Meals have always been at the center of meetings, parties, unions, celebrations, and today we have to remind people of the importance of eating meals as a family!
Of course life today is completely crazy compared to that of our ancestors who did not have to stuff the road network during rush hour! The days are long for most people, especially those who work outside the home, and me altimes become a hassle rather than a daily joy!
We would like to eat all together, but we have to make the youngest eat as soon as possible because he is hungry (go fast, we heat up something quick), then there is the oldest who won't eat until they return from their sporting activity (we hope it will still be good) and the spouse who won't eat until they return late from the office (when they get there, they'll eat cereal!) Familiar?
Benefits of Family Meals
Before finding tips for eating together, we must understand that there are clear advantages to eating meals as a family.
- Improves the mental development of children learning and communicating with their parents.
- Promotes overall he alth by eating more slowly and digesting better.
- Prevents eating disorders in children since you can always see what they eat and how.
- Helps strengthen family ties since we talk to each other, we confide, we tell each other! Wonderful!
We get organized
- Adapt to variable hours. It is better to eat all together, but a little later some evenings than to eat each in their corner.
- A little planning! Try to plan your meals for the whole week when grocery shopping, it will give you a few extra minutes to prepare the meal rather than looking everywhere for the ingredients for a backup meal!
- Get familiar with easy and quick recipes. A recipe ready in less than 30 minutes can make all the difference!
- Go slow cooker addict! There are very good recipes suitable for slow cooker cooking, a must in a kitchen when you have a busy schedule and little time to devote to meal preparation. The meal cooks slowly during the day and you serve when you arrive! Awesome!
- If you think it would be better to push back dinner time so that everyone can be there, plan a platter of raw vegetables, cheeses and dips to calm the appetites of the hungriest without ruining their meal. The vegetables they eat as a snack will not be wasted!
We eat together
- Bet on the pleasure of eating together! If you have good eating habits, your children will have the same! So stop talking about nutrition at the table and enjoy good food with pleasure!
- Be interested in what everyone has to say. Go around the table to avoid everyone talking at the same time. Every night of the week, we start with someone different and go around the table. It is often around the table that we learn the most about the members of the family!
- For families who never eat together, try to create a ritual at least once a week. Take the opportunity to take stock of the week, to value everyone in their field, to announce what is coming during the week to come. Have conversations!
- Once a week, bet on fun themes, put out candles and serve drinks in cups, play word or guessing games, etc.
- Although it is important to value respect and good manners, balance your comments! According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, 31% of 4-year-old children consider that meals are not a pleasant moment and are rather a time of tension and bickering. So between "close your mouth when you eat", "chew less forcefully", "hold your fork well", "only take small sips", you have to choose your daily battles and stick to a minimum of reminders to the order otherwise the meals will be perceived as unpleasant family moments!
In 2004, the Quebec Statistical Institute conducted a vast study on young people, particularly the food aspect of their lives. Here are some highlights from the study.
- 31% of 4-year-old children consider that me altimes are not a pleasant time (tensions and arguments)
- Nearly half of 13- and 16-year-olds (46%) watch television frequently during dinner.
- The results show that the majority of 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds regularly benefit from the family setting during dinner: about 70% of them had dinner with the family six or seven times during the week.
- The presence of friends at dinner promotes the consumption of more nutritious and balanced meals.
- 8% of children and adolescents say they have eaten alone six or seven times during the week.
- The frequency with which children and adolescents dined alone is associated with parental emotional support. Thus, among the children with high maternal emotional support, the proportion of those who did not have supper alone during the week is higher than that found in the presence of low emotional support.
