Did you know that kids who eat meals with their families are healthier?
Enjoying family mealtime is an easy (and free!) way to boost the quality of your meal. Eating together as a family can help improve food choices, and lead to healthier weights in children. Kids who share mealtimes with family tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, and less fried food, salty snacks, and pop.
Turning off the TV, and other electronic devices, is important too! Families that sit and have their meal in front of the TV eat less vegetables and fruit, and more fatty foods and sugary beverages. Distractions can also lead to overeating, which puts you at risk for becoming overweight.
We aren’t just talking about dinner! If dinner time is too hectic to sit down as a family, try eating breakfast together, or sitting down to enjoy lunch on weekends. This is a great way to role model healthy behaviours (i.e. eating a healthy breakfast!) and catch up with everyone’s busy lives.
The Benefits of Eating Together
Still not convinced? Here are just a few of the benefits of sitting own to eat as a family.
| Benefits of the Family Meal[1] | |
| Tradition | Sharing a meal provides the opportunity to pass along family traditions surrounding food, and can also be away to share cultural dishes. |
| Comfort and Security | Children who eat with their families on a regular basis feel secure, and are comforted by knowing when they will eat. |
| Learning | Sharing meals and helping with food preparation/cooking helps children build skills, and learn about food. Parents also have the opportunity to role model health behaviours. |
| Communication | Family mealtimes provide the opportunity for parents to talk with their children and allows everyone to share information about their day. |
Here are tips for planning family meals1:
- Plan ahead of time and shop in advance – have foods on hand that can be put together quickly and easily when time is limited. This will eliminate stress and make the mealtime more enjoyable for everyone.
- Be flexible – family meals don’t have to be eaten at home. They can be enjoyed in the park, at the recreation centre, or by the pool! Just try to keep distractions to a minimum.
- Involve everyone in preparation – kids will be more likely to try new foods and eat their meals if they have helped in the cooking process. This is also a chance to teach kids important skills.
- Turn off the devices – focus on family, and healthy eating, to maximize the quality of the meal.
Not sure how to safely involve kids in preparation and cooking[2]?
- Give kids easy tasks, such as stirring, or adding ingredients to the pot, pan or casserole dish.
- Cook on weekends, when you can take more time to teach proper techniques.
- Choose easy-to-follow recipes, and have kids read you the steps out loud.
- Prepare some ingredients before you start cooking if the skills needed are more advanced.
Looking for more ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen? Click here for age appropriate suggestions!
Bring a little fun to your kitchen with a family cooking challenge2.
Cooking together is a great way to connect, and can be fun if you add a challenge.
- Choose a cookbook, food magazine or website. Each family member picks one recipe to try.
- Each person makes the chosen recipe for the family. Younger kids might need a little help.
- When all dishes have been tasted, rate the recipes. You might discover a new family favourite!
Families that eat together, eat healthier! Improving the quality of your meal does not have to cost more money. Enjoying a meal as a family is free, and can help improve eating habits while allowing you to connect with your kids.
Keep checking our Facebook page and Twitter, throughout the month of March, for recipes, tips, and tools to assist you on your #100mealjourney.
[1] EatRightOntario – Family Meals with No TV (2016)
[2] Dietitians of Canada – Making Cooking a Family Affair (2014)