Eat Your Way to a Better Family Life: How Family Dinners Improve Family Life

Do you want to have a better family life? Here's what you can do so that everyone will eat healthier, the children's grades will improve, and Mommy will feel less stressed out. Can you guess what it is? It's having the family sit together at dinner.

It may be hard to believe, but a number of research studies have found that when families eat dinner together often:

* Family members are more likely to eat healthier. That is, they eat food that have more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E (Archives of Family Medicine)

* Children are more likely to consume more fruits and vegetables and less snack foods (Journal of the American Dietetic Association)

* Children have a reduced tendency to be overweight (The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine)

* Children perform better in school (Lou Harris-Reader's Digest national poll)

* Children report being happier and more positive about their future (Lou Harris-Reader's Digest national poll)

* Teens have a lower tendency to use drugs, smoke cigarettes, and consume alcohol (Columbia University)

* Children's language skills are better (Harvard University)

* Office-going Moms report feeling less stress (Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal)

If your family schedules do not allow you to eat dinner together every night, at least make an effort to do so as often as you can. Remember that the benefits reported above were observed in families who ate together at least three times a week.

You can also try replacing family dinners with activities that have similar effects. Researchers say the benefits of family dinners can be attributed to:

* the preparation of home-cooked meals that are healthier than fast food or restaurant food

* the reduced tendency of people to overeat when they are eating with others

* the conversations that family members naturally engage in when eating together

You can achieve some of these same "effects" by sharing breakfasts, lunches or brunches on weekends, and having a nightly check-in with each other before bed. What makes the difference is interacting with your children in a way that is relaxed and comfortable. This is one of the keys to a better family life.

Alexis Rodrigo is a stay at home Mom of 3 and certified childbirth educator. Get more resources to becoming a better parent from Moms Talk Network and grab free quick dinner recipes at www.myquickdinnerrecipes.com

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