Can Watching Television Make You Fat?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.3MB)

Watching television can make you fat. And not just because it’s a sedentary activity, but because the information most commercials are dishing out about food are misleading and confusing.

I contend that TV brainwashes you to like fattening foods. That’s one of the reasons why I avoid it. Most people who know me, know I’m not a TV watcher.

TV commercials grab my attention…

Last week the TV did catch my attention. I was at my parent’s house and the TV was on in the background. Here are a few lines from food commercials that I heard.

• "Eat Cheerios to lower your cholesterol.”
• "Three glasses of skim milk a day are a great way to lose weight”.
• "Splenda is just like sugar and is great for kids”.

I nearly passed out. I can see why people are totally confused about healthy eating. I can also see why obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes are at an all time high in this country and in many others as well.

After I was done hyperventilating, I decided to first turn the TV off and write this article to clear up a few misconceptions. Here they are…

1. Cheerios biggest claim to fame is that eating them will help you lower your cholesterol. I’m here to tell you that eating processed grains, especially in the form of cereal can actually make your cholesterol go up!

A cholesterol study showed how soluble fiber can help the body eliminate bad cholesterol from the body. That’s true, soluble fiber does reduce cholesterol.

Cheerios happens to have 1 teensy-weensy gram of soluble fiber per serving. That’s what the advertiser was bragging about. One lousy gram. Big deal! I can get 2 grams of soluble fiber from an apple, 3 grams from broccoli or carrots, and more than 4 grams from kidney beans. Beat that Cheerios Man!

Boxed foods and chemical additives…

Honestly, I don’t think there are any boxed foods that are completely healthy. They have to be highly processed to stay edible for the amount of time they languish on supermarket shelves. Chemicals and fillers are added that contribute to our weight gain and health loss.

I think somebody tried to prove once that the contents of boxed foods aren’t much more nutritious than the box itself. Something about rats living longer on the cardboard than the contents. Was it true? I don’t know.

My recommendation.

Ditch the cereal and pick up some wholesome natural foods like fruits and vegetables. Natural grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa are 10x’s better than any overpriced boxed cereal.

2. Milk does a body bad! That’s really what the commercial should say. Ok, that’s not entirely true. Conventional, processed, store bought milk does a body bad. If you’ve read the dairy chapter in my Diet Solutions Program, you know my stance on milk. Here it is: "Organic milk is good and raw milk is better." If you haven’t read my article on milk, you can read it on this website, it’s titled: "Is Milk Necessary for an Effective Weight Loss Plan?"

3. Give Splenda to my children? Never! Splenda has not been on the market long enough to prove whether it’s safe or not. Until then it’s nothing more than a public health experiment. I’ve seen too many public health experiments turn sour. I refuse to be anyone’s guinea pig.

Being the organic chemistry nerd that I am, I know exactly how sugar is converted to Splenda. I’ll spare you the chemistry lesson but tell you that Splenda is a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. Huh? Did you say pesticide? Yes. Many chemists say the Splenda molecule more closely resembles a pesticide molecule than a natural sugar molecule.

I highly recommend you keep yourself away from the Splenda sweetener experiment. My tip: Stick to natural sweeteners like whole fruits, stevia and agave syrup and stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, and Sweet and Low.

Conclusion

I could go on and on about the bogus food commercials on TV. If I watched TV long enough I could probably find 100 commercials that are shelling out false nutrition information. Why do they do it? To sell products. Products that are poisonous to your body.

Now, go shut the TV off and read the real truth about healthy eating and weight loss and get started on your own health goals right away.

About the Author:

Isabel De Los Rios is a certified nutritionist and exercise specialist who has already helped over 25,000 people all over the world lose incredible amounts of weight, regain their health and permanently change their lives.

She is the creator of The Diet Solutions Program and the Owner of New Body – Center for Fitness and Nutrition in New Jersey.

Isabel has become the #1 "go to girl” when it comes to Fat Burning Nutrition by several of the most popular fitness professionals around the globe. Isabel’s cutting edge and completely different approach to nutrition is what sets her apart from all the rest.

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!