Eating as a family is an activity that has many benefits. A study of 2,000 children by the British Medical Journal’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health demonstrates this perfectly. You consume more fruits and vegetables, fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins and less fast food, sugary drinks and candy when you have a family meal at the dinner table. The study explains how family meals also help lower the risk of obesity and eating disorders. Even better, adolescents who eat with their family often do better in school and are less likely to smoke or do drugs.
In a perfect world, you’d eat with family members every day. Given today’s hectic schedules, this isn’t the reality for most people. So we beg the question, How can we eat as a family more often?
How to save time during the week
Given Canada’s changing weather and long commute times, it’s sometimes difficult to predict what time you’ll get home from work. Whether you arrive late or just exhausted, here are a few tricks that will help you eat as a family despite everything!
1. Prepare meals in advance
Expecting an unusual week? Why not prepare meals in advance? There are a lot of possibilities out there.
Planning meals can really help you avoid the easy, not-so-good-for-you solutions like fast food. Although the calendar can change, write down what you plan on making for supper so you won’t forget later. This will help you waste less food while removing some of the stress.
If you have a couple of friends who are in the same situation, why not start a collective kitchen? The principle is simple: cooking together lets you share the tasks and the meals. It’s faster and is less demanding than if you did it by yourself every night – and it’s a great excuse to spend time with friends!
You also have the option of freezing meals. Some dishes are meant for exactly this, like this Slow Cooker Mango Salsa Chicken . You just pop them in the oven when you need them which will help you avoid eating fast food and enjoy a homemade meal instead.
Otherwise, the slow cooker is your best friend. Just add the ingredients into the slow cooker before leaving for work and supper will be waiting for you by the time you get home!
Your weekend is also loaded with activities and you don’t have time to prepare meals for your family? Simply cutting veggies ahead of time and having access to frozen veggies helps a lot in the saving-time-preparing-dinners department.
2. Prepare snacks for the kids
You walk in the door and are bombarded by, What’s for supper? When are we eating? I’m hungry! Having light snacks prepared ahead of time can save you time cooking meals. Whether its veggies served with spinach dip or broccoli hummus or cheese and crackers, these little snacks will be lifesavers when hungry mouths become insistent.
3. Take advantage of grandma’s talents
If you have a grandma or neighbour with some spare time, don’t hesitate to ask them to prepare meals for you so you can freeze them for busy weeknights. This will definitely simplify your life. And it will be a pleasure for them to offer this to you as a reprieve in your hectic life.
And there’s always the kids. If they’re old enough to cook by themselves, why not ask them to prepare dinner while you’re on the way home? They’ll be proud that you trust them enough to do it. It’s also an excellent way to take some weight off your shoulders. If they’re not old enough, here are 10 tips for cooking with kids. Starting at 3-years old, they can help by setting the table. This supper routine will give them confidence in complex tasks and is an excellent way to spend time together!
4. Plan meals
Your weeks are filled with various family activities that everyone including you participates in? Read our article about how to make meal planning easier and spend more family time together. This will help you avoid falling into the easy solutions trap like going for fast food while spending quality family time together.
How to have a pleasant meal
You might be doing everything right to eat as a family often as possible, but if mealtime is considered a stressful time, then the effort isn’t really worth it. Here are a few tricks that will help you truly appreciate family meals.
Relaxed atmosphere
The best way to ensure everybody has a good day is to plan a good dinner – and a relaxed atmosphere is key. This lets kids not only improve their knowledge of food, but also adopt healthy life habits. An enjoyable meal will give kids the chance to acquire motor and social skills, as well as develop their independence. So it’s really important to keep these dinners Zen. No heavy subjects, keep those for later!
The same meal for everyone
It’s in childhood when you develop your taste in food, so it’s normal if your child is difficult in this area. However, it’s not the time to prepare a second meal if they refuse to eat what’s on their plate. As the grownup, you’re their model, so incorporate what they definitely like into their meals, but also include things that they’re not as used to seeing. This will expand their tastes more easily.
You can also let your kids choose their serving sizes themselves. This will help avoid unpleasant situations. Not only with they feel responsible for their meal, but they’ll also eat when they’re hungry.
Limit noise
The radio and TV should be turned off at mealtime and computers and phones set aside. The best way to have a discussion with family members and strengthen family ties is to give your full attention to the kids and to have theirs as well.
The absence of noise from electronic devices also helps you focus on what your body is trying to tell you. You’ll know if you’re hungry or not which will help prevent you from overeating.
You’re now ready to start having more family dinners. You’ll see – family ties will be much improved!
