Family Meals for the Win

Put a New Spin on Your New Year’s Resolution

Instead of a personal resolution, how about making a New Year’s resolution that is good for the whole family? Consider resolving to eat more family meals together this year. Family meals provide many benefits including healthier weights, less risk-taking behaviors for children, and stronger family relationships. With varying work schedules and an active family, dinner is the one meal a day that my family regularly eats together, and I cherish that half hour.

The health benefits of eating meals together may be quite surprising. Studies show that when people eat meals together, they tend to eat more slowly and talk more, often resulting in eating smaller portions. This more mindful eating supports a healthy weight by allowing time for your body to listen to satiety signals and feel full. Research also finds that families who eat together are twice as likely as families who do not eat together to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Additionally, kids who eat family meals tend to eat a wider variety of foods and may become less picky eaters. These kids also have fewer psychological issues and a lower chance of engaging in high-risk behaviors such as substance use and violence.

Family meals can do more than nourish our bodies. They allow us to nourish our relationships and our connectedness to our children. When else do you have uninterrupted time to sit down together to talk, to share the ups and downs of each other’s day? As a mom who works outside of the house, I miss my family during the day! I’m one of those “I work to live” not “I live to work” type of people and looking into my kids’ faces during dinner reminds me that they are the reason I go to work each day.
Food is more than just something to eat. Food and mealtimes can express cultural values and love. For many cultures, preparing food for someone can be a way to show that you love and care about them. Food can also be an expression of cultural identity. Whether it’s fresh tortillas or homemade ravioli, cooking traditional food is a way of preserving culture and sharing it with the next generation. Family mealtime is also a perfect chance to model social skills you want your children to emulate, like saying please and thank you or not interrupting others. My kids are still working on the latter.

To enjoy family meals together, try these strategies that have worked for my family.

• Be realistic with your resolution. If your family eats zero meals together, start with a goal of three meals a week together.
• Pick a time and day that works for your family. Plan around play rehearsals and basketball practice. It doesn’t matter which meal you eat together.
• Communicate your expectations to your family. Tell them what day and time the family meal will be served.
• Keep it positive. Mealtime needs to be pleasant. It’s not the time for scolding or to rehash family disagreements.
• Turn off the TV so you can focus on each other and not the news or what the Kardashians are wearing. Distracted eating—while watching TV—may add to unintentional weight gain. If it seems too quiet, try turning on the radio for some background music.
• Get the family involved! Depending on their ages, let your kids pick a meal, make the grocery list, help with shopping, meal prep or setting the table.
• Plan a menu and shop ahead of time to save time and energy. My kids love to feel like they have a voice in meal planning, so I usually let them pick dinner one night a week.

We all want to be set up for success, right? To make this New Year’s resolution stick, be as mindful in your food selections as you are in taking time to enjoy your meals together. Create healthy, family-friendly meals by including the following foods.

• A variety of macronutrients such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Eating macronutrients together can help you feel full longer and moderate blood sugar spikes.
• Color! Not only do colorful meals look more appealing, but they also provide a wider variety of vitamins and minerals than a drab plate of all tan foods.
• Whole grains have it all. They provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber is great to help with satiety and promote bowel health.

Focusing on family meals is a great way to reframe the way we think about healthy, mindful eating. Talk with your partner, pick a few meals a week and commit to eating family meals together in 2020. This New Year’s resolution will be one you won’t want to give up on!

Localicious is a monthly column celebrating food in the North State. If you would like to suggest a food-related business or organization, email us at localicious@northstateparent.com.