Some families like to enjoy eating dinner in front of a television, while others would rather sit around the dining table.
However, new research shows that where a person has dinner and who serves them, can have harmful effects on their health.
According to a study of children aged between two and five, kids who serve themselves at a dining table are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
“When foods are pre-plated, children never develop the ability to read their body's hunger cues. They don't learn to say, okay, this is an appropriate portion size for me,” explained lead author Dr Brent McBride.
Serving themselves meant that youngsters were better able to recognise when they were full and stop eating.
On the flip side of the coin, those who ate in front of the telly were less likely to recognise when they were full, meaning they had a higher chance of eating more and becoming overweight.
One of the researchers behind the study added that children should not be encouraged to eat if they are not hungry:
“Making kids eat when they're not hungry is probably the worst thing you can do. It teaches them not to pay attention to their body's signals,” said Dipti Dev.
Perhaps we need to re-evaluate house rules.
