easy family dinner

Learn how to mix takeout with homemade; get the whole family involved in food prep.

If cooking time is tight, recruit the kids to help.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Sure, modern life is hectic, and that can make it a challenge for everyone in the family to sit down to dinner at the same time. But there’s more research than ever pointing to the benefits of sitting down with your kids at dinnertime. According to a study published recently in Pediatrics, sitting down to a family dinner together three or more times per week resulted in kids being 12 percent less likely to be overweight; there was also a 20 percent reduced chance of their developing eating disorders. More benefits? A 20 percent reduction in the odds of a child’s consuming junk food and a 24 percent increased chance family members will eat healthy food. The good news about family meals extends to children’s emotional health, as well: Past studies have showed improved parent-teen communication as a result from family meals.

And it’s important for the entire family to sit down together—including Dad. According to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, it turns out that fathers actually have a stronger influence on their kids’ eating habits than mothers do. When researchers at Texas A&M University studied the dining-out habits of more than 300 families with children ages 9 to 11 and 13 to 15, they found that the more time dads spent eating out, the more likely their kids were to be eating out, as well. There was no relationship between how often mothers dined out and how often their kids did. But if dads set a good example when it comes to eating, kids will follow suit, the study reveals. The researchers found that kids whose fathers placed greater importance on the ritual of family dinner were less likely to eat fast food.

And there are other reasons to plan some easy family dinners. Since dinner is the meal over which parents have the most control, it’s a great time to establish some healthy eating habits. Let your kids see what healthy portion sizes look like, include plenty of veggies and whole grains, and serve water or milk instead of sweetened drinks. Set an example by eating slowly, rather than scarfing dinner down, and take this opportunity to discuss what’s going on in everyone’s lives.