I remember Sunday dinners that seemed to go on for hours when I was growing up… My grandparents would join us, we’d have dinner, then coffee for the adults, and just hang around the table talking for ages. My dad loved to get a good discussion going, often about current news or sometimes about mischief he and his brother did as kids (that was our favourite topic!). This photo was taken by 11-year-old me, with my new camera in 1966!
So, it struck a chord when I read about a study done in Quebec that conducted surveys of families with young children to find out whether the environment during a typical family meal might influence learning, lifestyle and socializing.
They began by surveying families with 6-year-olds to determine the environment of a typical family meal. Four years later, when the children were age 10, they conducted more surveys: asking parents to assess their children’s lifestyle habits, teachers to gauge academic achievement, and the children themselves to assess their social adjustment from their point of view.
They found that improved family meal environment quality (eating together and engaging in conversation during the meal), predicted higher levels of physical fitness, decreased soft drink consumption, and less physical aggression and oppositional behaviour. Maybe all those family dinners had something to do with my dislike of Coke and joining the gymnastics and track and field teams... who knows?
But frequency of family meals is reported to be generally in decline. The Euromonitor International’s annual study of global consumers reports a world-wide trend towards less structured meal occasions, resulting from busy lifestyles, more unconventional working hours, increased single parent households and increased numbers of working women.
Breakfasts, once a regular sit-down meal, are reported to have become less consistent and are often now eaten on the run or skipped altogether. Snacking has increased because of smaller breakfasts and generally shorter lunch breaks (with many eating in their car while doing errands or even at their desks due to work pressures), leading to an increased demand for pre-packaged portable foods, unfortunately often highly preserved to increase shelf-life.
The annual study found that younger, urban consumer groups have particularly been trending towards more flexible and informal eating habits. Only approximately half of the populations around the world they surveyed still cook a meal entirely from raw ingredients at least once a week.
However, researchers also found a trend in recent years toward eating in rather than out. They reported that this was likely due to financial pressures from the recession that began in 2008. Use of prepared ingredients, such as sauces, is also reported to be on the rise, making home-cooked meals easier to prepare for those with less time. The researchers opinion was that now would be a good time for a public awareness program to encourage more frequent family dinners with conversation between adults and children, what they termed a quality eating environment.
Many of us just enjoyed a wonderful family dinner on Christmas day. The studies described above suggest that we should consider making this a regular event, especially if there are small children in the family.
But socialization is important for adults too. Studies of communities around the world with higher proportions of centenarians (people over 100 years old), referred to by researchers as “Blue Zones”, looked for shared characteristics. This is a list of what these communities had in common:
Family and social engagement
Semi-vegetarianism (majority of food from plant sources)
Legumes commonly consumed
Consistent moderate physical activity as part of life
Less smoking
This list seems to fit with the idea that eating food at home in a quality family environment could result in improved physical, academic and social outcomes for young children that persist for years. It also echoes Michael Pollan’s food rules (“Eat real food, mostly plants, and not too much”) that I discussed in an earlier blog.
Having a longer and healthier life does not have to be complicated. Plan simple meals that include plenty of fruits and vegetables, eat with family and friends whenever possible, and keep active throughout the day to stay fit -- all good habits to start creating a healthier lifestyle. Some claim you could add 10 quality years to your life by following this simple strategy.
So, doesn't that sound like a great New Year’s Resolution? Here's to a healthy 2018 for all of you!
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