Effective Regular Family Meals

A Lost Tradition: Family Mealtime

By Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA, LifeScript Director of Nutrition
Tuesday, November 29, 2005

According to a press release put out by the American Psychological Association (APA) in December 2002, “Family routines are important to the health and well-being of today’s families... according to a review of the research over the past 50 years.”

The review finds that family routines (one of the more common ones being regular family meals) are powerful organizers that offer stability. Family routines like having regular family meals are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents’ sense of personal identity, children’s health, academic achievement and stronger family relationships.

The press release also explained that “The presence of family routines under conditions of single parenting, divorce, and remarried households may actually protect children from the proposed risks associated with being raised in nontraditional families.”

One of the more common routines looked at was regular family meals, and the findings are based on a 50-year review of research on family routines and rituals.

Despite family differences the studies conclusively show that the repetitive nature of holding regular family meals allows families to get to know each other better, which leads to better parenting, healthier children and improved academic performance.

6 Tips for Effective Regular Family Meals

• A very important part of regular family meals is the conversation between parents and children.
• Keep it positive!
• Avoid unpleasant topics and criticism.
• Remember to sit back and relax if the kids take longer to eat than you do—this is common. Some families find it hard to talk at first.
• It may be helpful to realize that studies have shown that children tend to be more interested in talking about friends, music and television programs, whereas parents want to talk about school and family events.
• Respect each other and strike a balance.

Regular Family Meals: Include Shopping and Meal Preparation

Part of the conclusion made by researchers in the area of regular family meals is to involve children in shopping and meal prep. It can be a great way to reinforce math skills as you double this and cut this in half, and use measuring tools. During preparation health issues such as food safety and nutrition basics can be taught. When you have children help you shop they can learn about nutrition by looking at labels, and budgeting by considering the cost of items and doing some comparisons.