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Why family dinner doesn’t have to be food-network-worthy

Posted at 3:01 PM, Sep 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-23 17:01:47-04

September is Family Meal Month and you may be rolling your eyes thinking, "I don't have time for that!".  Well Trish Brimhall, RDN, CD, CLE, says here are some benefits to family dinner that just might change your mind:

• Adolescents who ate family meals five to seven times a week were twice as likely to get A`s in school as those who ate dinner with their families fewer than two times a week.
• Regular mealtime is an even more powerful predictor of high achievement scores than time spent in school, doing homework, playing sports or doing art.
• Young adults who ate regular family meals as teens are less likely to be obese and more likely to eat healthily once they live on their own.
• For young children, dinnertime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than being read aloud to.
• Add to that lower rates of disordered eating, improved health and nutrition, higher self-esteem and less depression, and better relationships with parents and you no longer have any reason not to make family dinner a priority.

Family dinner doesn't have to be food-network-worthy.  It doesn't have to be fancy or gourmet, just start by making it happen.  Even if it means sitting down at the table to eat PB&J's together - that is a great start according to Trish.

She also suggests to involve your kids in the menu planning.

For more information please visit: nutritiousintent.com.