A key ingredient in the recipe for a happy family is time spent around the dinner table. Making time for family dinners isn’t just a great opportunity to catch up and spend quality time with your loved ones though, extensive research has demonstrated a wealth of physical and mental health benefits associated with regular family dinners.
“There have been more than 20 years of dozens of studies that document that family dinners are great for the body, the physical health, the brain and academic performance, and the spirit or the mental health,” says Anne Fishel, executive director of the Family Dinner Project, a nonprofit committed to helping families reap the benefits of time spent eating together and focusing on food, fun and conversation about things that matter.
“Kids who grow up having family dinners, when they’re on their own tend to eat more healthily and to have lower rates of obesity, Fishel says. “Regular family dinners are associated with lower rates of depression, and anxiety, and substance abuse, and eating disorders, and tobacco use, and early teenage pregnancy, and higher rates of resilience and higher self esteem.”
To help your family prioritize family dinners, we’re starting a series of stories and recipes shared by chefs, cookbook authors, members of the community, and their families to help you have Better Family Dinners.
Latest Recipes:
Replicate These Decadent State Fair Recipes At Home
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Fair food is one of life’s happiest treats. And even though summer is winding down, you can still enjoy some of your favorite fair dishes with this baker’s dozen of deliciousness.
In-Season Summer Recipe: Saranello’s Rigatoni with Charred Eggplant from Chef Mychael Bonner
Eggplant and cherry tomatoes are the star ingredients; nothing beats fresh, in-season ingredients. While this is labeled a summer dish, eggplant and cherry tomato season runs through October, so it’s not too late to try this recipe!
Better Family Dinners: Bacon-Wrapped Dates and Patatas Bravas Recipes from Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! Chef Eric Jorgensen
Bacon makes everything better, right? This recipe brings together the sweet and savory in the best way!
7 Simple, Satisfying Seafood Recipes
Seafood lovers looking for something new to serve can choose from these recipes that range from salmon cakes to Baked Thai Shrimp Wontons
Better Family Dinners: Make Giuliana Rancic’s Mom’s Famous Pasta Recipe — Mama DePandi’s Bucatini
What’s better than a hearty bowl of pasta? The entire family will love this dish from Giuliana Rancic’s recipe collection.
