Families all across the country are joining the family meals movement. You can too! Make this a priority in your family today!
How often do you have a quality meal with your family? Juggling jobs, kids and the demands of a busy, modern life often come at the expense of family mealtime. According to a 2013 Harris poll, only 30 percent of American families share dinner every night. September is Family Meal Month, this is the perfect time to make family meals a priority in your life.
According to the Food Marketing Initiative’s website, fmi.org, family meals have been proven to benefit the health and wellness of children and adolescents, to fight obesity, substance abuse and to make families stronger – creating a positive impact on our communities. In addition, the more meals families share, the better they eat, literally – consuming more healthy items like fruits, vegetables, fiber, calcium-rich foods, and vitamins.
Family meals will also foster emotional balance by increasing self-esteem, a sense of wellbeing, positive social behaviors and stronger family relationships. Children receive more support when their families partake in family meals and as a result those children also earn better test scores and succeed in school. Family connection will also increase by fifty percent if a family meal is shared seven times per week.
Preparation can be easier than you think. Pinterest is a great resource for food recipes on any time schedule. Simply utilizing common household tools such as a crock pot can ease the preparation process as well.
The Richland County Nutrition Coalition has established many opportunities for residents to take part in these healthy behaviors. For more information, check out the Richland County Nutrition Coalition Facebook page at ww.facebook.com/1rcnc1, and the Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/1rcnc1.
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