Every meal counts.

A family meal is defined by “The Family Dinner Project” : as long as there are two family members eating together, talking, and enjoying one another, that is a family dinner. The goal is to be present, share, and connect during meal times.

Family meals offer a protective shield for your children in three broad ways: intellectual functioning, physical health, and mental health. Regular family meals help to support our children in many ways.

Some of the amazing benefits that the doctors discuss in their book are that regular meal times:

• Foster healthy eating habits in kids: So, the frequency of family meals has been positively associated with higher intakes of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, dark greens, etc. It’s even protective of disordered eating. A sense of self-esteem and higher body satisfaction among over-weight boys and girls. I hear all the time from mums around me struggling to get their kids to eat more veggies. They wonder why their kids want to eat all the time (may be boredom) or not eat at all. They sometimes wish their kids could make healthier food choices. And all of these challenges are real. It’s challenging for parents in general to positively influence their kids without being too stern or bossy. Meal time could be a great starting point where, kids can observe and build positive connection with food. May even make a slow attempt to try something new served on the table. You never know!!

• Help support kids’ academic success: Isn’t this phenomenal. As parents we wish our kids to thrive in school academically. There is a lot of peer influence & pressure, which is natural and synonymous to pre teen and teenage years. Hence, the more children are exposed to extended conversation during meals, the more chances they have to get better at their language skills, story narration and gain more awareness about the world.

• Make kids happier: We certainly want to have a close connection with our kids. Finding an opportunity to connect over a meal is the best strategy. You will observe, the more you be present, highlight the positives of the day, soon enough the aura of the mealtime shifts from mere eating meals together to a feeling of safety, connection, and love. This atmosphere fosters long term happiness among families. Try it consistently a few times week and observe how beautifully this experience unfolds. But go in without expectations. Such experiences can’t be pushed. It’s very subtle in its own way.

• Provide you with an opportunity to share your values & traditions: It may sound trivial, but the dinner table is the best place to model behaviors (empathy, manners, and positive reinforcement with kind words). In the Home for Dinner, Anne Fishel explains that “rituals in their repetitive predictability offer stability. I can’t agree more to this. As a working mother, and growing kids who have their own thing going on every day, knowing that one part of the day is going to be for us to sit, relax, and be together brings me an immense sense of relief. There is something comforting about this ritual unfolding same way day after day.

Making “Family Table” a priority from an early age can serve as a “shield” against all the chaos and uncertainty that the children of this generation face.

A 2014 article from the American College of Pediatricians concluded that  “when families regularly share meals together, everyone benefits- the children, parents, and even the community.” So get your family on board to start this ritual as often as possible.

Seek progress, it’s totally fine if you can’t manage a family meal 7 days a week. How about trying to make it work just three times a week?  Hope this year can be a year of “mindful family meal time” for you because every meal eaten together counts.  

Disclaimer: Nurture Yourself is not in any way responsible for your health condition now and in the future. The information given on our website is based on our experience and knowledge acquired from various books and literature. This does not in any way recommended that you disregard your physicians or other medical professionals advice or suggestions. 

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Also check our latest blog recipe Creamy Broccoli Soup Recipe.