WASHINGTON — How often do you eat together with your kids? Turns out that family meals are becoming all too rare these days.
Sally Squires, writer of the Lean Plate Club blog, says that the benefits of all members of the family sitting down at the table together goes beyond the food.
“Studies are showing that families who eat together … their kids do a lot better on much more than just nutrition,” Squires tells WTOP.
She says that kids who eat at home and with their family tend to be at a healthy body weight, do better in school, are less likely to engage in risky behavior, are less prone to depression and have better overall well-being.
For some families with different schedules, it can be difficult to make the time for family dinners.
“The average teen is only eating about four dinners a week with their families, which is a huge missed opportunity, and that’s actually declined in the last 20 years from five average meals,” Squires says.
“The good news is that you don’t have to make this dinner … it could be lunch, it could be brunch, it could be breakfast.”
Squires adds than teens are eating about two breakfasts per week with their families and those who do eat about a third more serving of fruit than those who don’t.
Research shows that nearly half of Americans eat meals away from home, but Squires says family meals can still be beneficial outside of the home.
“If you do eat out, it’s really important [to] find a table where you can have a quiet family meal, try to go to a restaurant that has a lot of healthy options and ban those electronic devices and really just spend that time talking to each other and reconnecting,” she says.
