It's important to eat with your kids
Your children can benefit in many ways if your family eats together at least 3 meals a week.

Your children can benefit in many ways if your family eats together at least 3 meals a week.  Dinnertime works best for most family schedules, but other mealtimes such as breakfast and snacks count too.  Keep the following in mind when you sit down together at your next meal.

• Children and adolescents eat healthier.  When kids eat with their families, they usually consume more fruits and vegetables.  Kids also take in more fiber, calcium, and iron.  They drink fewer sodas, which contribute added sugar and no nutritional benefit, and they eat less saturated fats.

• Healthy habits have staying power.  Adolescents who share in more family meals tend to eat healthier after they leave home, so this tradition can have lasting effects.

• Eating and talking together enables parents to tune into their kids' needs.  You might learn valuable information about your children's friends, school, and interests while sharing meals.  You also might learn about concerns, potentially heading off problems.   Your kids also might learn your thoughts on current events, healthy behaviors, and what matters to your family.
  
  

Sometimes parents feel that the task of putting meals together is too cumbersome, but meals can be quick and simple.  Enlist the help of your children in setting the table and cooking, as well assembling plates.  Meals don't have to be organic, costly, or even perfect.  The important point is simply being together around a shared table and eating a nutritious meal.

Want a bit of encouragement?  If you have a teen, you might like to know that research shows most teens actually enjoy eating dinner at home with their families.