Family dinner's benefits extend beyond good nutrition
When I started thinking about the holidays and all the delicious food, I tried to come up with some fun nutrition topics that might help other parents embark on a healthier holiday season. Instead, my mind kept traveling to thoughts of the family sitting down together, laughing and chatting, and enjoying delicious food together without school schedules or work commitments interrupting.
Dreams of holiday dinners brought my thoughts back to a phenomenal blog I've been reading over the past couple of months, blogforfamilydinner.org. It's made me ponder, sometimes question, but always makes me think about the family dinner tradition I'm instilling in my kids that my parents instilled so strongly in me. There was never a question growing up that dinner would be on the table at 7 p.m., and we were all expected to be there. It was our mainstay. Sometimes we'd laugh and joke, and on rough days there might have been silence. Now that I'm mom, I'm not quite sure how my mom always figured it out and finagled schedules to make it work. What I do know, though, is that the benefits of family dinner far outweigh the frustration that can creep in when trying to pull it together. If your house is anything like mine, no matter how peacefully the kids were playing all afternoon, utter chaos always erupts as soon as the stove turns on.
Benefits of family dinner By now, most of us are aware of the staggering statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the current childhood obesity epidemic: In 2008, more than a third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese, and in 2011 nearly one in five children aged 6-19 in the United States are obese. The good news is that over the past decade, research has shown what parents seem to intuitively understand. Family dinners are good for the mind, body and soul. As parents, this is one of the greatest tools we have to fight the obesity epidemic within our own families. Multiple surveys published by the University of Minnesota found that frequent family meals are related to:#376;Better overall nutrition with less processed food intake#376;Decreased risk for unhealthy weight control practices#376;Increased consumption of fruits and veggies Beyond that of nutrition, frequent family dinners are also shown to: #376;Increase vocabulary skills of toddlers and preschoolers#376;Decreased rate of teen depression and teen pregnancy#376;Help foster self-esteem and resilience Creating fuss-free family mealsHaving the awesome support of seasoned parents, new parents, dietitians and chefs in my life, I compiled a list of their top tips in making family meal time a reality and a success.Tip 1: Establish meal timeGetting overworked parents and overscheduled kids together for dinner can be like working a jigsaw puzzle. The first question you might ask yourself is what time of day is your family most often together or most available to be together. Toss around the idea of a family breakfast as opposed to dinner #8212; start the day as a family unit before all other commitments interfere. If that doesn't work, take cues from a creative mom who shared with me her favorite family meal time: bedtime snack! As her husband wrestles the kids into PJs, she sets a snack out on the table, and then they enjoy 15 peaceful minutes together before continuing the bedtime rituals. Tip 2: Plan aheadThere is no bigger stress inducer than opening your fridge and staring blankly at its insides wondering how to possibly create an edible meal. Take the time, once a week, to map out and shop for a week's worth of meals. Consider the time you reasonably have to put the meal together and work within your means. Incorporate one or two meals that can double for a leftover night.Tip 3: Give the cook a break! It's difficult to reap the benefits of family meal time if you're continually burned out or stressed out from cooking. Plan a break! If your kids are old enough, it can be a smorgasbord night where everyone makes their own plate. Or, even better, institute a kids' cook night. With some safety rules in place, sit back and let your kids develop the menu for the night. Tip 4: Make it a family eventDivide and conquer as a team. Give each child an age-appropriate task, from setting the table, pouring beverages, or assisting the chef. Not only does this teach them useful life skills, but it keeps busy hands out of trouble! As an extra bonus, if you're working with pickier eaters, kids are more inspired to explore foods that they helped create. With holiday dinners in abundance over the next month, take a moment to sit back and soak in the smiles of your family. Happy holidays everyone! Contact me: If you have any feedback, comments or questions on this topic or any others, I would love to hear from you! You can send me an email at christina@nourishedliving.com with your thoughts.#376;Christina Fitzgerald, a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist, is the owner of Nourished, Nutrition and Wellness, nourishedliving.com. She lives with her husband and two young sons in the Northwest suburbs.