Dine In Day, December 3rd, is a day to set aside and share a nutritious meal with family, friends, and colleagues and have good conversation. Dining In at home together really does make a difference in the lives of our families – biological or otherwise. Sharing a meal is so fundamental to the human experience that sometimes we take this simple task for granted. Dining In at home together decreases our families’ chance of being overweight or obese. It improves our families’ relationships. We save money and eat healthier when Dining In.
Not enough time, busy schedules, and too much stress, however, might make this seemingly impossible for many families.
So here are some tips that might make Dining In a little easier for you and your family from AAFCS (American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences).
- Make family meals a priority and agree upon a schedule.
- Try to have regular family meals two to three times per week.
- If dinnertime doesn’t work, have family breakfasts or snacks.
- Keep meals simple. Slow cookers save time in the evening!
- Double recipes and freeze food for a second meal.
- Set aside 30 minutes on the weekend for meal planning.
- Make family meals fun and include children in food preparation. How about having breakfast for dinner?
- Discuss neutral or positive topics at the table. Stumped for what to talk about? Try this conversation starter: “What fun thing did you do today?”
- Eliminate distractions like TV and cell phones.
- Eat slowly and enjoy your time as a family!
Dine In with Family
To help you make the pledge to Dine In with your family December 3rd, go to http://www.aafcs.org/fcsday/commit-to-dining-in/fcs-day-sign-up and make your very easy commitment today. After that, see how many more Dine In days you can make with your family.
To learn more about the Benefits of Family Meals, read http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY136200.pdf
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