It’s not rocket science: Watching too much TV isn’t good for your health.
Now new findings from the University of Houston also show it’s bad for your diet, according to a report filed earlier this week.
So what did they find? Simple: Binge watching TV shows makes you snack more.
“A number of previous studies found a relationship between TV use in terms of the number of hours watched per day and unhealthy food consumption,” says Temple Northup, an assistant professor at the Jack J. Valenti School of Community at the University of Houston. “In essence, the number of hours of TV you watch per day, the more unhealthy foods you eat. A common explanation for this is that TV watching is sedentary and encourages snacking.”
The findings, now published in the International Journal of Communication and Health, reviewed a group of 591 participants, whose views towards healthy eating and TV watching were collected through a cross-sectional study.
For the study, Northup wanted to see if any of the participants had fatalistic views towards healthy eating, a term used to describe the refusal to learn certain concepts because it’s too difficult–and engage in unhealthy practices instead. In a previous cancer study, he found that people who engage in fatalistic thinking often engaged in risky behavior linked to cancer–which led him to think fatalistic thinking for TV users would translate to a higher consumption of snack products.
As it turns out, he wasn’t far off.
“I found people who watch more TV had both a poorer understanding of proper nutrition and a more fatalistic view toward eating well compared to those who watched less TV,” says Northup. “In turn, those two items predicted snacking behaviors. It is important to understand how people develop knowledge about nutrition, including examining nutritional messages found within the media.”
In addition to his findings, Northup also believes the advertising shown on TV, such as advertisements for fast food paired with commercials on how to lose weight, make consumers feel even more confused, perpetuating the belief that nutrition is hard to understand. This, instead of just being more sedentary during TV viewing, may be the bigger reason why TV watchers end up gaining more weight, says Northup.
“There was very little prior research on the psychological reasons this relationship might exist beyond that it’s a sedentary activity that encourages snacking,” says Northup.
What This Means For You
If you love to watch TV–and let’s face facts, most of us do–just staying sedentary isn’t your own problem here, according to health experts. TV commercials may also lead to confusion on what eating habits are the best for losing weight, leading you to snack more.
So what should you instead? Simple, say experts: Watch less TV. Instead, find more active ways to entertain yourself, such as participating in sports or spending more time outside.
Readers: What causes you to snack more often?
Source:
TV Use, Unhealthy Eating Linked – ScienceDaily.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness!
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.