I’ve always looked forward to dinnertime. After a long day of school and extracurriculars, setting the table and sitting down to eat is a welcome respite. Family meals always leave me feeling grounded regardless of arguments, stress and exhaustion. I am a little disappointed whenever I can’t eat dinner with my family; it leaves me feeling disconnected. Only 50 percent of American families have frequent family meals, according to a 2019 study from the National Library of Medicine. Family meals are not only a relaxing break from the work and school day but also provide many mental and physical health benefits to family members, and we should try to eat together as a family more often.
Family therapist Anne Fischel is the executive director of Family Dinner Project, a program created in 2010 to encourage families to regularly come together for healthy meals. In a 2020 Harvard podcast, Fischel says that over the last 30–40 years, the frequency of family dinners has gone down – especially in low-income families. Fischel stresses the health benefits of regular family dinners.
“There have been more than 20 years of studies that document that family dinners are great for the body, the physical health, the brains and academic performance and the spirit or the mental health, and in terms of nutrition,” Fischel said.
Improved cardiovascular health in teens and lower rates of obesity in children are associated with family dinners as well. Children and adolescents are 12 percent less likely to be overweight if they share at least three family meals per week, according to a 2011 study by the National Library of Medicine. Family dinners not only provide numerous physical benefits but also improve cognitive health.
“The mental health benefits are just incredible. Regular family dinners are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, tobacco use, early teenage pregnancy and higher rates of resilience and higher self-esteem,” Fischel said.
The same National Library of Medicine study finds that the rate of eating disorders in youth declined by 35 percent when they participated in at least three family dinners per week. But teenagers aren’t the only ones to reap the benefits of family dinners. According to a 2019 National Library of Medicine study, parents who have regular family dinners have better social and emotional well-being. Parent health positively affects children, leading to a happier family overall.
One of the main challenges of family dinners is the time it takes to prepare. Families might not feel like they have enough time to eat together – work, school, extracurriculars and family tension can get in the way. Additionally, divorced or separated parents make traditional family meals seem impossible to attain. These factors can make dinnertime difficult, so we often resort to eating by ourselves while doing something else at the same time.
However, family meals don’t have to put so much pressure on families. Dinners don’t have to be elaborate, long or complicated. Also, even if you are not part of a large nuclear family, sharing a meal with one or two family members is beneficial, no matter your definition of family.
Eating dinner with your family instead of by yourself provides a well-deserved break. Eating while looking at your phone or even doing homework doesn’t allow you to reflect on your day and talk things out. Dinner is an opportunity to discuss interesting things from your day and to check in and connect with everyone in your family.
Family dinners are an important tradition. Not only are they highly mentally and physically beneficial, but they are enjoyable. To make it attainable for the long term, focus on quality time with your family over the food or time spent at the table. At dinnertime tonight, encourage family members to join you at the table. Make it into a special time that works for you and your family.
