What’s the deal with family meals?
After long tiring days, busy schedules, and after school activities, eating as a unit may feel like another demanding task.
Studies consistently show that eating with others has both physical and mental health benefits that span across all ages and stages. The good news is that families don’t have to eat every meal together. Eating together at least five times a week can provide positive outcomes. Eating together could be any meal of the day – breakfast, weekend brunch, dinners, it could even mean having an evening snack together. It’s having a chance to sit together and connect over your day.
Mealtimes are about connection.
To create an environment that everyone will want to be a part of, leave the pressure to eat certain foods or amounts of food off the table. Adopt neutral language when talking about food. There are no “good” or “bad” food. Labeling foods as “treats” or “junk food” can cause negative feelings about oneself when eating those foods and does not help to foster a healthy relationship with food. Check out this resource for more guidance on Promoting Healthy Relationship With Food. If having dessert, offer it along with your meal and not something that needs to be earned or used as a reward. Minimize distractions where possible, this helps to support being mindful of your hunger and fullness cues, and this also allows for those around the table to engage in more enjoyable conversations. Quiet bunch? Try some of these Family Meal Conversation Starter Ideas or these conversation ideas.
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