February 2014 Question #2
As Americans we live in a fast paced society where we are eating a large portion of our meals away from the home and reaching for unhealthy fast foods. How can we as dietitians show or advertise the importance of the family table?
posted by Unknown @ 7:25 PM
27 comments
27 Comments:
This is a good question. I would say target parents. Maybe send a flyer home during National Nutrition Month with steps on how to transition from eating out to eating around the table. There are certainly several statistics out there suggesting it impacts children positively besides just healthier eating. You could even send home recipes and ready made grocery lists to get parents in the habit.
Predominately, when families eat at the table it is a home cooked meal, not fast food which is a positive. Also, when you are surrounded by people at the table, communication usually occurs which leads you to slow down your eating. That will give your brain the extra time it needs to communicate to you that you are full. When families eat in front of the television, that lends itself to overconsumption since your focus in on the television. I agree with Jessica that parents should be the number one target in this matter.
Family meal time can be a tough issue to address especially if both parents are working until late at night or it is a single parent household. Quick healthy meal preparation education may be beneficial to some parents. By spending less time on cooking it may give the family more time to eat together and enjoy each other's company. I think that family meal time is so important and should be encouraged by schools and other family organizations. If the children are older maybe they could take turns making time to prepare the family meal.
I would start by letting them know about all of the researched benefits about family dinners. Besides the benefits of children’s development and better communication, we also know about the nutritional benefits that eating dinner as a family can have. I would also encourage them to start slow. Maybe they can make it a point to incorporate family dinners just a couple of times a week, or whenever possible, and once they see the benefits themselves, they may increase the amount of times they eat together.
One strategy would be to talk to them about what the research shows because the research is pretty clear about the benefits. Research has shown that increased frequency of meals at home translates to better BMI for family members. It also shows that we monitor our intake more when we eat at the table and have a chance to focus on the meal in front of us, rather than the TV. For parents who are trying to get their kids to eat better, we can talk to them about how important the table is in allowing children to see these parents making healthy choices and enjoying healthy food. It offers the parent more control, too.
My Mom always told me that "a family that eats together, stays together." I think that statement holds a lot of weight, especially in today's world, where kids and teenagers may spend more time networking with friends over social media than they do conversing or communicating with their own parents. I would advertise the importance of eating together by pointing out that eating together kills two birds with one stone. Not only does the research generally show that families who sit down at the dinner table and consume meals together have overall healthier lifestyles and BMIs, but this meal time can also be extremely beneficial to catch up and to talk as a family. For a family who really has no history of eating together, I would advise them to simply try it a few times a week. Maybe on Sundays and on one week day. On those days where they do eat together, they could try a new, simplistic, and healthy recipe each time. The family could set up a suggestion box for different meal ideas and then draw a few before grocery shopping for the week and purchase the needed items for the chosen meal ideas. This can help to keep the family engaged and also keep the family members looking forward to meal time together. It may not be possible to sit down and eat together every single day, but having family meal-time a few times a week or whenever possible really is a great thing.
Haley, I like how you brought up that there are very different possible scenarios for families and their ability to have a meal together. Some parents do work night shifts or work late into the evening, which may act as a barrier to eating together. Single parent households, which tend to be lower income,also pose a barrier. This is where cooking larger meals on weekends or on off-days could come in handy, so that there is enough food left over for the week that can simply be reheated and served as opposed to having to cook after a long day or relying on going to a fast food establishment.
Anna J. said:
I think the time management is a really big piece of this. I would suggest short-term ideas like purchasing already cut fruit and veggies, maybe joining a monthly dinner cooking club where many meals can be made with friends and frozen, or trying out some crock pot meals. Then I would also urge consideration of long-term priorities related to time in general, time to prepare food, and time to spend together as a family. There is only so much we can accomplish in a day and it never hurts to reflect on our choices and make sure that what we are prioritizing matches with what we care most about. It might be worth making changes in time management to allow more time to cook healthy foods and spend time with those we love.
