Research shows eating together helps our brain and body. Learn how to add more family meal time to your busy schedule.
If your family’s schedule is starting to ramp up with work, school, kids’ activities, and important appointments, you may be tempted to skip eating together to save time. But experts caution you against this practice.
According to the Virginia-based FMI Foundation—which addresses food safety, health, and nutrition through research, education, and collaboration—sharing meals with family or friends is good for our bodies and minds. To encourage this habit, the foundation has set aside September as Family Meals Month.
Here are five ways sharing a meal can benefit you and your loved ones.
Research finds the more people eat together, the better they function. Specifically, frequent shared family meals improve connectedness, communication, expressiveness and problem-solving. Conversation is key during family meals to take advantage of the one-on-one time without distractions.
Family meals also support mental health, restoring a sense of peace, bolstering self-esteem, increasing happiness, and boosting a sense of resilience.
Research shows family meals improve fruit and vegetable consumption. It also indicates families who eat together frequently have a better overall healthy diet and lower body mass index.
Eating more meals together is associated with improved overall adolescent health, including higher grades. Multiple studies show students whose families eat together frequently perform better academically in reading and vocabulary.
The family dinner table is a great place to show younger generations how to communicate respectfully. In fact, 76 percent of Americans agreed family meals are a good opportunity to have and teach respectful interactions, according to the FMI Foundation’s “Staying Strong with Family Meals” barometer.
If these aren’t sufficient reasons, remember last year’s study by the U.S. Surgeon General that said America is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness in a post-COVID society? If not, take a moment to read what is happening. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
Even if all of this makes sense, you may still be struggling to adopt family meals into a regular schedule. Here are a few tips that may help you.
Batch cooking and meal planning
I remember as a single mother the challenge of putting dinner on the table for me and my child; I can’t imagine how tough it can be for families of four or more! While leading our two-person household, I learned it was important to plan a menu for the week. If you plan for and prep a couple of meals to enjoy through the week, this will help better manage your time in the kitchen.
Why not make Friday pizza night (it’s simple to elevate frozen pizzas with a few fresh ingredients and a salad) and go around the table to ask what your family would like on next week’s menu? Take some of the suggestions, plan a grocery list for Saturday, and batch cook on Sunday afternoon.
Batch cooking—making extra for later—is another useful tip. One thing I often do is batch cook my proteins for the week. I make a batch of Makin’ Magic Chicken using the seasoning blend from Tastefully Simple. Add chicken with the seasoning and some low-sodium broth to a slow-cooker and in three hours, it’s ready to cool, shred, and store for the week or freeze for next. We use it in sandwiches, salads, pot pies, and casseroles. It’s even great for sheet pan nacho night! Message me if you'd like to learn more.
Keep a well-stocked pantry
Nothing frustrates me quicker than reaching for something in the pantry (or freezer) only to discover I’m out of that ingredient. So, every couple of weeks, I go through my pantry and see where I'm running low. It may be pasta or canned beans, rice or tomato sauce. We tend to forget to pick something up if it's not something used weekly.
If you need tips for stocking your pantry, I did a story about that a few years ago that could be useful to you. https://www.threewomeninthekitchen.com/post/try-these-hardworking-pantry-organizing-tips. Pay attention to your pantry and it can serve you and your family well!
Have some quick meal recipes on hand
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every night! That’s too much for even the most passionate home cook. Instead, keep a few easy recipes handy that will get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Rotate one or two into your weekly meal plan. If you need a little inspiration, may I suggest:
White Chicken Chili This is ready in about 15 minutes if you batch cooked the chicken on Sunday. If you prefer red chili, check out this Tastefully Simple recipe using their versatile Wahoo Chili Seasoning. Just add a pound of ground beef, a can of kidney or black beans (your preference), a can of tomato sauce, a cup of water and 3 Tablespoons of Wahoo Chili Seasoning, simmer for 30 minutes and dinner is ready!
What if I live alone?
If you are part of the 30 percent of Americans the idea of sharing a meal seems to be a reach, but it's possible! This may take some courage but invite another “solitaire” over once or twice a week for dinner. Just call up a buddy and put a simple meal—a bowl of soup and salad—on your table. I love a slow-cooker moment, and I really love this comforting, delicious recipe for Lasagna Soup.
This month, enjoy the pleasure of sharing a meal with family or friends and share how you’re participating with a post from your table and the tag #familymealsmonth or #familymealsmovement! Feel free to share your comment or photo below, too.
About the blog
Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.
