Should Families Eat Meals Together?

Stephanie Parrish
Oregon State University
8 March 2015

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In our busy lives should we make time to eat in the company of our loved ones?
In recent years families have been eating fewer meals together.1 Researchers wondered
if this change is bad, especially for children. Family time is really important for children
as they grow up. It influences their health and behavior. But there isn't always time to
eat together, with parents working and many children playing sports. So, it's important
to find out if gathering around
the dinner table is all that
important anyway. First we will
look at how families interact
during dinner. We will then find
out what role the TV and cell
phones play. Lastly, we will see

Family meals have many benefits

how dinner time can affect

children's relationship to their peers and to school. Overall, researchers found many
benefits to family dinners and many reasons why it's a good idea to make time to eat
together as often as possible.

The dinner table a place to talk about the day

There is much evidence that eating with your family is good for you and your
children. The dinner table is a great place to spend quality time together. Everyone can
get involved and help to set up the meal and the table. This is easiest if each person

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has a specific task. Many families see dinner as a great time to talk about what
happened during the day. It's important that each person feels safe to share what is on
their mind. That is where showing genuine interest and listening to everyone else can
really make a difference in how your family interacts. With good conversation everyone
can enjoy the meal and each other's company. Researchers found that with this kind of
positive family time and warmth during dinner, children often eat more vegetables.2 Not
surprisingly, with better eating habits usually come healthier bodies. 3

Ditch the TV during dinner

We have seen how important the quality of family meal time is. The quality also
depends on removing distractions. The most common distractions in today's households
are TV and cell phones. 7 out of 10 families watch TV during meals either sometimes or
always. 3 out of 10 teenagers text during meals. These activities take attention away
from the main task eating dinner together.4 Researchers have studied families who use
media during dinner and others who do without it. They found that those families who
limit media during meal time have more enjoyable and healthier meals. 5

With good family time may come good grades

Dinner in company can benefit children even beyond the home. It can also
improve their social health. When children interact with their family, they prepare
themselves for better connecting with their peers too. Researchers say, the more

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families eat together, the higher the
benefits are. They report that children
often have fewer problems with others and
even show more interest and attention in
school.6
Regularly eating family meals can improve
children's attitude toward school.

Conclusion
We have seen why it is so beneficial for families to eat together. If everyone at
home helps and listens to each other, dinner can be a positive experience. Children
often even eat healthier. Meanwhile, you can all better focus on each other when
electronic media stays switched off. The benefits of family meals are not limited to the
body's health, but they extend children's social health and interest in school. To get the
most out of these benefits, family meals should occur regularly. Of course we cannot
always make time to eat together, and that is okay we are all busy. If you can make
quality dinner time a habit on most days of the week, your family bond and your
children's health will be on a great path.

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REFERENCES
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Family Meals From 1999 to 2010 in the Homes of Adolescents: Trends by
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doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.06.004.
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Characteristics of Family Meals: Associations with Adolescent Body Mass Index and
Dietary Patterns. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013;113(6):816-822.
doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.02.004.
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doi:10.1542/peds.2014-1936.
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2 tlk 2nite: Use of Electronic Media by Adolescents during Family Meals and
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Served. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(7):1053-1058. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.10.015.
5. FitzPatrick E, Edmunds LS, Dennison BA. Positive Effects of Family Dinner Are
Undone by Television Viewing. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107(4):666-671.
doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.01.014.
6.

Lora KR, Sisson SB, DeGrace BW, Morris AS. Frequency of Family Meals and 6-11year-old Children's Social Behaviors. J Fam Psy. 2014; 28 (4): 577-582.
doi:10.1037/fam0000014