Maintaining structured family meals is one of the most important things you can do in your household during these unprecedented social times. Here are some tips for successful family meals and structured snack ideas for kids.
Our societal “normal” has changed in countless ways, inside and outside of the home.
For parents and caregivers, one of the largest adjustments has been having children at home more frequently than normal.
While we know quality time with family is something everyone is grateful for, we also understand that this much time together with loved ones can place additional stress on typical household routines.
One of the areas most affected for many families has been mealtime, specifically the structure and environment of meals and snacks with kids.
If you’re feeling a strain on your family’s eating habits, here are some ideas for settling into this new normal at home.
Importance of Eating Together
In the midst of uncertainty and disruption of regular routines, one place to focus on is the family meal table. Prioritizing family meals can have both short-term and lasting positive impacts on both kids and adults.
Kids who regularly enjoy meals with at least one family member actually reap health benefits.
Eating with the family teaches children proper feeding behaviors and encourages more exploration with food. Seeing mom enjoy carrots increases the likelihood that baby will try and enjoy them as well!
Furthermore, eating together can be a pleasant time of conversation and family bonding over healthy, delicious food.
Family Meal Benefits
Here are some evidence-based benefits of enjoying family meals:
- Kids who eat family meals regularly have a higher intake of fruits and vegetables.
- Kids who eat more meals with their family have a lower intake of soda, fried foods, and saturated fat.
- Family meals are associated with healthier body weights and positive eating habits. One study of 4-year-old children found that those who ate dinner as a family more than five nights a week had a 23-25% reduced risk of obesity.
How to Enjoy Successful Family Meals
With the current state of things, it can feel challenging to continue to sit down as a a family for regular meals when it often seems like chaos ensues between mealtimes.
We encourage you to continue making an effort to schedule regular mealtimes as a family.
Here are a few tips for making family meals more likely to be a success:
- Remove distractions like phones and television. Being distracted, especially by screens, can lead to over- and under-eating. When a child isn’t focused on mealtime, he or she can learn to be out-of-tune with hunger and fullness cues, which are important for intuitive eating habits.
- Keep things positive. Ask everyone to share one good thing about their day! Many families enjoy sharing the highs and lows of each day as a way of celebrating wins and sharing support for one another.
- Any meal works, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack. This isn’t meant to make mealtime more stressful, so just do what you can. We know family meals aren’t possible for all families all of the time, but the more you can do it the better!
Keep in mind, it only takes one other person eating with your child to count as a “family meal.”
If you can’t sit down, maybe your husband can, another sibling, or grandparent. If you’re a single working parent, ask your caregiver to eat with your child.
Tips for Structured Snacks
It can be tempting to just leave the pantry door open and let your kids grab their own snacks throughout the day while they’re at home.
But “grazing” all day can also result in both over- and under-eating. If you’re wondering why your little just picks at his lunch or dinner, inconsistent snacking may be the culprit.
Consistency in your food offerings gives children security.
With the knowledge that another meal or snack will always come at a predictable time, they can trust their hunger and fullness cues and eat exactly the amount they need to fuel their unique needs
The next time your tot is begging for snacks at an off time, remind them that another meal/snack is coming shortly.
A simple, “It’s not time for snack right now but we’ll be eating in ___ minutes,” will suffice.
Structured Snack Ideas
A good way to continue offering snacks right now is to make them a pre-planned part of your child’s day, instead of a free-for-all.
For example, instead of preparing snacks every time your child asks for one throughout the day,
We recently heard of a mom who was making her kids a “snack basket” every morning, filled with predetermined snacks that they can choose from throughout the day.
We love this idea because not only does it give older kids some sense of control over their snack options, it also minimizes mindless grazing between meals.
For toddlers and kids too young to understand this concept, we still suggest preparing snacks for them on a scheduled basis.
Some examples of healthy snacks you could offer (or include in the snack basket) include:
- Apple slices with nut butter
- Box of raisins and whole grain crackers
- Clementine orange segments with pretzels
- Bell pepper slices and hummus
- Roasted chickpeas and pear slices
Maintaining structured family meals is one of the most important things you can do in your household during these unprecedented social times. Here are some tips for successful family meals and structured snack ideas for kids.
Chime In: How have your family meals changed during this season? What tips can you incorporate to help maintain healthy eating habits?
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