Families who eat together 5 - 6 nights a week reap many benefits
Ordinarily, families today live busy lives with parents ferrying their kids from football practice to dance classes, swimming, birthday parties, play dates and a host of other activities and events. However it is good to make time each day to sit down together and eat as a family.
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There are many benefits to eating together as a unit. Here are some of the main ones
Catching up on your day
The dinner table is a place where the family can tell stories, laugh, make plans, resolve conflicts and overall bond with each other. Sharing a meal with the family should become an important part of the day.
Teaching kids table manners & social skills
At mealtimes, your children can learn from your example about how to enjoy food and conversation. Children can be thought how to be mannerly at a table and how to listen to others.
Kids eat a better variety of food
Research has found that children between the ages of 9- to 14-year-olds who ate dinner with their families more frequently, were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables and less junk food.
Portion control
By eating at home with the family you have much more control over what goes into your children’s foods and how much they eat. While it is convenient, and makes sense sometimes to eat out, restaurant and deli food can have much larger portions and higher calorific value.
Supper can be a stress reliever
Research shows that spending time eating with your family can reduce stress if you have a busy and demanding occupation.
