Why Eating Meals Together Can Be So Good For You

When I was a young girl, we always ate dinner together.  In fact, going out to eat was only saved for special occasions like birthdays or Mother's Day.  We rarely got pizza to eat at home or take-out.  My mom cooked every night.  We ate as a family every night!  

Family Meals Can Be One of the Most Important Times of  the Day!

• Family dinner times can come at one of the worst times of the day.  Parents are coming home from work; children are coming home from school, friends and sports.  Everyone is asking that all important question "What's for dinner?"  A little pre-planning and a lot of cooperation from all members of the family can really help to get dinner on the table.  Sit down with your parents and make up some menu ideas.  One simple way is to have the same meal on specific days of the week.  For instance, Monday night can be Spaghetti Night, Tuesday is Taco Night, Wednesday is Breakfast for dinner, etc.  Be creative and have some fun planning meals.  You can even help with the prep and cooking.  There is nothing that mom likes better than to have a night where she doesn't have to cook.

• If you all can't sit down and have dinner together, then plan another meal where you can all be together.  Sometimes it's breakfast!

• Did you know that eating meals together as a family can make you smarter?  It's a fact!  The opportunity for conversation and learning from each other and having meaningful discussions can actually improve your IQ!  I have a friend whose son got perfect scores on a very important college entrance exam.  When the father was asked by a TV news reporter on how he raised such an intelligent son, the father said, "We ate dinner together every night."

• Have a special plate to honor a family member who is having a birthday or celebrating a special award or occasion.  

• Having meaningful conversations.  For instance, ask your parents questions.  Find out what their favorite meal was when they were kids or ask their opinion