Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier - Family and Healthier Kid

Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes - with so much to do, dinner has been bumped to the back burner.But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Studies have tied shared meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders.Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice, the book explains how to:

• Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners
• Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief)
• Adapt meals to the needs of everyone - from toddlers to teens
• Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods
• Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating
• Add an element of fun
• Reduce tension at the table
• Explore other cultures and spark curiosity about the world

Mealtime is a place to unwind and reconnect, far from the pressures of school and work. As the author notes, family therapy can be helpful, but regular dinner is transformative.

List of contents

CONTENTS

Foreword by Michael Thompson, Ph.D. ix

Acknowledgments xiii

PART ONE: SETTING THE TABLE

1. Welcome to the Table 3

2. What's So Great About Family Dinners? 12

3. One Size Dinner Doesn't Fit All Ages 24

PART TWO: THE MAIN COURSE: FOOD, FUN, AND CONVERSATION

4. Tips for Healthy Eating 49

5. Play with Your Food 77

6. Table Talk That Goes Beyond "How Was Your Day?” 103

7. Telling Stories to Promote Empathy, Self-Esteem, Resilience, and Enjoyment 119

PART THREE: SERVING IT FORWARD: USING DINNER TO MAKE CHANGE IN YOUR FAMILY AND BEYOND

8. Lessons Learned from The Family Dinner Project 139

9. Dinner as a Laboratory for Change 159

10. Extending the Dinner Table to the Wide World 177

Notes 199

Resources 213

Index 217

About the Author 223

About the author

ANNE K. FISHEL, PH.D., is the director of the Family and Couples Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate clinical professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School. As cofounder of The Family Dinner Project, she has been interviewed by NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Good Housekeeping, Parents magazine, and other major media. She writes the Digital Family blog for Psychology Today.

Summary

Has your family dinner table become a landing spot for junk mail, homework, and bills? Is scheduled dinnertime in your home 6:00 for mom, 7:00 or later for dad, and . . . are the kids even home tonight or do they have another activity to get to? Because with sports, activities, long hours, and commutes, family dinners seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur . . . And it’s time to bring them back--before it’s too late!Studies have tied shared family meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders. Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table.Parents looking to make family dinnertime more than just a fantasy will find inside this invaluable, life-saving resource highly relatable stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice to help them:• Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners• Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief!)• Adapt meals to the needs of everyone--from toddlers to teens• Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods• Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating• Reduce tension at the table• And moreBoth parents and kids need a family mealtime environment that allows them to unwind and reconnect from the pressures of school and work. More than just offering them nutrition and energy for another intense day of jet-setting about, the incalculable family therapy provided for all will far surpass the small sacrifices it took to gather around the table for a short time.

Product details

• Authors: Anne Fishel, Anne K. Fishel, Ph D Fishel, Ph. D. Fishel, Ph.d. Fishel
• Publisher: Amacon Book Division
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2015
• EAN: 9780814433706
• ISBN: 978-0-8144-3370-6
• No. of pages: 240
• Series: UK Professional Business Management / Business
• Subjects: Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Family; HEALTH & FITNESS / Diet & Nutrition / General, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Parenting / General