The TV isn't invited to dinner

Sometimes when my husband has to work late, I give my son a special treat and let him watch a movie while he eats dinner. It's a rare event, but one that I can justify since most of our dinners are spent around the family table, eating and talking about our days. That together time at dinner is important to me, as it is one of the best parts of my day.

When we moved into our new house, I wanted to make sure that we relegated the television to a spot far away from where we eat our meals. (Happily my wonderful husband was on the same page as me.) I wanted to make sure that our meals were not distracted by the incessant noise of the television.

A recent study (small, but I like it) has found evidence linking television watching at dinnertime with less healthy meals. This turned out to be true whether or not people were actively watching the show that was on or if they just had the television on as background noise.

In my family, we talk a lot at dinner. We talk about our days and our plans for the weekends and even about crazy dreams. Sometimes we play music in the background and do silly things like try to match the music to the nationality of the cuisine that we are eating (which explains the "Sounds of Italy" playlist on my iPod). But the television doesn't need a seat at our table.

Do you like to have background noise while you eat a meal? What is it? Tell me in the comments.