Family meals can increase mental, physical and emotional health
Families that eat together at least 3 or more times per week experience health benefits for both children and adults. Can you remember a favorite meal with your family?
Does sitting down as a family around a table really make a difference? It may be challenging to find the time to eat together. Sharing a family meal is a perfect time to communicate with each other, promote healthy eating and unwind. Regular family meals can generate feelings of closeness, comfort and stability for children.
Regular family meals create meaningful experiences for children. During this time, children learn about family values, what is important to a family and develop a sense of belonging. It is a powerful tradition that has a huge influence on children.
A shared meal can be any meal: dinner, breakfast, lunch, or an evening snack that allows your family to gather together regularly. Keep outside distractions to a minimum during these times. This may mean turning off the television and putting away electronic devices during meals. Relax and enjoy the meal and one another’s company.
Research has found that children involved in family meals are more likely to:
- Eat more healthy foods
- Be a healthy weight
- Have higher self-esteem
- Have a greater sense of resiliency (the ability to overcome negative experiences)
- Have better grades
- Have better attendance at school
- Have improved mental health
- Have a lower risk of drug and alcohol use
- Have a lower risk of teen pregnancy
- Have a lower risk of depression
Fun, creative conversation should be the focal point at family meal time.
Mealtime is a time for children to share without being judged. This is not a time to criticize or discuss discipline issues. Keep the conversation fun. Using open-ended questions helps children think creatively and learn to solve problems. It also gives everyone a chance to participate in the conversation. Some examples of open-ended questions are: “If you were given one wish, what would you wish for?” or “If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”
When my three children were growing up, we sat at the dinner table every night for our meal. I’m so glad we did that and after talking to each of them about it, they are very thankful we did that. Great info! Thanks.
Thank you Sheila. It is a wonderful time to connect with your children.
Well said! Taking time to turn off TV and hear about the day from others is always enlightening
Thanks Glenda, great information and good reminders! Agree with you, it can be hard to sit down to family meals, but they are very rewarding.
As a child we used to have family discussions that ended up with someone needed to pull out one of our encyclopedias to look up a disputed fact. These are some of the memories I cherish most from childhood. Today my family often “asks Siri” or “Googles it” on a smart phone to verify a fact we are discussing during the family meal. Our discussions are funny, good natured and informative.
Thanks Sheila,
Eating together as a family can be very rewarding especially if the discussions include laughter!
Glenda
Thank you for this important post. I couldn’t agree more! Imagine what our society would be like if all families connected regularly around the dinner table. One ritual that my family partakes in regularly over dinner is sharing what we are grateful for. We get to scan our days, find things that we may otherwise not have payed much attention to, and share those moments with each other. My husband and I can get a little window into our 7 year old’s day or what is on his mind when he shares what he is grateful for. Sometimes we simply let each other know that we’re grateful to have each other. Ritualizing simple practices can be an easy way to maintain our connection when we allow ourselves the time to eat together.
Wonderful post!
Thank you for sharing Sue. Reflecting on what we are grateful for makes our day so much more purposeful.
It’s hard to believe there could be so many benefits from just eating meals together a few times a week. Does it matter which meals? Seems like we’re all going in different directions each evening.
Dear Gisele,
Any meal is of value, whether it is breakfast, lunch or the evening meal. It could even be a special snack. The important thing is that it should work in the family’s schedule each week. Families may have to plan this time together though.