Encourage Customers to Participate

We can put National Family Meals Month ™ on the map by promoting on social media. The following posts have been created to be brief, concise and user-friendly regardless of whether they appear on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X or beyond.

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Year-round Social Media Posts

January

• Happy New Year! Start the year off right by sitting down with your family today. People who eat more meals together have healthier eating habits and better diets in general. These healthier habits include eating more fruits and vegetables, as well as having breakfast more often. Involving children in food preparation for family meals can increase dietary quality and improve eating patterns among children.
• National Sunday Supper Month is a great time to enjoy Family Meals with your favorite people and foods.
• National Soup Month – Find some delicious soups to make ahead to make family meals fast and easy this month. With each additional family meal shared each week, adolescents are less likely to show symptoms of violence, depression and suicide, less likely to use or abuse drugs or run away, and less likely to engage in risky behavior or delinquent acts.
• Slow Cooker Month - Start your day thinking about your next family meal – and start the slow cooker so that dinner is ready when you are finished with work!
• It's National Healthy Weight Week - Studies show that children who share three or more family meals per week are more likely to have a healthy weight and a healthier diet than those who share fewer than three family meals.
• It's National Nothing Day! What are the downsides of having more family meals? NOTHING!
• Get to Know Your Customers Day - Ask them about their family's favorite dishes.

February

• National Heart Health Month. Take Family Meals to heart this month. A review of more than fifty studies among more than 200,000 participants reveals a significant relationship between frequent family meals and better nutritional health - in younger and older children, across countries and socioeconomic groups.¹
• National Snack Food Month. A snack counts as a family meal. Take a few minutes to sit down and connect this month over your favorite snacks. Family meals improve family functioning, defined as family connectedness, communication, expressiveness, and problem-solving.²
• World Pulses Day. Beans are among the most sustainable, environmentally friendly, and good-for-you crops. For each gram of protein, the average global water footprint of beans is 34% that of pork and 17% that of beef.
• Superbowl Sunday. Enjoy the big game with your family today! All the delicious game time snacks totally count as a family meal.
• This Galentine's Day, show your besties how much you love them. They can be considered family, too.
• Valentine's Day. Share the love with your family today. Did you know that family meals may provide a unique opportunity for building stronger families and young people.³
• National Chili Day. What's your family's favorite chili recipe?

March

• National Nutrition Month. Increasing family mealtime duration by approximately 10 minutes can improve the quality of children's diet and eating behavior.⁴
• St. Patrick's Day. Celebrate the luck of the Irish with a delicious family dinner tonight.
• Daylight Savings Time begins. Longer days don't mean you need to spend more time in the kitchen! Spring ahead with some healthy family meal habits. A review of fifty studies shows an association between frequency of family meals and healthy dietary patterns, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.⁵
• First Day of Spring! What better way to celebrate than with your family? Family meals free from distractions provide a chance to positively influence eating behavior and improve health and well-being.⁶
• National PI Day. What's your family's favorite savory pie? What's their favorite sweet pie? Ice cream or whipped cream on top?

April

• We are not fooling when we say that Family Meals make a big difference. Studies reporting significant associations find that adolescents who frequently eat meals with their family and/or parents are less likely to engage in risky behaviors when compared to peers who never or rarely eat meals with their families.⁷
• For National Make Lunch Count Day, why not make it a Family Lunch?
• It's National Picnic Day! Pack up your favorite dishes and share with your family in the park, or in your backyard.
• Did you know? Studies reporting significant associations find that adolescents who frequently eat meals with their family and/or parents are less likely to engage in risky behaviors when compared to peers who never or rarely eat meals with their families.⁸

May

• National Salad Month – Did you know that there is a positive association between the frequency of family meals and fruit and vegetable intake among children 2-18?⁹
• National Salsa Month. Salsa counts as a vegetable. A review of fifty studies shows an association between frequency of family meals and healthy dietary patterns, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.¹⁰
• National Barbeque Month. Cook out with your family this month!
• May the Fourth Be with You today. Important and Beneficial are Family Meals.
• Happy Memorial Day! It's the unofficial start of Summer!

June

• For Shopping Cart Day today, fill yours with your favorite family meal ingredients! Tell us what they are!
• The First Day of Summer!
• National Eat Your Vegetables Day. The best way to encourage this? Family Meals! A study among nearly 2,000 children ages birth through 17 years shows that participating in more than five family meals per week was associated with less sugar-sweetened beverage intake among younger and older children, greater vegetable intake among older children and adolescents, and greater fruit intake among adolescents.¹¹
• Celebrate and honor  Juneteenth by sharing a meal with family and friends!

