Research has proven that eating together can improve family relationships such as improved communication, stronger family bonds, shared learning, and improved nutrition at a reduced cost.  Family meals are a time to share ideas, thoughts, and feelings.  In addition, families are more likely to eat more well-balanced meals and a variety of food when most or all of the family eats together. 

Often there are power struggles around food.  These can be reduced by parents and children understanding what they are responsible for in the eating relationship.

Parents are responsible for:

• What food is prepared and served.  Mealtime is an opportunity for parents to provide well-balanced, nutritious food choices. 

• When and where the food is served.  Parents create the mealtime environment.  Decide when most family members are available for a meal and adjust schedules when needed.  Predictable mealtimes provide an opportunity for pleasant parent/child interaction.

Children are responsible for:

• How much food to eat.  Serve small portions and allow children to request seconds.  Let your children’s body tell them if he/she has eaten enough.

• Whether or not to eat.  Do not worry if a child does not eat well at one meal.  If the child is not snacking before a meal, he/she will eat if they are hungry.  Have the child sit at the table anyway to emphasize that mealtimes and being together are important.

Here are a few ways families can benefit from family meals.

• Turn off the television during mealtime and concentrate on each other.  This helps to eliminate the interruptions and distractions.  Sharing positive meals is a time to enjoy each other and strength your relationship with your child.

• Share the responsibilities and involve children in the effort.  They learn more by doing than watching.  Helping to set the table, prepare food, and doing clean-up chores creates a sense of being needed in the family.

• Be flexible about the time of family meals.  It is a good idea to plan ahead to anticipate work and school activities. Maybe a breakfast or brunch works better than an evening meal.

• Keep meals simple and quick.  Meals do not have to be elaborate to be meaningful.

Regularly sitting down for a meal with your children is one way to connect with them and be involved.  Families that spend time sharing meals will feel the rewards and benefits of being together. 

Healthy Bites is provided by the Eagle County School Wellness Committee.

References:

Eat Better; Eat Together, by Washington State University.  Retrieved on September 6, 2006 from http://nutrition.wsu.edu

Satter, E. (1999).  Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family.  Madison, Wisconsin:  Kelsey Press. 

Share Family Meals. (2003, October).  Iowa State University.  Retrieved on September 6, 2006 at http:// www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/N3407A.pdf