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Why You Need To Make Time For Family Dinners

4 min read
Why You Need To Make Time For Family Dinners

A modern life is a busy life. For families, these hectic schedules mean that activities sitting around the table and eating dinner together don’t happen all that often.

So is this for the best? Or are there actually reasons to sit down and have dinner together as a family?

Why You Need To Make Time For Family Dinners

Well as it turns out, there are a few very good reasons to keep family dinners a modern tradition. Here are just a few.

1. It’s Easy To Introduce New Foods

In a family dinner table setting, it’s easy to introduce new foods to kids and expand their taste for different foods. In fact, a 2003 study found that children who were exposed to a new vegetable (in the case of the study, sweet red pepper) instead of being forced to eat it, were more likely to rate its taste highly. Also, children seeing parents enjoying new foods might be more interested to try them.

famlia 5 | Stay at Home Mum.com.au

2. Dinners Help Kids Love Veggies

Family dinner provide a great opportunity to talk to children about healthy foods and nutrition in a relaxed and easy way that doesn’t make it seem like a lesson. A 2000 survey discovered that kids aged 9-14 who ate dinner regularly with their families tended to eat more fruits and vegetables, and less fizzy drinks and fried foods. Their diets were generally in better shape, something that researchers put down to those family dinner conversations.

Kids Who Hate Vegetables | Stay at Home Mum.com.au

3. Parents Can Spot Issues

During adolescence, it’s easy for parents and kids to lose touch with each other, particularly as societal pressures to be a ‘cool’ teen take over. However, maintaining these connections with regular family dinners can actually negate this effect. Family dinners offer a chance to parents and kids to talk, debrief about their day, discuss things, and generally connect. Studies have shown that kids who eat frequently with their families have any problems identified early, and dealt with in a positive way.

Next Page: More Reasons Why You Need To Make Time For Family Dinners

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Oceana Setaysha

Senior Writer A passionate writer since her early school days, Oceana has graduated from writing nonsense stories to crafting engaging content for...Read Morean online audience. She enjoys the flexibility to write about topics from lifestyle, to travel, to family. Although not currently fulfilling the job of parent, her eight nieces and nephews keep her, and her reluctant partner, practiced and on their toes. Oceana holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Writing and Indonesian, and has used her interest in languages to create a career online. She's also the resident blonde at BarefootBeachBlonde.com, where she shares her, slightly dented, wisdom on photography, relationships, travel, and the quirks of a creative lifestyle. Read Less

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