Holidays: the benefits of family meals

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Extract from the article: The love of family meals and gastronomy is so much a part of the French way of life that it has been included in UNESCO's list of the world's intangible cultural heritage. And while it's a moment we all enjoy, it's also good for our health. A study c

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The love of family meals and gastronomy is so much a part of the French way of life that it has been included in UNESCO's list of the world's intangible cultural heritage. And while it's a moment we all enjoy, it's also good for our health. A study conducted by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition and a researcher from the Energy Balance and Nutrition Laboratory at the University of Delaware (USA) has highlighted the benefits of family meals.

The study, published in the « Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior », shows that families who eat together have better results and better dietary functioning.

More balanced family meals

A systematic review and meta-analysis of all relevant studies published in a peer-reviewed journal in English before December 2018 was carried out. The researchers found that family meals eaten together largely promote fruit and vegetable consumption. Previously, studies only looked at how family meals affected fruit consumption or vegetable consumption when examined separately, but current research has combined fruit and vegetables to understand the influence of family meals on their consumption.

The study also found that family meals improve family functioning, which is defined as connectivity and communication, expressiveness and problem-solving. There are thousands of individual studies examining the influence of family meals on nutrition and family behavior, but this new meta-analysis looks at the relationship between family meal frequency and family functioning outcomes.We can confirm that family meals contribute significantly to improved nutrition and family functioning.What's impressive is the positive behavioral changes we've seen over the past five years: it's important for families to eat as many family meals as possible every week, and many are willing to commit to doing so throughout the year.

The practice of family meals is not as sacralized in Togo. For this reason, nutritionists, health professionals, relatives and guardians, sociologists, teachers and opinion leaders need to raise awareness of the importance of promoting family meals. Togolese people must be encouraged to cultivate this conviviality within the family.

William O.