Family Meals: Why They Are Important and 3 Meal Ideas
Written by: Sarah Hester, MS, RD
Research shows that eating a meal together as a family unit goes well beyond the obvious benefits of eating “healthier” - it has been shown to improve children’s vocabulary, improve the mental health of all involved like reducing the risk of depression, improving self esteem and increasing resilience. These effects are not limited to only dinners, any meal spent together can have these positive impacts! Putting distractions away and focusing on the family unit during the meal gives parents the opportunity to model good eating behaviors that improve not only their children’s nutrition but their own. Meal time can be a time of bonding, relaxation and a tool for improving the entire strength of the family.
Beyond the action of eating together, these positive effects are seen when all family members (including children) are involved in some way in making the meal time happen. Get kids involved in preparing the meal by choosing age-appropriate activities like stirring, washing produce, whisking, peeling or chopping. Having children help in the clean up process after the meal counts too!
If you have children, you know how important it is to build your child’s autonomy, or confidence in their ability to do a task by themselves. Meal times are a perfect platform to build autonomy in making their own decisions within the parameters you provide. Here are a few examples of “make-your-own” or “bar” type meals you can incorporate with your family to boost confidence, autonomy, mental and physical health.
As a parent, your role at meal times is to provide the food for the meal and it is the child’s role to choose how much, or if they eat a certain item. These “make-your-own” types of meals give children a chance to practice their decision-making skills and feel like they are autonomous when choosing what to put on their plates!
Here are some ideas of what to offer at the “make-your-own” bar meals, choose what works best for your family! The goal of these meals is to have options for the child but having so many options could be overwhelming. Choose one or two options from a few categories for your sanity and theirs!
Pasta Bar
Pasta noodles: you could cook more than one variety for more options
Sauce: red sauce, white sauce
Protein: ground beef, grilled chicken
Produce: sautéed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli
Baked Potato Bar
Baked potato: Russet or sweetpotato
Protein: bacon, cheese, grilled chicken, chili, sour cream/Greek yogurt
Toppings: green onions, steamed broccoli, salsa, avocado
Taco Bar
Shell: hard shells, soft shells, tortilla chips
Protein: ground beef, ground chicken, fajita-style chicken or beef strips, carnitas, beans, cheese
Toppings: onions, salsa, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, corn, peppers, sour cream, limes, radishes
Happy eating!