A recent article published in TIME highlights the importance of the family meal and the work of Anne Fishel, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Family Dinner Project, noting that the family dinner is so much more than just a meal. Based on decades of research, Dr. Fishel and the Family Dinner Project emphasize that the family meal is not only essential for physical health and well-being, the family dinner is beneficial to the cognitive and social development of children and can lead to meaningful improvements in the mental health of children and their parents.
“When gathering to share a meal with loved ones, food is rarely the most important part of the ritual.”
Some of the many benefits of family dinners include:
- Better academic performance
- Higher self-esteem
- Greater sense of resilience
- Lower risk of substance abuse
- Lower risk of teen pregnancy
- Lower risk of depression
- Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
- Lower rates of obesity
- Better cardiovascular health in teens
- Bigger vocabulary in preschoolers
- Healthier eating patterns in young adults
There are also benefits for adults, including:
- Better nutrition with more fruits and vegetables and less fast food
- Less dieting
- Increased self-esteem
- Lower risk of depression
Why the Family Meal Is So Essential—And How to Make It Work (TIME)
