Family Meals Really Do Matter

It's a hard task to get your family together in one place, especially as your children get older.  School, work, after school activities and friends keep everyone on the run.  Whenever possible try to set aside dinnertime as family time and work hard to make it happen.  Its really important!

Family meals promote healthy eating habits and are a good time to catch up on the day's developments.  Eating as a family lets parents keep tabs on what their kids are eating and lets them introduce their kids to new foods and share quality time together.

Use these tips to help get your family together around the dinner table:

• Schedule family dinner at least once a week, that's a good place to start.  Then gradually increase the frequency as everyone's schedules allow.
• Let your kids help choose the meals and prepare the food.
• Make sure each member of the family gets time to share some interesting news.
• Turn off the television while eating!
• Keep mealtime comments positive and supportive.  Save any problems until after dinner.

Remember that your children will model your behavior as their parents.  There's no better time than mealtime to show them the importance of making healthy choices.