We can advertise or show the importance of the family table first off with direct communication with the clients we see from day to day. We can reach many of our client by discussing how eating at home is often the healthier choice for weight loss. In group presentations, statistics showing the differences between home cooked meals and fast food in terms of calories is always a way to catch people's attention. Educating that family meals strengthens the relationships, health, and encourages good habits for kids is a strong reason to support eating more meals at home.
Anna, I like your idea about joining a monthly cooking club. That's a great way to work in home cooked meals for busy families.
I think that we can emphasize the impact it has on children. Children are more likely to try foods that their parents try and that family time is important for family and child development. I think that it is important to instill healthy eating behaviors into children at a young age. Children develop a more positive relationship with food when they can tie it to positive family interactions with food. I think most parents want the best for their children and with better understanding on how it will impact their children, they will be more receptive of a Dietitian's advice.
I like Sammy and Brady's idea of bringing research into the presentation. This would definitely show more credibility in our advice. I also like Emily's idea of putting into something parents can visualize and see that there is a big difference in nutritional value. Haley also brought up a good point that for families in today's society, it's important to make quick meals that are delicious.
Sarah S said...
As dietitians we can remind people that, yes, we live in a very fast-paced society, but this is even more of a reason to have a sit-down dinner as a family every day. If we do not make time for this our hectic lives can get in the way of us being able to spend time together, get to know each other better, and share our lives. It also usually makes us take more time eating, which helps us to pay more attention to our hunger cues so that we do not overeat. I would also target parents, as they are in charge of meals, and would emphasize this to the clients that I see.
Sarah S said...
I like Jessica's idea of making flyers and handouts for National Nutrition Month for kids to take home to their parents. This would be a great way to give more attention to this issue and would hit the target audience.
I think a great way to encourage eating meals at home would be to make it into a bonding event for the family. Encourage them to cook together, then while eating, play "table topic" games that allow everyone to get to know each other better. In our society today, it can be very easy for families to grow apart and stop communicating. Even in the restaurant setting, it is hard to fully have an un-interrupted conversation. If we can convince families that meal times at home not only benefit their health, but can improve their relationships with other family members, they may be more willing to put in that extra effort.
I also like how Tina brought up that children often reflect the eating patterns of their parents. This would be a great point to bring up with a client who is having trouble with a pick-eater at home.
I strongly believe that sitting down at the dinner table to eat is important not only for nutrition, but for family time as well. Unfortunately, even when families sit down to eat, it is in front of the television. I would teach that eating should be mindful. Research has shown that eating without distractions helps us to consume less food because we notice our "fullness cue" better and sooner. I would also suggest that it is a great opportunity to have family time. If someone isn't hungry, or plans to eat at a different time, this should not stop them from sitting down with their family for 15 to 30 minutes a couple times week.
In order to promote the importance of the family table I would tell people to think back years ago when families would eat dinner together at their table every single night. Those families seemed to be more connected and communicated better than many families today. I think turning off technology, no cell phones or television for that 30 minute dinner time frame could really bring families closer together. I would also describe how getting children involved with cooking would make them more likely to try new and healthy foods. One suggestion would be to have the children pick out a new vegetable at the grocery store every week and then cook up a big batch of a healthy recipe using that vegetable on a Sunday afternoon when they are probably less busy. That way the family can eat the leftovers together at their table on busier nights instead of grabbing fast food. Not only will this bring the family closer together, but the family will be eating healthier food as well.
I like Jessica's idea of targeting parents, because if parents don't enforce how important eating together as a family is, then children may never realize it. Children may just view eating fast food in the car as the norm. Parents need to set an example for their kids by making an effort to eat at home more often if possible.
I also like Susan's idea of families playing "table topic" games at dinner time. This would show kids that dinner time can be fun, and it would be something for the entire family to look forward to every day.
