Make the Most of Family Meals
The most important part of a holiday meal is not the turkey, the stuffing, or the homemade apple pie. It's not even the gifts you may exchange. What is it? Family. Sharing a meal with your family provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen bonds and create lasting memories. It's a time to reconnect and share what's going on in each other's lives. This is especially true during the holidays, when families come together to celebrate.
In addition to building a stronger family, studies show that time spent around the dinner table has significant payoffs for children's and teens' health. It can:
- Improve their self-esteem
- Increase their intake of fruits and vegetables so that they get the vitamins and minerals their growing bodies need
- Teach them to enjoy a wider variety of foods
- Reduce the risk for eating disorders, especially among adolescent girls
- Lead to better grades in school
- Make them less likely to smoke, drink, use drugs, or get into fights
Concerned that your children don't appreciate family time as much as you do? Rest assured that they see the benefits, too. In a survey of more than 900 adolescents, 63 percent said that eating together as a family is important, and 64 percent agreed that sharing meals brings their family closer together.
Teens and kids often have busy schedules, and finding time for an extended family meal can be challenging. That's why it's important to make the most of your time together during the holiday season. Here's how:
- Turn off the TV during mealtime. Studies show having the television on while eating negates many of the benefits of a family meal.
- Eat at the table. Talking to one another is easier when you're facing each other instead of sitting side by side at a counter.
- Include everyone in conversations and keep it positive. Avoid nagging, complaining, or controlling discussions.
- Ask everyone to turn off cell phones, smart phones, and other communication devices while at the table. Even if they don't answer it, the ringing alone can be a major distraction.
With all the parties, holiday dinners, and visits to relatives during the holidays, it can be hard to eat smart. These tips can help your family enjoy the holidays without overindulging or sacrificing.
Hold the salt. Limit cured meat, such as ham and bacon, and foods packed in salty brine, like pickled vegetables and olives. Curb salty condiments, too, such as horseradish, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and those with monosodium glutamate (MSG). Instead, enhance foods with herbs, spices, lemon, lime, vinegar, and salt-free seasoning blends.
Overhaul your family recipes. Start a new family tradition by putting a healthier spin on too-rich recipes. A few quick and easy substitutions:
- Replace cream with fat-free evaporated milk.
- Cook soup stock with a small amount of turkey breast or skinless chicken thigh instead of neck bones.
- Substitute fruits and veggies for some of the bread in your stuffing.
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