The Importance of Eating as a Family

Sitting down to eat a family meal is something that many of us neglect to do these days, thanks to our ever busy lives and scheduling issues. However, the benefits of doing so can be huge, says parenting expert Julie Freedman Smith, who along with Gail Bell owns the company Parenting Power, which is based out of Calgary and offers coaching and workshops for parents.

"There is a lot of research that shows the correlation between increased family meal frequency and lowering the odds of a bunch of yucky stuff, such as alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use, and lower GPAs etc," says Freedman Smith. This is because eating together as a family gives our kids some consistency and predictiblity, which most human beings thrive on.

"Knowing that there is a time when everyone will be together can make everyone feel a bit more powerful. There's an opportunity to socialize with your child around mealtimes, to teach them, talk with them and find out what is going on," says Freedman Smith, "it increases their communication and interpersonal skills. There's a lot of good that can come from a family meal."

Freedman Smith says that when we sit down for a family meal, away from the television, we tend to make healthier food choices and put less food in to our mouths. "If people are constantly watching TV when they are eating, they are typically being bombarded by images of unhealthy food.  It is very rare that you see tomatoes and carrots dancing around on the television. It is not just about how much you eat in front of the TV but also about the kinds of foods being suggested to us," she says.

When we do eat in front of the television, studies have shown that we miss the natural cues our body gives us to stop eating. "There was also a study which found that kids ate 71% more macaroni and cheese, and 31% more pizza when they were watching TV versus when they were listening to music. They were missing the satiety cues. They didn't know they were full," says Freedman Smith.

Simply sitting at the table with your kids doesn't cut it though. You need to actually be present, so no yapping on the phone or tapping away on your Blackberry throughout the meal. "Doing that is not the same as interacting with your child and attending to them. Lots of times, when we're not attending to our children, that's the time when misbehaviour and stuff happens because our kids are just trying to get our attention," says Freedman Smith, "our children need us to be there, show them that we care and be involved."

That said, making a family dinner a priority every night isn't going to work for every family. "This doesn't always have to happen at dinner time, sometimes that might be an impossibility in our busy lives. Maybe it is sitting together at breakfast, or meeting 3 times a week for dinner and working towards what you can fit in with your family," says Freedman Smith, pointing out that if you have young kids and daddy doesn't get home from work til 6.30pm you're just shooting yourself in the foot expecting to make it work.

Ultimately, you have be realistic about what you can manage and choose what is best for your family. Turning off the TV and eating together when you can is a great start towards getting closer and healthier.