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Family
Mealtimes: More than just eating together
When something has to give, it’s easy to understand
why the family meal may be one of the first things to fall by the wayside.
And yet, family meals are not only a time for strengthening family ties
and keeping track of your children’s lives, they can actually lead to
better physical and mental health for your children!
Benefits of family meals
A Harvard study published in the March 2000 issue of Archives of Family
Medicine shows that eating family dinners together most or all days
of the week is associated with eating more healthfully.
The study showed that families eating meals together
"every day" or "almost every day" generally consumed higher amounts of
important nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamins B 6
and B12 , C and E, and consumed less overall fat,
compared to families who "never" or "only sometimes” eat meals together.
Another University of Minnesota study published in
the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children
who ate family meals consumed more fruits, vegetables and fewer snack
foods than children who ate separately from their families.
Children who frequently eat meals with their families
tend to do better in school as well. A 1994 Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest
national poll of high school seniors showed higher scholastic scores among
students who frequently shared meals with their families. And a survey
of high-achieving teens showed that those who regularly eat meals with
their families tend to be happier with their present life and their prospects
for the future.
Children model your behavior
When you cook and serve meals at home, you have more control over the
quality and quantity of your family’s food choices. Kids tend to mimic
their parents’ attitudes about foods.
Children won’t perceive healthy eating as important
if it is not something that they see you doing. Eat and serve sensible
portion sizes. Be open to trying new foods and new ways of cooking foods.
Family meals should be dynamic - an exchange of ideas,
conversation and feelings. Turn off the television, the video games and
the computer. Mealtime is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen family
ties and pass on family cultural traditions. Encourage your kids to help
prepare meals, set the table and help with dishes.
Easy meals
You can keep meals simple, yet still nutritious and interesting, by sticking
to nutrition basics. Offer your kids a variety of great tasting foods
from the major food groups for any meal or snack.
When time is of the essence, keep meals simple. It’s
easy to purchase a ready-made sauce or marinade and add it to sautéed
chicken, beef or shrimp for a tasty main course.
Cook on weekends and double a favorite recipe, enjoying
one meal now and freezing the other to enjoy some evening when you’re
too tired to cook. Soups and casseroles are especially good to freeze.
Take advantage of prepared, nutritious foods. Purchase
a freshly roasted chicken from the supermarket and round out the meal
with some brown rice and a green salad, and fresh fruit or yogurt for
dessert.
Easy recipes for families
Taco
Salad
Easy
Lasagna
Fiesta
Chicken Dinner
Marsala
Chicken and Rice
Zucchini
Spaghetti with Parmesan Cheese
Spinach
Ricotta Pizza
Mexican
Beef Skillet
No matter how simple the meal, take the time to sit
down and enjoy it with your family. Make mealtime a pleasant experience,
not a time for discipline or arguing about problems at school or work.
Time spent breaking bread with friends and family will help your children
form positive attitudes about food and eating and create fond family memories
that will last a lifetime.
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