How TV Can Help Kids Eat Healthy Foods

Many parents worry about how TV, movie and video games can be unhealthy for their children, but here’s some good news: A new study finds that watching cooking shows about healthy dishes helps children make better food choices.

A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, found kids who watched a child-oriented cooking show featuring healthy food were 2.7 times more likely to make a healthy food choice than those who watched a different episode of the same show featuring unhealthy food.

While recent studies have found that school nutrition programs and real-life learning were beneficial in helping kids eat healthier, a new study found that watching healthy cooking shows proved to be a great way for kids to lean toward healthier options.

“Researchers asked 125 10- to 12-year-old to watch 10 minutes of a public television cooking program designed for children, and then offered them a snack as a reward for participating. Children who watched the healthy program were far more likely to choose one of the healthy snack options – an apple or a few pieces of cucumber – than one of the unhealthy options – a handful of chips or a handful of salted mini-pretzels,’’ the journal reports.

Ochsner Eat Fit, a program that encourages chefs to offer nutritious, delicious meals for those who want to eat clean, watch their weight and manage diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol, is on the same wavelength as this new study.

Registered Dietitian Molly Kimball, of Eat Fit, said, "children can lead the way when it comes to helping their families eat healthier. Healthier cooking habits may start with the kids, but they’ll trickle up to the parents – the kids then become advocates of wellness and nutrition within their families.”