Body Mass Index (BMI) is related to food habits in one way or the other. A recent study reveals that healthy family dinning rituals result in lower BMI among people.
BMI measures body fat with respect to height and weight. The latest study on BMI was conducted by a team led by Dr, Brain Wansink at Cornell University in New York along with Ellen Van Kleef from Wageningen University, Netherlands. Altogether 190 parents and 148 children volunteered for the survey.
The findings are based on a survey about the daily food routines of the participants, like what are their meal timings, whether they are glued to television while having food, how often they help their parents to cook food and so on. The height and weight of the participants was also measured.
The researchers tried to find whether following certain norms while having food had a direct effect on the BMI or not.
After examining the meal routines of the participants, the researchers found that families which didn't watch television while having food, preferred to dine together and remained seated till others finished tended to have less BMI compared to others.
The study also revealed that girls who helped their parents to cook dinner were found to have higher BMI although such similar activities didn't affect the BMIs of boys.
The study was published in the October issue of the journal, Obesity. According to the researchers, the study was aimed at to bring out the impact of social rituals on BMIs.
Where one has dinner and how long one takes to eat are the primary influencers of BMI. Watching television while having food leads to greater positive feeling resulting in excessive eating and higher BMI.
