黄君李

英国研究人员表示：全家一起用餐可以改善儿童的饮食习惯——即使一周只有一两次这样的机会。
英国研究人员表示：全家一起用餐可以改善儿童的饮食习惯——即使一周只有一两次这样的机会。
儿童每天应该食用五份果蔬——大约400克。流行病学杂志和社会健康研究发现，经常共用家宴的儿童达到了这一标准，而只有偶尔公共家宴的儿童没有达到标准。
父母的榜样作用
这项研究的对象是来自伦敦南部52所小学的近2400名儿童。父母和实地考察工作者把儿童在学校和在家的食谱都记录下来，列出儿童在一天中每个阶段摄入的食物和饮料。
考察者还会问到这些父母对果蔬的态度看法，比如“你们一周平均有几次全家共进晚宴？”以及“你们会给孩子切水果蔬菜吃吗？”
研究发现，有656个家庭说他们经常全家一起用餐，768个家庭偶尔一起用餐，而92个家庭从来不会共用家宴。
在那些“经常共餐”组的儿童摄入五份果蔬，“偶尔共餐”组的儿童摄入4.6份，而“从不共餐”组的儿童仅摄入3.3份。
也就是说，“经常共餐”组的儿童和“偶尔共餐”组的儿童分别比“从不共餐”组的儿童每天多摄入135克和95克果蔬。
看到父母吃水果和蔬菜——以及给孩子切一些吃，都可以增加儿童对果蔬的摄入。
未来习惯
研究者表示，尽管这项研究描绘的是一天内的饮食习惯，它却可以反映出更广泛更多人群的饮食习惯。
基督徒麦蒂把这项研究作为她博士学位研究的一部分，她说：“现代生活往往妨碍人们公用家宴，但这项调查显示，即使全家只在周日共进午餐也可以帮我们改善全家人的饮食。”
她还说：“我们花费大量时间考虑怎么在学校对学生饮食加以干预，但这项研究表明，在儿童对蔬菜和水果的摄入方面，父母起着多么重要的作用。”
英国利兹大学食品科学与营养学系教授珍妮特·凯德对这项研究进行了指导，她说：“观察父母和兄弟姐妹吃饭的方式，看到他们吃着各种食物，对培养儿童自己的饮食习惯和食物选择习惯是很关键的。”
她还说：“既然饮食习惯是在童年时期形成的，促进家庭聚餐对公共健康活动的重要性就变得更加突出。”
英国营养学协会会员阿兹米娜·高文吉表示：“童年时期养成的饮食习惯很难改变，全家一起坐在餐桌前吃饭比坐在电视机前要健康得多，边看电视边吃饭会吃得心不在焉，从而增加肥胖的可能性。
“这项研究重申了一个观点，相对于我们所说的话，儿童从我们的行为中学习的更多，所以我们的榜样作用才是帮助他们形成未来习惯的关键。”
高文吉女士是位身体力行的营养学家，她说：“如果儿童在童年时期饮食更合理，他们长大后可能更容易做出更健康的选择——由于饮食直接影响到诸如心脏病和二号糖尿病情况的威胁，与家人一起用餐似乎是个很小的代价。”

Family meals ''boost child fruit and vegetable intake''(广西翻译公司)Eating meals as a family improves children''s eating habits - even if it only happens once or twice a week, UK researchers suggest.
It is recommended children eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day - about 400g.
The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health study found those who always ate together achieved this - but those who only did sometimes came close.
Watching parents and siblings eat teaches good habits, experts said.
Parental example
This study looked at just under 2, 400 children at 52 primary schools in south London.
Parents and fieldworkers compiled food diaries at school and at home, ticking off all the foods and drinks a child had in one 24-hour period.
Parents were also asked questions about their attitudes to fruit and vegetables, such as "On average, how many nights a week does your family eat at a table?" and "Do you cut up fruit and vegetables for your child to eat?"
The study found 656 families said they always ate meals together at a table, 768 sometimes did, while 92 families never did so.
Children in the "always" group ate five portions of fruit and vegetables, compared with 4.6 in the "sometimes" group and 3.3 in the "never".
That equates to the always group eating 125g more fruit and veg, and the sometimes group eating 95g more a day than the never group.
Seeing parents eat fruit and vegetables - and cutting up portions for children both boosted their intake.
''Future habits''
The researchers say that, while this study gives a picture of eating habits on one day, it was able to investigate the diets of a large, diverse population.
Meaghan Christian, who conducted the study as part of her PhD, said: "Modern life often prevents the whole family from sitting round the dinner table, but this research shows that even just Sunday lunch round the table can help improve the diets of our families."
She added: "We spend a lot of time looking at interventions at school. But this is showing how important parents are in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption."
And Prof Janet Cade, of the University of Leeds'' school of food science and nutrition, who supervised the study, said: "Watching the way their parents or siblings eat and the different types of food they eat is pivotal in creating children''s own food habits and preferences."
She added: "Since dietary habits are established in childhood, the importance of promoting the family meal needs to be more prominent in public health campaigns."
Azmina Govindji, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "Eating habits developed in childhood die hard, and eating at a table with the family instead of in front of the TV helps reduce chances of mindless eating, which can increase the likelihood of obesity.
"This study reinforces the view that children learn more from what we do than what we say, so it''s the role modelling that helps shape their future habits."
Ms Govindji, a practising dietitian, added: "If children are eating better in childhood, they are more likely to make healthier choices in adult life - and since food directly impacts risks of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, eating together as a family seems like a small price to pay."