60 Years Ago, the average dinnertime was 90 minutes. Today it is less than 12 minutes. Why is family dinner so important? Kids and teens who share family dinners 3 or more times per week: Are less likely to be overweight Are more likely to eat healthy foods Perform better academically Are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (drugs, alcohol, sexual activity) Have better relationships with their parents And “More frequent family dinners are…
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It’s something that we parents never want to think about or imagine. The idea that the food we give our children could hurt them is terrifying, and yet kids 4 years old and younger are at the highest risk of choking. This is because they have not fully mastered chewing and will sometimes try to swallow large pieces of food that their bodies can’t handle. This is a terrifying prospect and the impulse to avoid…
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The Power of Condiments Years ago, when I was completing my health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, one of the instructors suggested serving every meal with lots of condiments. The idea was that if you put lots of options out on the table, everyone could make the meal their own, tailoring it to fit their tastes. The concept appealed to me as I have always been a sucker for flavor boosters, but…
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I was recently talking to a new Scramble member who mentioned that one of the unexpected positive outcomes of joining was that she no longer felt stressed about whether or not her kids were going to like the food she served for dinner. When I probed a little more, it became clear that this wasn’t because they suddenly loved everything, but because by being offered a plan and cooking from that plan, it felt less…
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The other night at dinner my 8-year-old, who was a picky eater for many years, said, out of the blue, “Do you remember when I used to be picky? I’m so glad I’m not anymore.” We then talked about how much things have changed and memories he had from dinners when he was younger. It was a wonderful moment because it showed how much his identity as an eater has changed. As we talked, it…
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