Eating together as a family is a nice habit that too few people still have. New research also shows that families who eat their meals together are healthier. Unfortunately the study also showed that most families don't eat together hardly at all, and that they choose to consume fast food separately instead of enjoying balanced meals.
The study from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey made quite a few interesting conclusions after they examined 68 previous studies, but one thing that shocked me was that the researchers actually found that 40 percent of the average family's disposable income is spent on eating out something that they don't usually do together as a family, but instead grab on the go, to eat alone. It is no secret that Americans have a national obesity problem, including a lot of childhood obesity, and many people also suffer from nutritional deficiencies. The researchers think that not eating together as a family may have something to do with these problems. Those families who ate together most regularly were also most likely to be healthy.
Study author Jennifer Martin-Biggers, who is a doctoral student in the department of nutritional sciences at Rutgers, said: It is very interesting that something as simple as frequently eating meals together may contribute to so many different types of benefits to all family members. "Let's have a look at the advantages at a glance: Families who eat at home together regularly have children who eat more fruit and who are less likely to consume junk food. Kids who are used to family dinners have a lower BMI on average. Teenagers who eat family meals regularly are less at risk of developing depression, and tend to feel supported by their parents."
What do you think about these findings? If you don't eat dinner together as a family often now, are you willing to prioritize this? It's certainly a quick and fun way to boost your family's health.
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