For over a decade CASA Columbia has been promoting the benefits of frequent dinners by celebrating Family Day on the third Monday of September. The family dinner table (or breakfast or lunch) offers a great opportunity for parental engagement on a daily basis. Research that shows youth who eat regular meals with their families are less likely to use controlled substances. Frequent family meals also encourage healthier eating and better grades in school.
What are you doing for dinner on Monday September 23, 2013? If this question causes you to sigh with good intentions as well as a checklist of everything else that has to be done in the daily family routine, you are not alone! In addition to Family Day this week, the month of October is designated as National Eat Together, Eat Better Month. What are some easy steps you can take to include a few more family meals each week?
Plan for it
- Find a time before the hectic week to look at schedules and see when everyone will be at home to enjoy a meal together. Family dinners are great but depending on schedules, it might be another meal or snack time that families can sit down together to enjoy one another’s company.
- What groceries are most helpful for simple meals at your home? Have those ingredients on hand. Recipes do not have to be complicated to be tasty!
It doesn’t have to be perfect
- Dinner does not have to be a gourmet, 7 course meal. Only have time for sandwiches? That’s OK! Add a glass of low-fat milk and a side of fruit and a salad and you have a simple meal.
- Mealtime conversations are not always perfect but you can strive for positive connections. CASA Columbia offers a list of conversation starters as an enjoyable way to get everyone talking. http://casafamilyday.org/
Include the entire family
- Even young children can help with tearing up lettuce for a salad or set the table with forks, spoons, knives and napkins. Older children can help with choosing the menu and making simple recipes.
- Take turns on preparing the food and meal clean up.
Turn off the media
- The family meal isn’t really that many minutes out of the entire day. Some families use a basket or box to “park” their electronic devices during the meal or just turn them off.
- The television can also be a distraction. Turn it off for that time when family members can listen to one another.
Make changes for your household
- What works best in your home? Do you have time to cook once and eat twice by preparing and freezing meals for busy days? Can you use a crock pot for a quick and easy meal that is ready when you get home?
- You do not have to make drastic changes. Are you able to add one or two more meals together this week?
As CASA Columbia says, “it’s not a silver bullet” and OSU Extension advises, “although it may seem a simple and old-fashioned activity” the value of taking time for family meals is worth it. West Virginia Extension recommends, “don’t overlook the power of family meals”. Cheers to your family meals this month!
Sources:
CASA Columbia, Family Day, retrieved September 17, 2013 from http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/
Ohio State University Extension, What the Research Tells Us About Family Meals, retrieved September 18, 2013 from http://ohioline.osu.edu
Washington State University Nutrition Education, Welcome to Eat Together Eat Better, retrieved September 17, 2013 from http://nutrition.wsu.edu/eteb/index.html
West Virginia University Extension Service, Strong Families Eat Together, retrieved September 17, 2013 from http://fh.ext.wvu.edu/strong_families
Photo Source: USDA SNAP-Ed Connection
Writer: Patrice Powers-Barker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State Univeristy Extension, Lucas County, Maumee Valley EERA, powers-barker.1@osu.edu
Reviewer: Michelle Treber, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Pickaway County, Heart of Ohio EERA, treber.1@osu.edu.
