Families 'should have meals around the table' to stop children getting fat

Families who do not have dinner around the table run their risk of children getting fat, the country’s “nanny in chief” has warned.

Prof Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, urged parents to have family meals together in order to ensure slimmer waistlines and boost brainpower.

She said children were more likely to develop weight problems if they were allowed to indulge in “mindless” eating in front of TV and computer screens.

And she suggested that conversations around the dinner table were also crucial for children’s intellectual development.

It follows a series of studies linking high levels of screen time to a greater risk of obesity.

Research suggests that such diversions dull satiety levels - leaving to “passive overconsumption” of meals and snacks.

Dame Sally told a debate in London: “When people are using screens or watching the television that their calorie intake goes up … because if you don’t concentrate on the food, the social interaction is fairly mindless and the feeling of satiation is not recognised as easily.”

“We would like people to sit down and eat together and actually if you look at child development they need to interact with their families - with adults - and mealtimes are a very important part of that.

“Proper meal times with healthy food are going to help our children develop effectively and probably help our waistlines,” she said.

Others at the event, hosted by think tank Reform, suggested Britain should attempt to emulate France, in its eating habits.

Hugo Fry, managing director of pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said: “One of the reasons that drives the UK up the obesity charts is the way we eat - the environment we do it in.

“We are massive TV eaters, grab-and-go eaters,” he said. “At the other end of the chart the French … sit down as a family at every single meal - breakfast lunch and dinner,” he said.

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said a significant number of families do not even own a table.

He said: “Prof Dame Sally Davies is absolutely right. The real problem is that we have too many families who cannot cook. So the easiest thing is to buy takeaways or ready meals and sit around the television and eat.

“Families should make an effort to have the TV off around meal time and have a conversation while eating. It slows the speed of eating and means you wolf down fewer calories.”

Dr Max Davie, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:  “There is some evidence to suggest that watching screens can distract children from feeling full. What’s more, we know that children are often exposed to adverts for unhealthy food and drink whilst watching their favourite TV shows, which in turn can lead to higher calorie intake.

"Our screen time guidance recommends that parents and their children build screen time around positive family activities – such as sharing meals together. But with one in three children leaving primary school overweight or obese, it is clear that action is needed at a national level to tackle the childhood obesity problem. That’s why we want to see Government publish their consultation on restricting junk food marketing before the 9pm watershed on TV, with similar restrictions online, without delay," he said.

The chief medical officer said she had embraced the label of “chief nanny” after years of being described as such.

“It's good to be the chief nanny if it has an impact,” Dame Sally told the event, reiterating calls for extra taxes on sugary and salty snacks.

“I am wearing my label with pride,” she said. However, she questioned whether a male chief medical officer would have attracted the same nickname, saying the issue “raised questions” about sexism.

“We won't go there,” she continued. “Just make the changes and chief nanny will be happy.”

And she urged politicians to listen to her calls to extend the sugar levy, extending taxes so they were placed on chocolates, sweets, and cakes as well as on milky drinks.

“We need political will. If you look at outcomes think how many lives were saved by seat belts,” she said.

“Think how many lives were saved by the smoking ban in public places. Think how many lives  could be saved by extending the sugar levy. Politicians do need to listen to me - and I keep telling them this,” she said.