Television Poisoning

If you think youngsters’ minds are being tainted by the pap on television, you have another worry coming: Their digestive tracts are being as warped as their brain tissue.

A national survey of students in the 5th to 10th grades shows that TV viewing is associated with unhealthy eating and bad food choices. The more television kids watch, the worse their diets become.

Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Md., conclude: “Television viewing time (is) associated with lower odds of consuming fruit or vegetables daily and higher odds of consuming candy and sugar-sweetened soda daily, skipping breakfast at least one day per week and eating at a fast food restaurant at least one day per week…”

Parents be warned: Letting kids watch unlimited television is sending them on a path to an unhealthy diet.

“There is something parents can do,” researcher Ronald Iannotti told The New York Times. “Limit TV time, and make sure healthy snacks, particularly fruits, are available.”