Monday, July 11, 2011
How to Eat One Meal Together as a Family (at Least Five Times a Week)
Life today is BUSY. With the high cost of living, many families need both parents to work longer hours. Single parent families deal with even greater demands. And with so many activities available, it’s become the norm for families to grab fast food on the fly.
More and more experts recommend that despite our busy lifestyle, families should try to eat one meal together each day. That may seem old fashioned and impossible to many, so here are some of the benefits families can experience as well as some tips on how to make it doable. You’ll see that, even though it requires effort, the benefits far outweigh any inconveniences.
The benefits of eating together as a family:
Improves communication. Mealtime is a relaxed time to discuss what everyone’s done during the day, funny things you’ve seen, new things you’ve learned, or times to tell family stories to give children a sense of their history. If children learn to feel comfortable talking with parents over these little things, they’ll more likely talk about the big things.
Develops good relationship skills. It’s a unique opportunity to prove to your children that you value them and enjoy being with them. Also they can learn good manners by simply saying, “thank you for passing the salt” “please, pass the butter” or “may I have the ketchup”. And, as everyone helps prepare the table and food for the meal, you’re learning to work as a team.
Improves nutrition. Eating healthy meals together in a warm, secure environment can decrease the risk of developing eating disorders. And you’re more likely to eat healthy fruits and vegetables. As a result of improved nutrition, children are less likely to be overweight thus avoiding future illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes.
Improves scholastic performance. Because of better communication and language skills practiced at mealtimes as well as the self-confidence and self-worth nourished within a loving family, children do better at school.
Lessens the risk of abusing addictive drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. The close relationship that forms between parents and children at mealtimes provides a sense of belonging that children need. It helps them to excel in life and they won’t feel the need to escape through these abuses.
Once you’re convinced that the effort is worth it, here are some tips for establishing a regular family mealtime.
- View family meals as a priority.
- Work around schedules so everyone can be there. If someone has an evening appointment, plan your family meal for breakfast that day.
- Get rid of all distractions including the TV, radio, text messaging, books, etc, during the meal. This is time to interact with each other.
- Shop and prepare ingredients on the weekend for the busy weekdays.
- Make extra dishes that can be frozen for later use.
- Get an easy cookbook and develop some family favorites that are easy to fix.
- Learn to use a crockpot that cooks your meal while you’re at work.
- Pick up healthy, tasty food from your favorite restaurant or use a meal delivery service.
Families who make the effort to eat at least 5 meals per week together get the most benefits. We at Simplify want to assist you in every way possible – which includes planning meals, shopping for healthy ingredients, and preparing food right in your own kitchen. Contact us for a free consultation and learn how you can create more time to spend with your family.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment