We get it - it’s not always possible to sit down as a family for all three meals every day. Life has a horrible habit of getting in the way of our best intentions. But we really recommend making the evening meal a non-negotiable, all around the table affair.
First of all, mindful eating is a habit that has been shown to help with controlling one’s weight and digesting one’s food properly and is something we all need to do. We also need to teach our children that “guzzle and go” is not healthy. You cannot eat mindfully in front of the TV or while scrolling through social media. What better place to practice mindful eating than all together around the dining table?
It also allows the family time together to chat, to share and solve problems, to plan exciting things or even just to plan the next day. It allows you to relax together, lowering stress levels. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been shown to contribute to lack of weight control so any way of lowering stress is a plus.
Family time is being eroded by our modern high-paced lifestyles so why not kill two birds with one stone - practice eating mindfully and enhance family happiness by making sure that dinnertime is something that happens together around the table.