Family Style Meals Matter

Family environment is important to the development of positive eating habits and other health behaviors of children and youth. Family meals are an important part of family environment. In fact, family meals may be the longest time the whole family spends together weekly even though an average meal is only about 20 minutes long.

Family Meals May Promote Better Eating Habits

Research suggests that frequently eating meals together as a family is associated in children and youth with better nutrient intakes and, in some cases, better weight management.

• More frequent dinners together are associated with higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-rich foods.

• Eating more family meals is also positively associated with intakes of fiber, folate, and vitamins of concern such as vitamins A, C, and E.

• Eating family dinners is associated with less skipping breakfast by teens.

• Teens who eat more family meals regularly are more likely to maintain better nutrient intakes and eating habits as they grow into independent young adulthood.

• In some but not all studies, eating more family meals is associated with lower body mass index and weight management. This finding applies most often to younger teen girls.

Frequent Family Meals Are Associated With Other Positive Health Behaviors

Frequently eating together is also associated with other markers of well-being.

• More frequent family meals are associated with lower use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs by adolescents.

• Young teens, particularly girls, who enjoy frequent family meals are less likely to use harmful weight loss “diets” and exhibit other patterns of disordered eating.

• Eating together is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in youth.

• Older adults in residential care facilities who eat meals family style seem to maintain better quality of life, physical performance, and body weight.

Eating Together Can Strengthen Family Bonds

Families who eat together more often tend to foster more positive family environments.

• Eating meals together provides time for families to share news of individual activities and interests.

• Parents can use family meals to model good eating behaviors, including the art of polite table conversations.

• Teens report that catching up on family “news” is a major benefit of eating together.

• Eating meals together may reinforce positive cultural identities.

The Context of Family Meals Also Matters

The positive influences of eating meals together depend on more than just sitting at the same table.

• Television viewing during family meals is associated with less positive dietary intakes.

• Bringing in fast-food meals or “take out” meals for family dinners is associated with lower intakes of fruits and vegetables and higher intakes of fat and sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Setting the Table” for Positive Family Meals

The following tips may enable you to enhance family style meals at your home.

• Plan meals ahead of time. Lack of time is the primary barrier parents report for less frequent family meals or for relying on less nutrient-dense “take out” meals. Planning easy-to-fix meals for a week or several days ahead can minimize shopping and streamline preparation.

• Don’t eat together now? Introduce family meals slowly. Schedule 1 or 2 a week to start. Build from there.

• Engage children and teens in meal preparation. Many hands make dinner prep go faster. Plus children often take more enjoyment in meals they helped prepare.

• Turn off the television, cell phones, tablet computers, and ebooks at the table. Don’t let distractions defeat the nutritional and social benefits of eating together as a family.

• Have fun. Encourage positive sharing and conversation at the table.

One strategy to enhance or increase family meals this week:

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