Why mealtime with your family is more important than you think

We all know how important it is to eat a healthy and a balanced diet. While we do understand the value of eating a nutritious food, what we often forget is to pay attention to the way we eat it.

A new study claims that having a meal in front of the TV or when you are stressed may not transfer the required nutrition to your body in comparison to the meal that you have with your family.

As per a new study by the University of Illinois, Chicago, the benefits of having meals with your family are simple but making people realise those benefits is extremely tough.

As per the study, solutions like having a meal on time, preparing your meal in advance or eating healthy when done in isolation is less effective for your overall health. As per the experts, family mealtime should be one of the most fundamental and frequent tasks.

To do the research, scientists evaluated more than 500 families with elementary school-aged children throughout the state of Illinois. These families were asked to respond to questions on food security, food planning, preparation and mealtime organisation. The researchers later analysed the data for patterns and identified three distinct groups or family profiles.

The first profile had 55 per cent of the total participants. The families in this group reported the lowest levels of food insecurity and household chaos among the three profiles. They also had the highest levels of efficacy in preparing food, said the researchers.

The second profile was exactly the opposite of the first one, it included 27 per cent of the total participants. These people reported being food insecure and also had low confidence levels in preparing and planning meals.

The third profile group comprised 18 per cent of the sample. These people had food security levels that fell between the other two groups. But these people reported the levels of meal planning efficacy and household chaos similar to families in the food secure group.

So, not just access to healthy food but it's also important that individuals within families feel competent to prepare and plan meals and the day to day organisation has some routine and stability.

It teaches your kids better eating habits

As per a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open, eating meals with family is associated with a better overall diet, especially among adolescents. Teens who have food with family are more likely to consume more vegetables and fruits and have less fast food and sugary beverages.

According to a review by a group of Canadian researchers, frequent family dinners can prevent issues with eating disorders, alcohol, substance use, violent behaviour, depression and suicidal thoughts in adolescents.

A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found a direct correlation between the frequency of shared family meals in adolescence and reduced odds of weight issues 10 years down the lane. It recommends that families should gather at least once or twice a week to protect their kids from weight struggles later in life.

As per the Stanford Children's Health, when families eat together every day, it can help the children feel more comfortable in themselves.

During this time, you can encourage your children to talk about their day. Children should be allowed to choose their seats and should be involved in chores related to dinnertime, like serving food or cleaning up.