Making enough time to eat together may seem challenging these days with the very demanding schedules we all have, but sitting down and eating a meal as a family is hugely beneficial for all involved, especially for children.
Whether it’s making a meal from scratch, eating at a restaurant or sharing take-aways, start with a few meals together to see some of these positive impacts:
- Creating a healthy relationship with food: Children learn by watching those around them. If they see that you have a healthy relationship with food, they are likely to develop the same type of relationship with it.
- Learning to like new foods: If your young children see you enjoying a new type of food in a relaxed environment, they are likely to try the new food eventually.
- Learning table manners: Children are likely to learn about table manners from those they eat with most often, so having a family meal will allow them to mimic what you are doing.
- Better portion control: Eating while relaxed and eating slowly allows for better digestion and better portion control as it’s easier to know when you’ve reached the point of being full.
- Structured family time: Sitting down to eat at the table together allows some time to switch off from the work and school day. Without distractions, eating as a family allows the opportunity to talk about each other’s days, concerns and future plans.
- Some research has pointed to an association between five or more family meals being eaten together and improved self-esteem, better grades, improved psychological adjustment and better nutrient intake, especially in teens.
- Meal times help to keep food in its place: by creating a specific time when food is eaten and enjoyed, it teaches children that the time between meals should be focused on things other than food, again helping to create a healthy relationship with food.
If you’re preparing a meal from scratch, get your children involved with easy tasks. This allows them to appreciate the ingredients that go into a meal, inspires a little creativity, creates opportunity to improve dexterity and coordination, and creates even more family time together.
Sources
Sound Bites nutrition material