Beyond Food, What Makes a Meal Healthy? Tips for Families.

Beyond food

Aside from the food, what else makes a meal healthy? It's easy to focus just on what you eat, but it turns out, there are a lot of different ways in which you can create a healthy meal! 

Here are just a few ideas on how you can set you and your family up to enjoy a pleasurable meal together:

1. Eating together as a family

Health experts emphasizes the importance of eating meals with others, as often as if possible. While it is not always possible, research shows some key benefits of sharing meals with your family members. These benefits can include:

• Improved dietary intake for everyone (more fruits, veggies, and other healthy foods)
• Stronger family ties
• An opportunity for parents to share values with kids
• Positive impact on young child's language development
• Reduced risk of childhood obesity

Sean Brotherson, Ph.D., expands upon the big benefits of family meals here. To read more about the health benefits of eating together as a family, check out our page on the Mediterranean Lifestyle here.

2. Using dinner as a way to connect

In our busy lives, it can be hard to find time to connect with one another. Dinnertime (or breakfast) can be a great touchpoint for reconnecting.

At dinner, we recommend focusing on things that the entire family enjoys. You could share highlights of your day, relive family memories, tell jokes or stories, or talk about activities that you are all looking forward to.

Your goal should be for you and your kids to remember family mealtime as a pleasant and enjoyable time together!

We've found it better not to use family meals as a time to talk about your kids’ negative behaviors or necessary corrections.

Those are important things to talk about, and should be discussed throughout the day. Reserving those conversations for family meetings or private times with each kid can make mealtime far more relaxing for everyone. 

3. Taking a moment before you dig in

In our house, once everyone is seated at the table, we take three deep breaths together and say a simple grace. Deep breathing helps everyone calm down, re-center themselves, and prepare for the meal.

I find that after taking a few moments, whether it is deep breathing, giving thanks, or a few moments of quiet, I am so much better able to appreciate and enjoy the meal.

Being more mindful before a meal can help prevent overeating, too.

4. Making the meal fun

Kids are much more likely to sit well at the table and eat without complaining if they are having fun. And happy kids make for happier parents!

Check out Top 10 Tips for Making Mealtime More Fun. It includes some unique ideas on how to make your dinner table more fun.

Some of our favorite family memories come from having fun at the table.

Other resources

We have tons of other resources for healthy family meals! Check out some of our favorite recipes. 

The Family Dinner Project is also a great resource for family dinner game ideas, cooking activities, and appropriate dinner conversations for the whole family!

Looking for the proven path to the Mediterranean Diet?