Family…It’s What’s For Dinner

In the past 20 years family dinners have declined 33%. With all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s difficult to contemplate sitting down to a relaxing family dinner each night or even a few times a week.  After all, who has time after a full day of work, sports practice/games, dance, homework, library, laundry, laundry, and laundry? Grocery shopping has to, once again, wait until tomorrow! As a parent, it’s your job to raise your kids in a way that makes sense to you. Maybe there were some things about your childhood you loved and other things you’d rather not pass on. You focus on “breaking the chain” so things could be different for your kids. When it comes to food and eating, What are you passing on to your kids? Children who eat with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It’s about more than just food and nutrition. Family meals are critical to relationship bonding and connectedness. Anita Gurian, PhD, a clinical assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, wrote a fabulous article summarizing why family meals need to be a priority once again. What is parent-child connectedness? It’s an emotional and mutual bond based on warmth and trust that starts early and has a powerful impact on a child’s development. read the full article You don’t find time for family meals, you ...
Source: Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog - Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Authors: Tags: children cooking eating healthy life book dinner family family meal The Hour That Matters Most Source Type: blogs