http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/07/cl.family.meals/index.html
Everyone uses Thanksgiving as a day to indugle ourselves on traditional foods and spend the day with family watching football. Who knew that spending the dreaded time with your family could actually benefit your health? Eating dinner with your family will not only help you eat better but it can also inprove your psychological being. "Families who eat together have healthier, more balanced diets," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., L.D.N., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Making family mealtime a priority not only improves everyone's physical health, but it also contributes to their overall well-being and mental health." A study conducted at Harvard showed that by having "more meals prepared and eaten together means better nutrition, more control over what's eaten, and less weight gain for the whole family." (Unless you are Polish) I believe this is because kids have meals prepared for them, so they are opted to make healthier decisions. The average college kid lives off of Ramen and cereal not only because they are cheap but because they are also very easy to make. No college student ever wants to come back from a day of classes with research papers to do and prepare a gormet meal for one.
A study at Comlumbia University shows that family dinners are on the rise again, and not only are the number of meals eaten with other family members rising, but teenagers and adolescents are eating more and more meals with their parents. I found this interesting because most adolescents spend their teenage years avoiding their parents, let alone forced conversation over a dinner with them. I also based this opinion on personal experience. In high school, i avoided talking to my parents about life like the plague and only looked forward to Christmas, which I get to spend in the presence of my cousins who are my age. However, things have changed since I came to college. I've grown a much closer relationship with my parents and I am overzealous to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I found this excerpt to be very interesting and factual as well:
"Sitting down to a meal together provides an opportunity to connect and talk with your kids and find out what's going on in their lives," says Neumark-Sztainer. Almost half the teens participating in the Columbia study felt that dinner was the best time to talk with parents about important issues. "Because it's at the end of the day, dinner provides a special opportunity," Rockett says. "That's when we're not running off to go to school, work, or the next event, so we can really enjoy each other's company." If more childrean eat dinner with their families, are they less likely to get into trouble and avoid putting themselves in irresponsible situations? Only more research and time will be able to show the effects of eating dinner with your family. The moral of this blog? Suck it up and enjoy the time you may feel forced to spend with your families at the holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
2 comments:
I agree with your blog so much. I remember in high school I would do anything to not have to sit and have to talk about my day. Now after being away at college I look forward to the time I get to spend at home. I have also noticed that it is starting to be the new thing to sit and have a family dinner. I found on TV there are now alot of commercials about sitting and having a family dinner and game night. This is said to improve your health because you are more than likely to eat healthier and enjoy yourself. Great Job!
Great topic. Everything you mentioned is so true. In highschool I never really talked much with my parents but we did always eat together. We never really ate out too much and both my parents would cook. I do feel it is important to make eating a social happening, everyone is more likely to eat better and slower. I like to make dinner with my friends I truly enjoy cooking and I think food is something everyone can and should enjoy together!
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