Why family meals matter

Now more than ever, sitting down to a meal as a family is taking a backseat to busy schedules filled with working overtime, meetings, different work schedules and after school activities.

But research continues to show that the benefits of eating meals together as a family go beyond just catching up on each other's daily activities. From healthier eating habits to less problem behaviour — family mealtimes have been shown to offer a myriad of health benefits to children.

The health benefits

The 30 or 40 minutes it takes to sit down and eat a meal together as a family may not seem like a lot of time, but chances are if you grew up in a house where family dinners were a regular occurrence, some of your best childhood memories are from time spent around the dinner table. For many families, time spent sharing a meal offers a rare opportunity when everyone is together in the same room. Sure, having regular meals together is also a likely indication of overall family health, but even after accounting for such things as socioeconomic status and family connectedness, the benefits of sharing meals together can't be ignored. Research now shows that the brief, but regular interaction of eating together as a family has some important and surprising health effects on children.

Perhaps one of the most well documented health benefits of family mealtimes is the effect it has on children's eating habits. Studies consistently show that kids of all ages who eat with their parents and siblings on a regular basis tend to have healthier eating habits, compared to children who skip out on family meals.

In fact, one study surveyed over 4,500 children and found that children who ate the most meals with their family had diets that included more fruit, vegetables, grains and calcium-rich foods compared to children who didn't eat with their family. The study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, also found that children who ate with the rest of their families had higher intakes of important vitamins and minerals, including iron, folate, vitamin C and vitamin E. Research has also shown that children who eat dinner with their family tend to have more healthy lifestyle habits, such as getting enough sleep and eating breakfast, a meal that has been shown to boost school performance in children of all ages.

What's more, not only do children who participate in family mealtimes eat more healthy food, they also tend to eat less junk food. Studies show that children who regularly eat with the rest of their families tend to consume less fried food, soft drinks and other food high in artery clogging saturated and trans fat.

Given the link to healthier eating habits, it's not surprising that children who eat meals with their families on a regular basis are also less likely to be overweight. One study conducted by Harvard researchers found that the more often children ate dinner with their family, the less likely they were to be overweight or obese. Of the 14,000 children interviewed for the study, those who ate dinner most days of the week had lower rates of being overweight and obese, compared to children who rarely shared a family meal. The difference was most noticeable in girls.The study found that girls who ate dinner with their family most often were 14 per cent less likely to be overweight than girls who skipped the family meal.

The benefits of eating meals together are far reaching and go beyond eating habits. Researchers have also found a link between sitting down to a meal as a family and psychosocial wellbeing in teens. In fact, studies have shown that the more children eat meals with their families, the less likely they are to experiment with cigarettes, have low grades, have depressive symptoms and experience problem behaviours such as physical violence, property destruction and running away from home.

Family meals are not only effective at promoting healthy eating habits, they can also help reduce eating disorders in teenage girls. One notable study found that girls who ate dinner with their family on a regular basis were almost 30 per cent less likely to engage in extreme weight control measures, such as purging, skipping meals or using diet pills and diuretics to lose weight, compared to girls who didn't participate in family meals.

Making time for meals together

While all families value the time spent eating together, it seems it's becoming more and more difficult to actually pull it off. When it comes to keeping up with a busy schedule, sitting down as a family to eat dinner together every night is certainly easier said than done, especially for families where both parents are working. But making time for family meals is easier than you may think. Try these strategies to bring the family back together around the dinner table.

>> Keep it simple: If your idea of a family dinner is a five-course meal with linen napkins and the best Chinaware - think again. Bringing the family together need not be a formal affair. In fact, you may find some of the best conversationswill happen around a casual dinner table where everyone feels comfortable.

>> Make a plan: Instead of trying to scrounge up a meal from odds and ends in the fridge after a long day at the office, plan meals ahead of time. Make a list at the beginning of the week of which meals you plan on serving, and the ingredients you'll need to make them. Buying enough food for a week's worth of dinners cuts back on mealtime stress, reduces unnecessary trips to the store and can make the meal more enjoyable.

>> Be flexible with meal timing: When children are involved in after school activities or sports, it can be difficult to find a time when everyone is together to share a meal. Instead of serving dinner at the same time every night, be flexible and schedule meals for a time when most of the family can be there. If sitting down to dinner is out of the question, switch things around and eat breakfast together instead.

>> Get the children involved: Involve the kids in the preparation of a meal and cleaning up afterwards by assigning age-appropriate tasks for them. Not only will you get to spend one-on-one time with them before and after the meal, but it also gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership for the meal — which means they're more likely to eat it. For older kids, it allows them to show their independence. This is a prime opportunity to teach them about making healthy choices while discussing their food likes and dislikes.

Create a healthy eating environment

The ritual of sitting down together for a meal allows for a unique face-to-face interaction that other family activities, such as watching a movie, don't. If it's the only time during the day that everyone is together, it's important to keep the atmosphere enjoyable and create a healthy eating environment.

>> Be a good role model: Children tend to eat what their parents eat, so be a good role model. Studies consistently show that children's eating habits are modelled after their parents', so teach by example and enjoy a variety of healthy foods. If your children see you enjoying healthy foods, they're more likely to do the same.

>> Make it a pleasant experience: It may be the only time that everyone is together during the day, but avoid talking about discipline issues at the table. Make meals together a time that the children can look forward to by keeping the atmosphere around the table pleasant and relaxed. Encourage positive conversation that everyone can participate in.

>> Eliminate interruptions and distractions: Turn off the TV, shut down the computer, silence cell phones and PDAs, and focus on the task at hand — eating. Studies show that distractions of all kinds lead to overeating — whether it's watching TV, reading the newspaper or listening to the radio. Foster a healthier eating environment by focusing on the taste, colour and texture of the food, as well as each other's company.

>> Encourage healthy choices: Mealtimes are an opportunity to teach your kids how to enjoy a variety of foods, practice moderation and use portion control. Forgo your parent's age-old rule of eating everything on your plate, which encourages overeating. Instead teach your children to be aware of feelings of fullness and to stop eating when they've had enough