What the Researchers Found
January 11, 2010
Last week I talked about the habits of the nutritionists involved in Project EAT, at the University of Minnesota. So, in their decade-long study of the eating habits of teenagers, what have they found? In short: family meals offer benefits that continue over time.
Eating as a family correlates with “higher academic performance, greater psychosocial well-being and a reduced risk of using unhealthy weight control behaviors.”
But family meals drop off as kids grow older. Middle school students eat with their families 5.4 times a week, on average, while high school students only manage 3.9 family meals.
Still, family meals remain very important in terms of nutrition.
“Teens eating regular family meals had higher fruit, vegetable, and calcium intakes then their peers not reporting regular family meals, and they drank significantly fewer soft drinks,” according to the report.
Interestingly, for teenagers who eat regular family meals, their healthier diet carries over into young adulthood. They continue to eat better even after they leave the family home. Which makes us think that we should continue those family meals as long as we can.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today.