Eating Breakfast as a Family Routine Has a Lifelong Impact on Your Child!
One reason behind the study’s findings might be that eating meals as a family helps foster positive interactions with food, as Dr. Virginia Ramseyer Winter, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work and director of the University of Missouri Center for Body Image Research and Policy who authored the study, pointed out toNeuroscience News.
“We know that the health behaviors of a parent can have long-term effects on a child. Results of this study suggest that positive interactions with food — such as eating breakfast and having family meals together — could be associated with body image,” Dr. Ramseyer Winter said.
She also elaborated toThe Jakarta Post, “Children and adolescents are under a lot of pressure from social media and pop culture when it comes to physical appearance. Having a healthy relationship with food from eating breakfast and spending meal time with family might have a significant impact on well-being.”
Why family mealtime is important
It’s probably nothing new for parents to hear that mealtimes are essential for a child’s development. The benefits of sharing meals together as a family are numerous, and they encompass more than just helping to strengthen your bond.
For instance, according toFamily & Children’s Center, family meals are a way for children to eat healthier and be not as picky with their food. Studies have found that “families who eat together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables as families who don’t eat together.”
Furthermore, children who eat with their family “tend to eat a wider variety of foods and become less picky eaters.” Healthy Childrenadded that families who eat together thrice a day experience a decrease in unhealthy food choices.
Eating together as a family not only helps improve kids’ physical health but also their mental status. Aside from helping build confidence about their body, children who routinely participate in family meals are also less likely to exhibit unfavorable behaviors such as physical aggression or delinquency, according to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
“The presence of parents during mealtimes likely provides young children with firsthand social interaction, discussions of social issues and day-to-day interactions, and vicarious learning of pro-social interactions in a familiar and emotionally secure setting,” Dr. Pagnini said, as quoted inMotherly.
She continued, “Experiencing positive forms of communication may likely help the child engage in better communication skills with people outside the family unit.”
Other reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) stated that children who eat at least five times a week with their families were at a reduced risk of “developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol and substance dependencies, and tend to perform better academically than their peers who frequently eat alone or away from home.”
Finally, family meals are also an invaluable opportunity for parents to serve as good role models for their children. It’s at the dining table where you can show the kids how to practice proper table etiquette and what healthy eating looks like, among others. Children tend to echo the behaviors that they see their elders do on a regular basis, so when they see that their parents enjoy what they are eating and they are taking the time to savor their food, they learn to enjoy food and mealtimes with their families as well.
Original Article from: Smart Parenting
