Why Family Meals Matter?

This study builds on years of previous research studies and demonstrates the value of family meals.  There are two notable findings to this study:

1. Family meals improve fruit and vegetable consumption – overwhelmingly, studies showed a positive relationship between family meal frequency and fruit and vegetable intake when examined separately, but also when fruit and vegetable intake were combined.
2. Family meals improve family functioning – nearly all the studies included in the systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between family meal frequency and measures of family functioning. Family functioning is defined as family connectedness, communication, expressiveness, and problem-solving.

Overall, this research finds more frequent family meals were associated with better dietary outcomes and family functioning outcomes. 

Published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, May 2020

In this white paper produced for the FMI Foundation by The Hartman Group, the desires, barriers, and directions for shared meals at home are identified and explored.

• 88% of U.S. adults say they eat healthier at home than when they eat out
• 74% of parents specifically want their food stores to assist them with family meals
• Differing schedules are the lead obstacle to dinner at home in households with and without children
• Serving meals that children will enjoy and ensuring that everyone is home at dinnertime are the top steps being taken to eat with kids more often
• Household living arrangements today in the U.S. represent a new family diversity

Download Report

In this Huffington Post article, Diane K. Rice, RD of the Monday Campaigns shares why one of the nation’s leading health influencers, Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD supports The Kids Cook Monday campaign. Read Rice’s article and explore the many links to research supporting the benefits of family meals from trusted sources like Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab and the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

In her recent book, author Miriam Weinstein asks this question: “What if I told you that there was a magic bullet—something that would improve the quality of your daily life, your children’s chances of success in the world, [and] your family’s health? Something that is inexpensive, simple to produce, and within the reach of pretty much everyone?  You guessed it—the answer is family meals.”  Read a summary of Weinstein’s book courtesy of the University of Florida, including tips to inspire family meal promotion ideas. 

According to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, children who have frequent meals with their families are likely to do better in school, have a closer relationship with parents and siblings, resist negative peer pressure, are less likely to try drugs or alcohol at an earlier age and less likely to develop disordered eating behaviors.  

Over the past 18 years, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia™) has surveyed thousands of American teens and their parents to identify situations and circumstances that influence the risk of teen substance abuse. This research report from 2012 demonstrates once again that magic happens during family mealtime when children and parents gather around the table and engage each other in conversation.

According to this October 2012 article from Huffington Post, two out of five Americans are eating at restaurants less frequently now than they were six months ago.  Much of this can be attributed to the fact that many Americans are looking for ways to save money. Foregoing dinner out to eat at home is one such expense-reducing measure trending with consumers.