You’ve probably heard it time and time again, but now it’s time to listen: don’t let your kids eat while they are watching TV. I’ve already talked about why mealtime should be family time, but just as important, snack times shouldn’t be couch potato time. Of course, regardless of where they are consumed, snacks should be nutritious. Snacks that come in wrappers or bags are usually not healthful but instead provide empty, non-nutritious calories that are converted to fat by our bodies.

The more fat, or non-lean body mass, your child has, the lower her metabolic rate becomes. This causes her to burn fewer calories at rest and leads to the efficient deposition of her extra unused calories as additional fat. It is not difficult to see that this generates a vicious cycle of weight gained as fat. Furthermore, the calories obtained while lounging around are not likely to be utilized, since the body burns very few calories while sitting. Consider this: your child can burn four calories per minute while running, and eight calories per minute while swimming, but will burn only about one calorie per minute while watching television. Even reading and thinking hard, however mentally exhausting they may be, bum only one to one and a half calories per minute. At that rate, it’s easy to see why couch potatoes have spare tires and love handles.

Do your kids a favor: separate TV time from eating time and encourage them to be active.

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