Family LIFE
The Forgotten Art of
Family Dinner
& the Importance of the Kitchen
T
he shared family meal used
to be a given, a standard
that unfortunately has been
interrupted by the presence of screens
and other modern day technologies.
The last few decades have shown a
shift from families eating together to
meal time becoming “me” time. In
today’s busy world, family members are
dashing from one activity to another,
making the evening meal a forgotten
tradition. There is a power in food that
brings people together, and having the
right tools is essential to getting back to
the basics that shape our lives. We need
to take back the time we can muster
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BERMUDA PARENT MAGAZINE
with our loved ones, and what better
place to do it than your own kitchen?
In a recent study published by the
journal of Physiology and Behavior, sci-
entists have found that people who eat
together tend to get along better. The
same study noted that when individuals
had discussions over meals, they were
more likely to feel friendly and make
compromises. This shows that fostering
discussion with your children is criti-
cal in their development as a person.
Research also shows that children who
frequently ate with their parents had
better communication habits than
those who did not.
BY BATE’S
Getting together at dinner time
also encourages healthier eating habits.
It is easy to get caught in the pattern
of “take out” as an easy alternative,
however as parents, you have much
greater control of your child’s nutri-
tion intake when you are preparing
meals from home. Research shows that
teenagers and young adults who regu-
larly had family dinners are less likely
to have anxiety when the time comes
to move out and live on their own.
You are preparing them for their lives,
and showing them that correct eating
habits can greatly impact their health
in the future.