Happy families: Teenagers who eat with their parents are likely to be more connected, making conversations about bad diet and dangerous eating habits less awkward. |
Teenagers who switch off the TV and sit down to family meals are less likely to suffer eating disorders. A study has credited eating together with lower rates of bulimia and anorexia. Meals are also less likely to be skipped, and adolescents used to eating round the table are less likely to take up smoking to lose weight. Researcher Barbara Fiese said: ‘The common belief is that teens don’t want to be around their parents very much, and that teens are just too busy for regular meals with the family. ‘Parents may not be able to get their families together around the table seven days a week, but if they can schedule three family meals a week, they will safeguard their teens’ health in significant ways. Professor Fiese spoke out after reviewing 17 studies on eating patterns and nutrition involving almost 200,000 children and teenagers. She found that teens who eat at least five meals a week with their families are 35 percent less likely to be ‘disordered eaters’. The definition of disordered eating involves bingeing followed by vomiting - a tack favoured by those suffering bulimia - taking diet pills or laxatives, skipping meals, eating very little and smoking to keep a lid on weight. Even three family meals a week helped, with youngsters 12 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate with their families less often. They were also 24 percent more likely to eat healthy foods and have healthy eating habits than those who didn’t share three meals with their families, the journal Pediatrics reports. Teens can also use family meals as a time to get their thoughts across. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
關上電視,坐下來和家人共餐吧。這樣做的青少年比較不容易飲食失調(diào)。 一項研究已經(jīng)證實,和全家一起吃飯的人患暴食癥或厭食癥的幾率會較低,而且通常會按時進餐。那些一直和全家圍桌共餐的青少年也不大會為了減肥而吸煙。 研究員芭芭拉?費瑟說,“人們通常認為,十來歲的孩子們不喜歡太多地待在父母身邊,他們忙東忙西,哪有時間和家人一起定時吃飯?!?/p> “也許家長做不到讓全家每周七天都在一起吃飯,但是如果一周能安排三次家庭聚餐,就是對孩子健康極大的保護了?!?/p> 費瑟教授是在回顧了17項有關飲食結構和營養(yǎng)狀況的研究之后,發(fā)表上述評論的。這些研究涵蓋了近20萬兒童和青少年。 她發(fā)現(xiàn),那些一周和家人共餐至少五次的青少年,患飲食紊亂的可能性要低35%。 飲食紊亂包括暴食之后催吐(暴食癥患者最愛用的方法)、吃減肥藥或瀉藥、不吃飯、吃得極少,以及為保持體重而吸煙。 就算孩子每周只和家人一起吃三頓飯,他們超重的可能性也比其他不常和家人一起吃飯的孩子要低12%。 而且據(jù)《小兒科》雜志報道,他們食用健康食品和養(yǎng)成健康飲食習慣的可能性,也要比那些每周和家人共餐少于三次的青少年高出24%。 青少年還可以趁全家共餐的時候,讓父母了解自己的想法。 相關閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 實習生高美 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: bulimia: an emotional disorder in which a person repeatedly eats too much and then forces him- or herself to vomit(貪食癥,暴食癥;食欲過盛) anorexia: an emotional disorder, especially affecting young women, in which there is an abnormal fear of being fat, causing the person to stop eating, leading to dangerous weight loss (尤指年輕女子害怕肥胖而引起的)厭食,食欲缺乏,神經(jīng)性厭食 binge: to eat or drink too much, especially without being able to control yourself(大吃大喝) laxative: a medicine, food or drink that makes somebody empty their bowels easily(輕瀉藥;通便劑;有通便作用的飲食) keep a lid on: 把……控制??;抑制住 get something across: 使……被理解、被了解 |