels are several.
Eating and watching television: a toxic relationship
One of the consequences that experts point out is that eating in front of a screen can affect satiety signals and make us eat more food unconsciously without paying attention to what we eat or quantity. It is clear that while we sail on Instagram or scan Netflix options, our attention is not focused on what is important: the content of the dish. And here is the problem.
The screens hypnotize us, capture our attention and prevent us from eating consciously. By extension, we are less likely to satisfy ourselves. When we do not pay attention to what we take to our mouths, as we usually have in front of television, it is more Difficult to feel satiety. And this happens because, by losing the concentration in our dish, we also lose the ability to feel when we have eaten enough, there is no signal that sends the hypothalamus to the brain indicating that it is time to stop eating.
Consequently, when there is no control over hunger, there may be a risk of weight gain: we eat faster and in greater quantities because we are not aware that the stomach is full. In addition, in front of the TV we do not take the time we need to savor, which translates into feeling less flavors and smells.
Therefore, if we eat while watching television it is easier for us to lose the signs that tell us that we have eaten enough, such as seeing the amount of the ingested or feeling that our stomach is being filled. There is research They support this idea and show that we tend to eat more when we are distracted.
This distraction also causes us to lose pleasure during food. As a result, the brain is not satisfied, and that is when we run the risk of poorly recommended food behaviors, motivated by this pleasure search: pecking, compulsive food intake or cravings of very sugary or fatty products.
Another interesting study published in American Journal of Nutrition It shows that eating well requires concentration, and distraction is an enemy of food intake control. The study highlights, with figures that support it, that improving the ‘memory’ of the food we consume significantly reduces food intake and that eliminating visual information about the amount of food ingested leads to greater immediate consumption.
In addition, if we eat a screen, most likely we end up eating faster, which can derive, in some cases, in eating with anxiety, more and faster.
This is demonstrated by research such as this, prepared by experts from the Nutrition and Behavior Unit of the School of Experimental Psychology of the Bristol Universitydepending on which eating in front of a screen can make us ingest more food soon. To get to this conclusion, the experts made two groups: one that ate while playing the loner and the other who did the same, but without distractions.
After evaluating these two groups, experts could see that the first one felt less full after lunch than the second, a feeling attributed to the effects of distraction. After half an hour, these participants ate approximately double snacks than the members of the other group.
Another problem that indicates from Codinma is that food intake in the face of devices such as television or any other device can lead Heavier digestions. Experts attribute this problem to the fact that we are not focusing our attention on food, which is in the background, but in a visual stimulus.
How to find the perfect balance while we eat
Of all these research it is easy to deduce that eating without distractions, at the table, and paying attention to the taste of each bite, is the healthiest way to relate to food and also allows us to be more in tune with our hunger signs and satiety. Eating calmly and, above all, with attention, and taking the time to chew food well is key.
Breaking this vicious circle is a good way to control what and how we eat. Although nothing happens if we take a snack while we see television, it is important that, at the time of the food, we approach the table and move away from television. If we give the food attention which deserves can reduce the amount of food we eat, hunger and posterior snacks.
This will allow us to eat slowly and chew well. The sign that we are full takes about 20 minutes to reach the brain. Therefore, when we eat slowly and chew the food well, we give time for this signal to arrive, which prevents us from eating excessively.
Therefore, eat without looking at television It can encourage conscious food, which directs attention to the food we have in front of: we can perceive the satiety signals when we are not fully concentrated on the screen. In addition, there is a positive correlation between the Time we dedicate to eating and the percentage of people with normal weight.
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