The Importance of Family Meals

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here's another piece of evidence that even a bad family tends to be better than none at all: eating together improves diet regardless of the family's level of functionality. 

Comments

[technoshaman]

This says at least as much about the availability of decent take-away as it does about any woo-woo shit about sitting down together. I know several people - including at least one mutual friend - for whom at some point shared mealtime was actively *dangerous*. I'll skip the salad and take my Flintstones to avoid getting something thrown at me, thanks.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> This says at least as much about the availability of decent take-away <<

The urgent need for healthier fast food is an issue unto itself. However, I note that options today are much better than they were 10-20 years ago. There are even a few really healthy places, like Core Life.

>> as it does about any woo-woo shit about sitting down together. I know several people - including at least one mutual friend - for whom at some point shared mealtime was actively *dangerous*. I'll skip the salad and take my Flintstones to avoid getting something thrown at me, thanks. <<

It does rather raise the issue of how far down the dysfunctional scale that study went.

Re: Thoughts

[technoshaman]

And believe you me, I've seen - not firsthand, but very very close secondhand - life-threateningly dysfunctional, more times than I care to count.

[witchka]

The researchers found that when families sit down together, adolescents and young adults eat more fruits and veggies and consume fewer fast-food and takeout items.

I wonder if anyone like my mother was in this study. I was lucky if we got mashed potato, tinned peas and devon (like bologna? I think. but less smoked.) on few but lucky occasions I got some minced beef and gravy, too. Often we had chips because she couldn't be bothered to make even potatoes. Somedays, seemingly to spite me, she mashed pumpkin in the mash which was about the only vegetable I wouldn't eat. that and beans (green beans) I hate pumpkin and beans... We didn't really eat any other kind of vege unless it was in a burger or in a stew my nan sent over or something.

There was also a lot of days when it was just devon and sauce or cheese...

By the time I was twelve if I wanted more than noodles I had to cook it myself generally unless mum was in a very good mood.

I know antedotes don't entirely disprove anything ever but still...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It does make me wonder how wide a diversity they had between "more functional" and "less functional" families. Less functional as in arguing for a divorce, or less functional as in throwing a chair at the scientists? Or less functional as in food-insecure?

[witchka]

Mum once told me we could switch burgers (she didn't even pay for this burgers, pls note. she only had any burger because my great aunt got me mcdonalds on the way home) and then nearly killed me over me believing her. I think I was six or seven...

I don't like meal time. Or other people offering me food (I don't mind sharing my own, though.)

O_O

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Mum once told me we could switch burgers (she didn't even pay for this burgers, pls note. she only had any burger because my great aunt got me mcdonalds on the way home) and then nearly killed me over me believing her. I think I was six or seven... <<

Well, that's horrifying.

>> I don't like meal time. <<

Perfectly understandable.

>> Or other people offering me food (I don't mind sharing my own, though.) <<

Huh. I hadn't encountered that one before. Usually it's the other way around -- people not wanting to share, or reacting badly if someone tries to take food. But if the burger incident was typical, it makes sense.

Re: O_O

[witchka]

Well, that's horrifying.

Yeah... it's only the start of Things That Happened and isn't even a notable incident comparatively.

The thing about sharing food is I know my own intentions with the food. Even if I'm only semi-willing to share it's still a response I can control. Other people offering food may be doing so out of some sense of etiquette and not really want too or expect me to say no despite asking me and I do not liiiike it. I basically never ate at my friends houses unless it was meal time even if I was starving because I didn't know if asking for a snack was okay.

[satsuma]

This seems more of an argument for meal planning, which has the bonus of being a much more easily teachable skill than say, “how to diffuse your parents arguments long enough for them to sit at the same table” would be.

I often eat better on days when I’m cooking for a group but thats just because I’m actually thinking about creating a balanced meal, instead of just grabbing things out of the fridge. But when I was living alone, planning my meals before I shopped & cooking in advance for the days I wouldn’t have time to do more than reheat food was just as effective, so