Good grazing behaviour

By Dr Wynnie Chan

In the UK, more adults and children than ever before are classified as obese, and turning our backs on family meals in favour of 'grazing' is one reason why. So how can we transform bad habits into healthy ones?

It seems paradoxical that although the amount of calories we consume in the UK has decreased over the past 50 years, the prevalence of obesity has been increasing: one in five adults is now obese. Even more disturbing, obesity is also becoming a problem for our children. According to a report published by the National Audit Office 'Tackling Obesity in England' last year, ten per cent of six year olds are obese. So how can we explain this phenomenon?

'Slouch' eating habits

Physical inactivity plays a major role in the aetiology of overweight and obesity. We have become a nation of slouch potatoes relying on remote controls to operate the television, using lifts instead of climbing the stairs and cars instead of cycling or walking.

In addition, a change in our eating habits from eating meals prepared at home and enjoyed with the family to a type of grazing behaviour (where we grab snacks or mini meals on the run) has also contributed to the problem. A recent study published in the Archives of Family Medicine looking at family dinner and diet quality among over 16,200 children aged between nine and 14 years old found that over a half of nine-year-olds ate a family dinner every day compared with only a third of 14-year-olds.

The researchers, led by Dr. Matthew W Gillman, found that increased frequency of family dinner was associated with a substantially higher intake of several nutrients, such as fibre, calcium, folate, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C, and E, and a lower intake of saturated fat as a percentage of energy.

Graze without weight gain

Clearly, eating on the run can have negative consequences for our health, particularly if the choice of foods consist of mainly high fat and high sugar convenience snacks at the expense of fruit, vegetables, dairy products and wholegrain foods. Chaotic eating patterns also make it difficult to judge exactly how much you have consumed, which can lead to either over- or undereating.