Family Meals Month – Breaking Down Barriers

Macey – RDN, LD

Grab your family, friends and some tasty food because it’s National Family Meals Month™! All over the country, we celebrate September as a month to prioritize family meals, even if that means committing to just one more family meal each week. Why? Because family meals are super important! Not only have family meals been shown to improve fruit and vegetable consumption, they have also been shown to improve family functioning¹. Additionally, in today’s fast-paced world, family meals offer a time to slow down and connect over food. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges that come along with getting everyone around the dinner table. Let’s chat about some common barriers to organizing family meals and tips for simplifying mealtimes!

Budget

Keeping family meals cost-friendly is important and doable with the use of these tips and some planning! My first tip is to utilize a variety of forms of vegetables (the same goes for fruit and grains). I love to utilize frozen varieties of vegetables because they store for longer amounts of time, meaning less food waste, which means money saved over time! Frozen vegetables have the same if not more nutrients than fresh so rest assured, they’re still a nutritious option for family mealtimes. We have an abundance of frozen vegetable options available in store and online. Look for the options with no added sodium!

Another money-saving tip I have is to choose cost-friendly protein sources. Pork is such a great option because it’s affordable, there are tons of lean cuts to choose from, and it’s packed full of nutrients! Dietitian Tip: look for the words “chop” or “loin” when shopping for lean cuts of pork!

Time

In today’s go-go-go world, family meals offer up an opportunity to slow down and spend time with our loved ones. And while most of us appreciate the extra time spent dining with our favorite people, we may not all love the extra time sometimes required to prepare for dining. The great thing is, family meals don’t have to be fancy or time-consuming. What’s important is setting aside distraction-free time to gather, communicate and bond! Check out these recipes that don’t take long to prepare AND are budget friendly!

Dietitian Tip: use frozen veggies in these recipes to save money and time!

Varying Preferences

Regardless of who you dine with, whether it’s your friends or family there are bound to be differing food preferences. And that’s totally OK! In fact, I think that’s what makes mealtime fun and interesting. However, I do understand that it can make communal mealtimes a little trickier. Remember, as the meal provider, it is your responsibility to decide what is being served for the meal. Whoever is sitting down at the table then gets to decide what foods they want on their plate and how much. Don’t overthink it! Even though caregivers decide what is being served, that doesn’t mean others can’t be involved in the preparation of the meal. Getting the whole family involved can help get even the most selective eaters on board with trying a new food. In fact, kids who are involved with the preparation of their food are more likely to try and eat that food!

How ever you’re celebrating Family Meals Month™, I hope these tips come in handy! Remember, family meals don’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming! Simply taking some extra time to connect over food is so important and has an abundance of benefits. With that, I hope you’ll join me in adding one more family meal to your week throughout September and beyond!

Macey Brickweg, Registered Dietitian
RDN, LD

Sources cited:
1. FMI Foundation. (2022). Staying Strong with Family Meals.

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