July

• July 1: National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. Bring the family together to make new and exciting ice cream flavors today. Fruits? Beans? Chocolate? Pickles? Get creative! What a perfect ending to a fun family meal!
• July 4: Happy Independence Day! Spend some time celebrating with your family today. In fact, most Americans agree family meals are a great opportunity to teach civility:¹²
• 76% of Americans agree that family meals are a great time to have and teach respectful interactions.
• 70% of Americans agree that frequent family meals create a safe environment for my family to discuss the thornier societal issues.
• 68% of Americans agree that sitting at a meal together tends to keep conversations more civil.
• July 26: National All or Nothing Day. Family meals don't have to be all or nothing – You can bolster individual health and well-being and family connectedness by sharing one more family meal per week at home.
• Did you know? Hundreds of studies indicate that family meals improve nutritional health among children and adults. You can read more about these studies at www.FamilyMealsMovementorg. They show:
• More fruits and vegetables are consumed in households that have meals together.
• Family meals are associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity.
• The amount of time families spend around the table positively impacts children's health and nutrition.

August

• August is National Wellness Month! What better way to practice wellness than to sit down with your family for a meal? Family meals nourish the spirit, brain and health of all family members.  
• Back to school? Start the year off right with family meals. Research shows that eating more meals together as a family is associated with improved overall adolescent health: reduced adolescent drug use, delayed sexual activity, reduced symptoms of depression, violence and suicide, and higher grades among youth. Overall, family meals lead to higher self-esteem and a greater sense of resilience—or ability to bounce back from hardships—in children.
• First Sunday in August: National Sisters Day. It's National Sisters Day? Sit down with your sisters (by blood or by choice) to enjoy a delicious meal together. Family meals help families (and sisters!) feel more connected.

September

• September is Family Meals Month! People who eat more meals together eat more fruits and vegetables and have better diets in general. But did you know that family meals improve family connectedness, communication, expressiveness and problem-solving too? No matter how you define family, you can Stay Strong with Family Meals.
• Bolster individual health and well-being and family connectedness by sharing one more family meal per week at home.
• September, back-to-school season, is the perfect time to commit to sharing one more family meal at home per week to build stronger families.
• Researchers and health experts endorse and promote the lifelong benefits of family meals.
• Making family meals happen is easier than you think.
• September is National Family Meals Month! Check out our Family Meals infographics here! https://www.fmi.org/family-meals-movement-test/spotlight/infographics
• September is National Fruits and Veggies month. People who eat more meals together have healthier eating habits and better diets in general. These healthier habits include eating more fruits and vegetables, as well as having breakfast more often.
• September is Healthy Aging Month. Family meals help families age better together, no matter what your age.
• September is Better Breakfast Month! Sit down with your family for breakfast this month to start off each day feeling more connected and happier. These moments of connection nurture a sense of belonging, leading to greater self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Third Full Week in September is National Keep Kids Creative Week! What better way to spark creativity than in the kitchen? Involving children in food preparation for family meals can increase dietary quality and improve eating patterns among children.
• First Friday in September is National Foodbank Day – Help others with their family meals by donating shelf-stable goods to your local foodbank.
• September 16: National Working Parents Day: A family meal doesn't have to take a long time to prepare. Even if parents work long hours, your family will feel the benefits of sitting down together no matter the cooking and prep time of a meal.

October

• October is Vegetarian Month! What a fantastic opportunity for your family to try some new plant-forward meals together.
• October 1 is National Homemade Cookie Day. Make dessert a family activity today. Get everyone involved in baking your favorites!
• October 4 is World Smile Day. Make more smiles with Family Meals. Family meals deepen relationships with family and friends which is good for your mental and physical health. In fact, it's as important to your health and well-being as sleep, exercise, and food.^13-15
• October 4 is National Taco Day. Make a taco bar that the whole family will enjoy! Each person can choose their favorite toppings and fillings.
• October 12 is National Farmers Day. Thank a farmer today for providing delicious foods for you and your family to enjoy.
• October 14 is National Dessert Day. What better way to end a family meal?
• October 31: Don't be scared this Halloween! Before you head out for trick-or-treat, don't let hunger make you scary. Sit down for a family meal to talk about your favorite Halloween traditions. And call claim to your favorite candy bars!
• Did you know? Family meals improve family functioning, defined as family connectedness, communication, expressiveness, and problem-solving.¹⁶

November

• November 6 is National Nacho Day! What a delicious family snack that can be topped with fruits, vegetables, favorite proteins and more.
• Fourth Thursday in November: Thanksgiving. Give thanks to your family and friends by celebrating together. It's the ultimate family meal.
• Did you know? Research suggests that family meals have long-term influences on children's biopsychosocial well-being, demonstrating higher levels of general fitness and lower levels of soft drink consumption, physical aggression, oppositional behavior, nonaggressive delinquency, and reactive aggression among those who consume family meals.¹⁷

December

• The holidays are upon us! Schedules are full and erratic, but it's a good time to sit down and regroup with your family for a meal. Family meals nourish the spirit, brain and health of all family members.
• The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is National Day of Giving. It's a great day to donate to your favorite hunger charities and help others enjoy their family meals.
• December 8th is National Brownie Day. Make dessert for your family meal – what better way to enjoy some time together today?
• Children who grow up sharing family meals are more likely to exhibit prosocial behavior as adults, such as sharing, fairness, and respect.