We’ve all heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” If you eat wholesome, healthy food you’ll probably be physically healthy. If you eat processed, greasy, junk food you’ll probably be unhealthy. There’s nothing complicated about those equations. But do you ever think about the statement, “You eat what you watch?” Considering the fact that the average child sees over 20,000 commercials each year; many of them advertising junk food, we might want to think more about that statement.
Consider the following verse of Scripture in relation to our media choices, “See then that you walk carefully, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is”
(Ephesians 5:15-17).
Are you walking with Christ carefully? Are you being wise with your time? Do you understand what the will of the Lord is concerning time management in your life? When it comes to television, our society seems to be spending a lot of time as couch potatoes and it apparently is affecting our physical well being.
Did you know that the average American will spend over 1,555 hours in front of a TV screen this year? That’s over 4 hours per day. During that time span we will see multiple advertisements with all kinds of reasons to eat and to eat unhealthy. Consider the following 4 statements backed by statistics from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
KIDS WHO WATCH A LOT OF TV EXERCISE LESS
It certainly doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure this one out. If your kid is sitting in front of a TV for 4 or 5 hours a day, he or she is not running, swimming, riding their bike, skateboarding, etc. That’s a lot of calories NOT being burned.
EATING AND WATCHING TV SHOULD NOT GO HAND IN HAND
How many of us grab something to eat every time we sit in front of the TV or we sit in front of the TV every time we eat something. This is a bad habit that many of us have developed which leads to both TV and food addiction. I’ve done this a lot through the years. However, I’ve changed my habits. And most of the time, I try to separate these 2 areas of my life. It’s made a difference in both my TV viewing and my waistline.
ADVERTISING WILL CAUSE YOU AND YOUR KIDS TO EAT 134% MORE
The statistics are alarming. Today 1 in 3 kids are considered to be obese. One way to almost guarantee your child will eat more is to stick them in front of the TV set. They will more than double their food consumption.
ADVERTISING WILL CAUSE YOU AND YOUR KIDS TO EAT UNHEALTHY
Not only will you and your family eat more food watching a lot of TV, you will eat unhealthy food. In fact, approximately 90% of advertisements for food are for junk food. McDonalds doesn’t spend millions on advertising for nothing.
Overall, I am a pretty healthy individual. I try to eat healthy and exercise most of the time. However, many of my biggest eating binges have been as a result of sitting too long in front of a TV set.
One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Timothy 4:8 which says, “Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having a promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
I believe it’s all about balance. Bodily exercise does profit a little and should be a part of a balanced lifestyle. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, our spiritual well being is of much more importance. We all need to be reminded that neglecting the spiritual discipline of GUARDING OUR HEARTS WITH ALL DILIGENCE, may be causing us to CLOG the arteries of our physical hearts. Won’t you examine your families Television habits this week? Maybe it’s time to get off of your ‘easy chair’, shut off the TV and go for a walk with your family. Your arteries will thank you. YOU EAT WHAT YOU WATCH!
