The gap between those who can access and use digital technology and those who can't
Naturally, if we’re eating more home-cooked meals and less fast food, it has a positive impact on our diet and health. Even if the food at home comes from the freezer and is served with ketchup, it’s likely still better than the fast food equivalent!
Once they’re at the table, it’s important to encourage them to talk about their day and genuinely listen. This shows that you value and respect them as people, something we might take for granted as adults and forget that children need to feel, too.
Research also shows that sharing food with other people changes our perspectives and reduces the “otherness” of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
A Canadian study followed children from infancy into childhood and found that the ones who had regular family meals at the age of six were reaping the social benefits by age 10.
The psychological benefits are also huge. Putting the screens away and sitting down to spend time with loved ones over food is a major factor in our overall well-being, both as children and adults.
Spending dedicated family time over dinner often helps to create an open dialogue between parents and children, which means the child is more likely to share their problems and receive guidance.
Eating with family has been shown to contribute to a better overall diet, particularly in adolescents. If you think about it, a family meal is more likely to be balanced, while teens will go for cheaper fast food options within their price range if they eat out with friends.
However, for many of us, it’s also an issue of priorities and perspective. If we recognize that eating at home around the table has so many benefits for both the mental and physical health of our children, literally reducing their risk of developing eating disorders or addiction later in life, would we be able to find the time to do it a little more often?
Sources: (Stanford Medicine) (The Atlantic) (Parents.com)
See also: The warning signs of an eating disorder
Children thrive on stability and security. Even if they complain about having to sit down for dinner when they’d rather continue their game, the routine and consistency can actually boost their confidence and self-esteem.
The mental and physical advantages of eating together are endless, and while many of them are particularly beneficial for children, they also apply to people of all ages, whether you’re eating with family members or friends. Now, click on to learn about some of the best reasons to sit down and eat together.
What’s more, children who eat with their parents five or more days a week demonstrate healthier eating habits, fewer issues with drugs and alcohol, better performance in school, and report having closer relationships with their parents.
In children, research shows that frequent family dinners reduce the likelihood of developing eating disorders, substance or alcohol abuse issues, violent behavior, and mental illness such as depression.
One study showed that young female participants were particularly likely to see psychological benefits from regular family meals.
Eating alone all the time can make us feel alienated. There are so many benefits to eating with others, such as helping us to feel more connected and allowing us to build communities in our lives.
This ties in with making children feel valued and respected as individuals. They may need guidance to settle into a routine, but giving them choices within that routine helps to affirm their autonomy.
A wide-ranging study of 19,000 students found that cyberbullying led to anxiety, depression, and substance abuse for many. However, the teens who had been bullied but ate dinner with their parents regularly experienced fewer problems stemming from the bullying.
We might start off talking about surface-level things like schoolwork or weekend plans, but it opens up space to touch on more personal topics. It’s like the cinematic cliché of the father and son having a heart-to-heart while fixing a car or doing some kind of DIY task together, but it truly works.
In the US, the majority of families barely eat one meal together more than four or five days a week. Add to that the fact that one in four Americans eat fast food for at least one meal every single day, and the average American also eats one out of every five meals in their car.
Research from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that students who don’t eat with their parents regularly are much more likely to skip school. One survey suggested that kids who don’t eat with their parents are absent from school twice as often as those who do.
It was noted that, along with the benefits to their overall health and well-being, these positive interactions over dinner helped the children become better communicators.
As times change and kids grow older, it can be harder and harder to find activities that unite us across generations. However, the one thing everyone has to do every single day is eat.
Many families don’t have the capacity to cook from scratch every night, or may be subsisting on the most affordable foods available based on a tight budget. Luckily, children still benefit from eating together with others even if the food isn’t the “healthiest.”
As it stands, the average family in the US spends almost as much money on fast food as they do on groceries. It’s easy to see how this happens when parents might be working multiple jobs at all hours and fast food has become so affordable and convenient.
In some countries, mealtimes are sacred and cannot be compromised. The importance of getting the whole family around a table to eat a homecooked lunch or dinner is a daily ritual, respected by multiple generations. However, these traditions are starting to slip, particularly in places where fast food is dominating diets and productivity culture glamorizes those who stick to the grind and wolf down a speedy lunch at their desk.
Many of us grew up with our parents insisting on eating together and found it to be a bore, but there are countless benefits to having regular sit-down meals with members of your family (whether they’re biological or chosen).
Click through the following gallery to learn the science-backed arguments for eating together.
The benefits of eating together
Coming together over food can improve your mental and physical health
LIFESTYLE Food
In some countries, mealtimes are sacred and cannot be compromised. The importance of getting the whole family around a table to eat a homecooked lunch or dinner is a daily ritual, respected by multiple generations. However, these traditions are starting to slip, particularly in places where fast food is dominating diets and productivity culture glamorizes those who stick to the grind and wolf down a speedy lunch at their desk.
Many of us grew up with our parents insisting on eating together and found it to be a bore, but there are countless benefits to having regular sit-down meals with members of your family (whether they’re biological or chosen).
Click through the following gallery to learn the science-backed arguments for eating together.