by Heidi Copeland | Feb 13, 2013
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/healthyeating/pdfs/KTB Family Cookbook 2010.pdf
Download the deliciously healthy family meals cookbook
What timeless words of wisdom!
More recently, researchers at Rutgers University conducted a Meta study looking at 68 studies that examined the relationship between family meals, eating habits, and children’s health. Specifically, they wanted to know if there was a correlation between family meals and obesity.
Interestingly, because so many of the studies outcomes were in general agreement, it makes sense to keep them in mind. The data suggests that family mealtime does indeed have a wealth of benefits, especially for children.
When families make mealtimes more of a priority, they tend to pay more attention to what is served. Children who have more family meals get more of the nutrient-rich foods that build strong bodies and smart brains: more fruits, veggies, lean meats, and low-fat milk; fewer fried foods and soft drinks.
Additionally, researchers found that the quality time spent together during a family meal helps build relationships as well as foster healthy eating habits such as eating slowly, enjoying a variety of foods, and stopping when comfortably satisfied rather than overstuffed.
Remember, the research does not promise if your family eats together your children will be magically perfect; it is the sharing between family members that is important.
Make as many family meals as possible a priority. By making some healthy and realistic goals you have a plan for success. How?
Step 1: Get Ready
Involve all family members in the planning by allowing each person a chance to talk about their food preferences.
Step 2: Plan the main courses
Plan for a week the foods your family enjoys, your budget, the time you have to prepare it as well as nutrition.
Step 3: Stock the kitchen with staples
Stocking the pantry, refrigerator and freezer with essential ingredients makes it easy to prepare a quick and tasty meal.
Step 4: Make the cooking easy
Family meals do not have to be a formal dinner. Try strategies that work for you to spend less time preparing and more time enjoying a family meal.
Example: Save preparation time using ready-to-eat fresh vegetables or salads.
Make family mealtimes a normal part of your family life. This very simple activity can help to sustain a family’s health and culture, connect each generation to each other at the same time providing indispensable life skills, as well as the deeply rooted satisfaction in making something with your own family’s hands.
Try these websites for quick an easy family friendly recipes.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_healthcooking
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/kbrec/family-friendly-recipes
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/healthyeating/pdfs/KTB_Family_Cookbook_2010.pdf
by Heidi Copeland | Jan 29, 2013
Family traditions bind us together.
According to the Free Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary, there are countless definitions of family. Perhaps, one definition that most could agree on is that a family is a group of people united by certain convictions or a common connection.
Don’t let the pressures of this hectic and ever-changing holiday season (or any of life’s changes for that matter) affect a positive family balance. Try to make the most of your family relationships and build meaningful traditions. Traditions are the glue, the true and lasting bond that unite families with a sense of belonging, continuity, and routine that family members can depend on year after year, generation after generation.
If you don’t have any family traditions…don’t get overwhelmed.
Suzanna Smith, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Life, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida, provides a great publication that lists characteristics that build strong and resilient families. (Publication #FCS2057)
Listed are her ideas plus an example to get you started.
1. Focus on commitment to each other. Committed families provide a sense of safety and security that say we belong. Designate time exclusively for family.
2. Respect values, physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness. A family environment is complex and involves many factors. As a family, decide what to do to help promote your family values. Board games anyone?
3. Encourage effective family communication. Practice positive speaking. Communication is not just talking. Practice a flexible approach to listening, talking, and reacting. Positive speaking focuses on the things we value most. Example…. “I love that you are a considerate person.”
4. Promote appreciation of all family members. Celebrate the wonderful qualities of those people you care about most. In the words of Mother Teresa, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”
5. Providing meaningful and sufficient time together. An effective way to build the skill of time together is to learn to share stories about your family. These stories can be a means of conveying the caring and tradition of your family system. Try eating family meals together, without distraction, as often as possible.
6. Offering effective strategies to deal with stress. Learn to recognize the signs of tension and do something positive to deal with it. Physical activity of any kind is shown to work wonders here. Go for a walk, get up and stretch, or just remove yourself from the situation.
Make time this season to review or build some new, strong, and resilient family traditions of your own. And remember, there are no rules and there is no “right” way to do this. Building family strengths (traditions) helps families solve problems, adapt to change, and have fun!
For more information, visit EDIS – the Electronic Data Information Source of UF/IFAS Extension, a collection of information on topics relevant to you. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/departments/fycs.html
