Family meals – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

November 29, 2023

Meal kits are booming – but how do they stack up nutritionally?

Kylie Fraser, Deakin University; Alison Spence, Deakin University; Karen Campbell, Deakin University, and Penny Love, Deakin University

The vegetable content of meal kit meals mean it’s more about the meals you choose and less about what company to use.

Communal meals are a social glue that binds people together. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images

August 11, 2023

Gut microbes are the community within you that you can’t live without – how eating well can cultivate your microbial and social self

Christopher Damman, University of Washington

Nurturing your gut microbiome can go hand in hand with nurturing your social community, with health benefits all around.

Moms and dads have better physical and mental health when they dine with their children – despite all the work of a family meal. Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

April 30, 2021

Family meals are good for the grown-ups, too, not just the kids

Anne Fishel, Harvard University

All that planning, shopping, prepping, serving and cleaning can pay off with better physical and mental health for all members of the family.

June 2, 2020

Plates, cups and takeaway containers shape what (and how) we eat

Abby Mellick Lopes, University of Technology Sydney and Karen Weiss, Western Sydney University

The colour, size, shape and weight of your cutlery and crockery affect how you eat. Your popcorn can seem saltier and your coffee sweeter.

In some households, children have been learning to cook and bake while parents are home during the pandemic. Catherine Delahaye via Getty Images

June 1, 2020

5 ways eating in a pandemic is improving your relationship with food – and why you should stick with them

Stephanie Meyers, Boston University

A nutritionist shares five habits becoming more common during the pandemic that she hopes will continue. Eating family meals together is just the start.

Parenting win: Your children leave home and say, ‘I loved family time when I was little. Every Friday night was dinner and games.’ Shutterstock

January 16, 2019

Boost kids’ skills and memories with weekly game night

Hetty Roessingh, University of Calgary and Michelle Bence, University of Calgary

A regular family ritual like a dinner and games night contributes to the rhythm and predictability of life and becomes part of a family’s unique DNA.

Reading recipes enhances vocabulary. Baking involves measurement, addition and subtraction. Slicing your personal pizza is a great way to explain fractions to your child. (Shutterstock)

December 16, 2018

The gift of cooking: Five fun and healthy recipe books for kids

Kathryn Walton, University of Guelph and Angela Wallace, University of Guelph

Research shows that cooking with your kids helps them try more foods, eat more healthily and waste less food. It also offers opportunities to practise math and bond as a family.

Working together on a once-a-year project feels festive and special. Flotsam/Shutterstock.com

December 12, 2017

An anthropologist explains why we love holiday rituals and traditions

Dimitris Xygalatas, University of Connecticut

Holiday traditions – whether culinary, religious, decorative or musical – help families bond and individuals feel stable and content.

Non-compliance at mealtimes can be stressful for parents. However, research shows that independence at mealtimes is completely appropriate for children as they learn to discriminate based on newly recognized qualities of foods such as taste, texture, presentation and familiarity. (Shutterstock)

December 4, 2017

Is your child a picky eater? Five ways to fun and healthy mealtimes

Kathryn Walton, University of Guelph and Jess Haines, University of Guelph

A picky eater need not ruin dinner and drive parents crazy. Two nutrition experts offer simple strategies for happier and healthier family mealtimes.

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