Take the Family Mealtime Challenge!

Revamp your meal routine and connect with your family!  Take the Family Mealtime Challenge!

Eating meals together is one of the best ways to build connections, strengthen relationships, and share family values. You can use what you learn in the challenge for years to come.

The Health and Wellness Collaborative brings together many organizations, in partnership with Allina Health and South Washington County Schools, to foster better ways for families to connect over a meal.  Over the past 4 years we’ve been in nine schools, and we want everyone in our community to take part!

The Family Mealtime Challenge is simple – we want to help you increase the quality of food and the quality of connection during mealtime.  You can do this anywhere – with your family, with friends and neighbors, grandparents, scout troops, on vacation, at home!  It’s free and we give you everything you need.

About the Challenge

The Family Mealtime Challenge focuses on three main challenge areas:

Eat. Talk. Connect.

Research has found that eating family meals together regularly (at least a few times a week) is associated with enhanced health and well-being for children and adolescents. Eat. Talk. Connect. is all about challenging families to enjoy more family meals together, and to use them as an opportunity to have meaningful, distraction-free conversations as a family. Not sure what to talk about?  We can help you!

Add Colorful Fruits and Vegetables

Different colors provide different nutrients. Eat a variety to ensure you are getting the most benefit! Add Colorful Fruits and Vegetables challenges families to incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal.

Eat (and Drink) Less Sugar

When you eat sugar, your body uses it for energy. Eating a little bit of sugar is OK, but too much sugar isn’t good for your body or your teeth. Sugar is in many foods like candy and ice cream but it can also be hidden in other foods and beverages (cereal, yogurt, granola bars, juice, soda and more).

Why Join the Challenge?

All family members benefit from family meals, but there is extensive research that shows how eating family meals together on a regular basis has a particular positive impact on the well-being of children and adolescents!

Enjoying family meals together on a regular basis:

  • Boosts vocabulary for young children
  • Is a powerful predictor of high achievement scores
  • Naturally provides more fruits, vegetables, vitamins and micronutrients to be consumed
  • Reduces the risk of youth substance abuse
  • Is associated with lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts
  • Gives kids who are victims of bullying/cyberbullying the ability to bounce back more readily
  • Improves the moods of adolescents and gives them a more positive view of the future
  • Reduces the negative impact of stress on kids
  • Strengthens family ties and parent-child communication
  • Can contribute to better grades in school

Children who have family meals on a regular basis are more likely to:

  • Have family support and positive adult role models
  • Have positive peer influences
  • Be engaged in school
  • Have positive values and identity

Get Started!

  1. Select a two-week timeframe to conduct your challenge*
  2. Pick out a jar to hold your Conversation Starters
  3. Print the Conversation Starters and the Bingo Challenge
  4. Cut out the Conversation Starters and decorate your jar
  5. Follow the Bingo Challenge to complete as many challenges as you can!

*This Challenge works best for a two week period. However, your family can continue to have fun and use the challenges and conversation starters throughout the year!

Here’s what people are saying:

“Using the conservation starters, we learned things about each other we may never have asked, otherwise.”

“The question jar was great. Everyone got really excited about it, and we learned so much about how our kids think.”

“Quality communication is improved during every meal. Dining area has become a knowledge sharing space.”

Watch Our Video Below

Did you already take the Family Mealtime Challenge? Let us know your thoughts! Take our survey here!

Working Together

Sources:

Cook, E. And Dunifon, R. (2012). Do family meals really make a difference? Cornell University Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from: http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/outreach/upload/Family-Mealtimes-2.pdf

Eisenberg, M.E., Olson, R.E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., and Bearinger, L.H. (2004). Correlations between family meals and psychological well-being among adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 158(8), 792-796.

Gengler, C. (2011). Teens and Family Meals. University of Minnesota Extension. Retrieved from http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/families-with-teens/fact-sheets/teens-and-family-meals.pdf

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. (2012). The importance of family dinners VIII. Retrieved from: http://www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/importance-of-family-dinners-2012

Paredes, A.Z., Persaud, E., and Shelnutt, K.P. (2013). Raising healthy children: The importance of family meals. University of Florida, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1195