Busy lifestyles are the most common reason why families choose not to eat together at home so a great way for RDs to help advocate for the importance of family mealtime is to offer healthy and practical meal prep suggestions. First, family mealtime can be anytime. Breakfast and snack times may be the best time to get parents and kids together and practice healthy eating habits. I'd also recommend that parents involve their children in preparation of foods when time allows. Planning for leftovers or making easy freezer meals on the weekend for later use are other useful ideas. I'd share the financial gain and health benefits that are associated with eating at home for a final take home message.
Improved communication among family members is another benefit of shared mealtime that other blog posters have shared. I too like Susan's idea for table topic games. My parents used that strategy to get me to speak up during mealtime. They still use it to this day for my youngest siblings. It works!
During my rotation at WIC it seemed like there was a greater emphasis on discussing family meal time. In other rotations it seems to get put on the back burner. Perhaps that is because family meal time is something that become more of a concern for children's development but I think there is a place for that discussion in outpatient/inpatient counseling as well to understand more of the behavioral side of a client's eating habits.
I think sending flyers home for National Nutrition Month is a great way to get the attention of children and parents.
I also agree that we need to target parents as well as children. They are likely the enforcers of meals in the home and need to be involved.
I think I would first show the literature on just how important eating as a family is. I would then show them how it could be done even if they live a busy lifestyle. For some families it would be important to make small goals such as eating together at least x amount of times per week. Another goal may just be to order in instead of grabbing fast food.
I just did an education today at OSF about eating on the go and avoiding reaching first for a fast food meal when you are in a hurry. My suggestions were planning ahead when you know you are going to be crunched for time and preparing meals ahead of time and storing them to be reheated instead of going through a drive through when time is tight. In the fast paced world we live in sometimes avoiding "on the go" or quick meals is difficult or impossible for families. Family meals are very important. I think making meal preparation family oriented is another great way to share quality time and learn healthy habits.
I think marketing to children is a great way to get the message of the importance of family meals into the home. When a student or child comes home with the idea to have family meals and family meal prep time, parents may be more receptive than hearing it from an outside source.
Many of the students pointed out going straight to the research when talking with parents because the statistics speak for themselves. Very good idea when encouraging parents to have more family meals for better health and wellbeing of the family as a whole!
I agree. It's honestly pretty tough and it takes a big change. Can we always even practice what we preach with this? It has to be a priority to everyone in the family.
I agree with Tina that children are more likely to try new foods when their parents eat them also. Eating family dinner together can also teach children table manners and other healthy eating habits.
I like what Anna said about time management. It really is a large barrier to family meals. I would suggest pointing out to parents that “fast food meals” do not always save you time. Many times fast food restaurants are busy, and you end up waiting. Between the travel time and the wait, you would put a meal on the table faster if all you had to do was heat it up. Planning ahead, preparing meals in batches and freezing them, doing some food prep the night before, cooking foods that can be reused in a simpler meal for a day you know your time is short, using prepackaged vegetables are all time management skills that can help make it easier to put home cooked meals on the table. I know someone who is involved with 4 others, and once a week they make one meal for 5 families, and then trade, so that each family gets 5 different meals but each family only has to make one.
I would emphasize the positive effect that eating together has on family bonding, child behavior & child health. Parents spend so much time at work that dinner time might be the only time that children spend with their parents each day. I think that kids sense their parents care about them when they take the time to prepare a meal for them. Eating at the table has been linked to lower BMIs in children, as well as an increase in well-being, which is worth noting. Family meal time can be a way to create memories if a fun or interesting activity is incorporated, too, such as picking a topic of discussion from a hat.
Alyssa,
I like the idea of marketing family meals to kids themselves. One of the most powerful motivators I think is when a child presents an idea to their parents that will benefit the whole family.
I like Lynetta's idea of not limiting family meal time to just dinner. Some parents have opposite schedules, so picking a time that overlaps is less limiting.
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