Family mealtimes can promote good mental health
by RachelTheWriterSurprisingly enough, it seems that it’s not just what’s on the plate that keeps your child healthy, but how they’re served it and when.
Researchers at Syracuse University conducted a study looking at the eating and mealtime habits of children in 75 families, and came to some interesting conclusions.
It seems that one way to keep your child mentally happy is to make sure that the family eats at least several meals a week together, as well as ensuring that mealtimes follow a set routine. Why is this? The researchers suggest that it is all to do with family connections. The children who ate with their parents were able to spend more quality time with them, which increased bonding and family identity. This results in a more stable and positive attitude for the child.
So what can we learn from this study? We can take from it that it’s not just the health values of the food that are important when it comes to meal time. The more often your whole family can sit down to eat together, the better it is for all concerned. If you tend to eat separately to your child, why not try fixing one or two times a week to have a family meal? You may find that it makes a surprising difference to your child’s health and happiness.
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