Family meals provide an opportunity to eat better:
"Families who eat together have healthier, more balanced diets,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “Making family mealtime a priority not only improves everyone’s physical health, but it also contributes to their overall well-being and mental health.”
More meals prepared and eaten together means better nutrition, more control over what’s eaten, and less weight gain for the whole family. A 2000 Harvard Medical School study of more than 16,000 boys and girls aged nine to 14 reveals adolescents who shared frequent meals with their families ate more fruits and vegetables and less fried food, saturated fat, and trans fat. They also consumed more calcium, iron, folate, fiber, and vitamins C, E, B6, and B12
When researchers from the University of Minnesota tracked the eating habits of 1,700 adolescents into their early adult years, they found those who dined often with their families ate more produce, routinely ate breakfast, and drank less soda as young adults.
Family meals provide a chance to connect:
A 2004 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine study found families who regularly eat together are closer than those who eat separately.
“Sitting down to a meal together provides an opportunity to connect and talk with your kids and find out what’s going on in their lives,” says Neumark-Sztainer. Almost half the teens participating in the Columbia study felt that dinner was the best time to talk with parents about important issues.
Eating together also helps socialization. “The dining table is where children get their parents’ undivided attention, learn manners and how to behave positively in a group,” Satter says. Findings from the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine study showed that children who regularly dine with their families spend more time involved in academic pursuits, such as homework and reading. Also, those who frequently ate with their families had better grades and lower rates of depression, and they were less likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. And girls from homes where family meals were the norm had higher self-esteem and fewer eating disorders.
Tips to avoid food fights:
At mealtime, maintain a clear division of responsibilities. “Adults are responsible for providing healthful food on a regular schedule, while the kids’ job is to decide to eat it or not,” Blatner says. Keep in mind that good nutrition happens over a matter of days, not in the course of a single meal.
Children are naturally erratic eaters, eating more some days than others, Satter says. Consistently giving them healthful foods and empowering them to decide which and how much of those foods to eat can help prevent food-related power struggles.