Lower obesity risk by cooking at home, skipping TV during meals

Brace yourself for an “I told you so” moment. Scientists have confirmed what perhaps your parents have always been telling you: cooking meals at home and not watching TV or videos while eating is a healthier way of life.

A study by researchers from Researchers from Ohio State University in the US has found that these two simple habits could cut down chances of obesity. The report has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The team surveyed about 12,842 people who said that they ate at least one family meal in the week prior to their interview.

For the study, obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above 30, calculated from self-reported height and weight measures collected in the survey.

It was found that participants, who reported never watching TV or videos during meals, had significantly lower odds of obesity compared to those who always watched something during mealtimes.

People who had all home-cooked meals also had lower odds of obesity than other adults who ate some or no home-cooked meals.

“How often you eat family meals may not be the most important thing. It could be that what you are doing during these meals matters more,” said Rachel Tumin of Ohio State University.

No points for guessing that the lowest odds of obesity were found among those adults who engaged in both healthy practices — eating home-cooked food and eating without a TV or video on.

Researchers found obesity to be as common in adults who ate family meals one or two days a week as it was in those who ate family meals every day, with the television on.