The Ever Growing Importance of Meal Planning and Family Dinner Hour
Author: Susan Koza

What has happened to us? There once was a time when we would
all come home from school or work and sit down with our families
and enjoy the ritual of family mealtime. It was the best meal of
the day, offering a wide variety of nutrition and family
conversation.

Today, less than half of American families eat dinner together
and when they do, these meals last less than 20 minutes and are
lacking in proper nutrition. The fact is our life styles have
changed from those magical days of Ozzie and Harriet. Thanks to
the Internet, cell phones and palm pilots, business is conducted
on an almost 24/7 basis. Even conversations with our children
are often times through text messages or cell phone. Sporting
events and outside activities for children have become almost
maniacal in the demands made upon the family. It has become a
race against time so that we can fit it all in. Something has to
give, and that unfortunately has been the family dinner hour.

When we squeeze out the family dinner we sacrifice more than
you could ever imagine. According to a study conducted by the
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University, the children that dined regularly with their
families were 31 per cent less likely to smoke, drink or take
drugs and do better in school.

Healthy self-esteem for children can be built around a family
dinner table. Parents can take the time to listen and help their
children sort out the struggles of the day without interference
of phones, tv's and computers.

Our hectic life styles only give time for overly processed
foods or even worse "fast foods." This poor nutrition has
resulted in children contracting what was once considered "adult
diseases" at an alarming rate. High blood pressure, high
cholesterol, diabetes and obesity all stem from poor nutrition
and processed foods.

Not only is the family dinner hour a great time to catch up on
each other's lives, it also offers more tangible benefits.
Family dinner hour can improve grades at school and promote a
richer vocabulary. Younger family members that do not have the
interaction of speaking within the family group often struggle
with poor communication skills. In troubling times such as
these, the routine of a family meal helps to ease tensions and
frustrations of teens and young children by receiving guidance
and assurance through other family members.

Planning these meals, shopping for the ingredients, and to a
lesser extent, cooking the dinners, is a time consuming task. In
many cases, time needed for both professional careers and for
the children's extra-curricular activities make it nearly
impossible to coordinate the family dinner. However, now more
than ever, it is important to invest this time. The dividends
are worth the effort. Today, make your family feel special.
Prepare a nutritious meal and sit down to a family dinner. Find
out what is up with your children and make the time to talk with
each one. Unplug the world and plug into your children for one
hour ever day.


About The Author: Sue Koza is Co-Owner of
http://DinnerPlanner.com. Providing busy familys with meal
planning solutions. http://www.dinnerplanner.com