National Dine In Day is Monday, Dec. 3, An initiative started five years ago by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) to bring the family meal back into focus. As part of the social movement, The University of Florida Extension is encouraging families to experience the benefits of "dining in" by sharing a family meal together.
Families are overbooked these days, both parents and children have schedules that keep members on the go and it has turned the family dinner time into a thing of the past. Many families just run to the drive-thru window and order fast food to eat in the car as they pick kids up and try to make the next scheduled appointment. In an effort to give children a full social life, we have forgotten what it is like to sit down to a family meal at home. Parents don't realize the positive impact the family meal has on a child's development.
According to Dr. Larry Forthun, Extension Specialist at the University of Florida, research shows that eating dinner together as a family is linked to a lower risk of obesity and substance abuse while improving behavior and school performance. Eating dinner together as a family also provides an opportunity for conversation. This lets family members communicate without distraction from phones, television and computers. By engaging children in conversation, they learn to listen as well as provide a chance to speak and express their own thoughts. As a result, children learn they have an active voice within the family.
Conversation at the dinner table helps expand a child's language skills at any age. Family dinners allow every member of the family to discuss the day and share any news. Don't underestimate a child's ability to hold a conversation, they have amazing things to say if we will listen.
Preparing meals at home leads to more nutritious meals for the family. It gives you the opportunity to control the fat, sodium and sugar content of food you serve and lets you offer a wide variety of food. Meals prepared at home allows you to serve more fruits, vegetables, lean protein and low-fat dairy foods which provide much-needed nutrients that are lacking in a restaurant meal. In addition, it costs less to buy food and prepare it at home, a practice that helps the family budget.
Meal preparation doesn't have to be elaborate, there are many dishes that take as little as 30 minutes to prepare. Food preparation as a family activity encourages acceptance of new foods and impacts positive eating habits. A great resource for quick, nutritious recipes is the USDA's What's Cooking Mixing Bowl website. To access it, go to: whats cooking.fns.usda.gov, there you will find a bank of low cost, highly nutritious recipes.
The benefits of dining together are tremendous. Family meals create a sense of security and togetherness for children. Frequent family dinners have a positive impact on children's internal qualities such as values, motivation, personal identity, self-esteem and outlook on the future.
Make a pledge to Dining In, be a part of a national movement to increase family meal time; go to www.aafcs.org/FCSday and follow the steps. Be sure to mark your calendar for next Monday, Dec. 3 and make plans to dine in and connect with your family one meal at a time. Family meals provide better nutrition for your children while cultivating stronger relationships and better success at school. For more information on the power of family meals, call the Extension office and ask for your copy of "Family Nutrition: The Truth about Family Meals" by Dr. Larry Forthun.
The University of Florida Extension/IFAS – Madison County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Institution.