The Benefits of Eating Together As a Family

I remember as a young girl, we would sit down to have a family dinner every night of the week. My dad would arrive home from work at 6:15 pm and by 6:30 pm dinner was served. We gathered around the table, talked about our days and enjoyed our meal together.

This is a lovely memory. Unfortunately, it’s not how it is today with my own family. I often work late, and my husband and kids all get home at different times. My girls eat together and my husband waits for me so we can eat dinner together (if I’m lucky one of my sons joins us, my other son is married and out of the house). This is how it is Monday through Thursday. But, on the weekends, we make sure to eat together every evening. We sit at the table for a long time, talking and catching up. My kid’s friends marvel at how long our family meals last.

In today’s society, oftentimes each family member has their own busy schedule, between after school activities, late workdays and long commutes, it’s no wonder families rarely have time to eat meals together. This month is Family Meals Month, a month that recognizes the importance of taking time away from your busy schedules to come together and eat a healthy family meal.  For many people it may not seem like family meal time, or lack there-of, has any impact on their health at all, but something as simple as eating together as a family at least four times a week has proven benefits, including nutritional health.

Research has shown that when families eat together in the home, they eat more fruits and vegetables and less fried foods, sodas and processed foods containing trans fats.  Younger kids’ eating more frequently outside the home is contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic this country is facing.  Introducing your children to fresh, nutritious foods through family dinners is one of the most effective ways to instill healthy eating habits in your whole family.

What else can you do? Take your kids with you to the supermarket and allow them to pick out the fruits and vegetables they want to try and let them help you prepare the meal.  Engaging your children in the meal preparation process and allowing them to explore healthy foods on their own is a great way to expand their pallet and get them willing to try different foods.

Gathering your teenagers around the table at dinner time is a great way for parents to stay engaged in their teen’s lives.  Adolescence is a difficult time for parents, as their kids grow up and become exposed to negative habits of their peers such as cigarette smoking, drugs and alcohol.  The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University surveyed teens and parents and discovered that family dinners helped them get better grades and kept them away from recreational drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoking.

Family meals also promote communication.  That being said, it might be a good idea to leave cell phones and TV’s out of the equation when you sit down to have a meal together.  Eating as a family keeps everyone connected and promotes a strong family unit, something that is so important for the growth and development of your children, the relationship you have with your kids and the one you have with your spouse.  So don’t overlook the importance of family meal time.  The health benefits you’ll discover are not just the physical, but the social and emotional as well!

Your turn to take action: What are some things you love about family meal time?

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