Life
is often hectic, and filled with responsibilities. Nonetheless, the ritual of
eating meals around the kitchen or dining room table can help you and your
loved ones feel centered, nourished, and energized. Whether it’s your nuclear
family, your life partner or roommate, or a group of congenial friends, eating meals at
home together is salve for the spirit, and does wonders for wellness.
A
consistent habit of eating meals together bolsters everyone’s sense of
well-being. According to data
collected in the National Survey of Children’s Health, 48% of youth surveyed
ate a meal together with their families every day during the previous week. Additional
studies show that children who knew a lot about their family history, through
family meals and other interactions, had a closer relationship to family
members, higher self-esteem, were less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, and
had a greater sense of control over their own lives.
Gathering
with folks to break bread is a relaxing, restorative social function. It’s a
great time to put aside electronic devices and daily tasks temporarily. Partaking
in regular family meals establishes a tradition of unity as well as provides an
opportunity to hone communication skills. Mealtime talk demonstrates by example
the “how-to” of polite, effective conversation. Each person involved will have
the experience of taking turns to share the happenings of the day, light
moments, and the joys and sorrows of being part of the human race.
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| Slow Roasted Black Eyed Peas, Roasted Carrots, Greens and Sprouts |
Research indicates that
home cooked meals reap mighty nutritional benefits. The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has found meals and snacks
based on food prepared away from home contained more calories per meal than
those based on at-home food. Away-from-home food was also higher in ingredients
that Americans over-consume (sodium, sugar, and saturated fat) and lower in
nutrients that Americans under consume (calcium, fiber, and iron).
Although
it requires planning, know how, and time to assemble and serve a healthy meal
at home, you and your family or
friends can share responsibility for prepping meals, setting the table, and clean
up. When you consciously choose to incorporate a variety of fresh produce,
whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and fruit into meals served at home, you and
your loved ones will get back on the wellness track. Purchase these foods at
the peak of freshness and you’ll get more of the body’s daily requirement for
vitamins, protein, minerals, complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, fiber,
water, and antioxidants. Menu planning and cooking food for oneself and others
are positive life skills. It’s good training for both youngsters and oldsters.
The first group grows up and the second may lose a partner through divorce or
death. Both kinds of individuals often need to fend for themselves as they live
on their own.
You can design a
more relaxing ambiance for healthy eating and good communication at home than
in many restaurants. When you eat at a fast food place or even a moderately
priced restaurant, more than likely you will be bombarded by loud music or offensive
smells like excessive perfume or rancid cooking oils. Perhaps your serenity is
disturbed by people at a nearby table, who shout into their cell phones or are
accompanied by a crying baby.
At
home, you can regulate the air conditioning or heat to your liking, you won’t
get a rush job, or be served by ineffective or rude wait staff. Although there
are no large-scale studies to show that it’s more cost effective to dine at
home, I’ve found that if I plan ahead, buy sale items and in-season, local
produce, and freeze what I can’t use for another meal, I save money and time shopping
and cooking. An informal study I conducted indicates that all those interviewed
do think it makes good sense to eat more meals at home. Here’s a link comparing time and money saving of a Fast Food Meal vs. a Home-cooked One.
If
you eat at home, there’s no need to drive to an out of the way location or get
tied up in traffic, before you can eat that meal. Even if you pick a restaurant
that’s close-by, it’s hard to assure the cook doesn’t add too much oil, salt,
sugar, or processed ingredients rather than serve a low sodium, low fat, whole
food meal.
Family
connections require attention to sustain them. Make it a
point to eat at least one meal together daily, and you will automatically reserve
a place in your busy schedule for shared time. Often, it’s the only time when
you and your loved ones aren’t rushing to get somewhere else. Make family meals
as uncomplicated as possible. To give them a festive flair, serve foods on dinner
wear instead of paper plates. You don’t need a special occasion to use a tablecloth and cloth napkins. Decorate your home with flowers
and candles to celebrate the next birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other
special occasion, when you might have been tempted in the past to eat out. A
delicious home cooked meal conveys caring and interest in the people you cook for.
When you and your family eat nourishing food at home, it broadcasts a
positive message about warm sentiments and a passion for good health. For fun, gather
individual family members together each week, when no one has to leave early. Stay in your pajamas, and each help prepare a meal that includes lean protein and
complete carbohydrates, instead of fattening bacon, home fries, and eggs. Before too
long, you’ll realize your clothing has gotten looser and it's much more cozy to stay put, than it is to drag yourself out in that rainstorm, heat, or other
inclement weather to have a meal in a restaurant. Celebrate the joy of eating the earth’s
bounty at home with family and friends. Nurture your body, mind, and spirit by
entertaining and eating healthfully at home more often.
The quotation for today follows:
“To make changes like this more widespread we need action
both cultural and political. The cultural lies in celebrating real food;
raising our children in homes that don’t program them for fast-produced,
eaten-on-the-run, high-calorie, low-nutrition junk; giving them the gift of
appreciating the pleasures of nourishing one another and enjoying that
nourishment together.” Mark Bittman
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