The Benefits and Barriers to Family Dinner with Liz Weiss
February 1, 2018
Resources:
Family Dinner: Benefits and Barriers
I often talk on the Nourished Child about the importance of family dinner because I have seen the huge impact they have on the health of both children and parents.
When families sit down together and eat a home-cooked meal, children are being shown healthy eating habits by example, and everyone has a chance to reconnect after a busy day.
If that sounds a little too good to be true, don’t worry. There are still several hurdles we have to jump over to make it to the family table, especially if the practice is brand new for your brood.
That is why I am so excited to have Liz Weiss with me on the show today to talk about how to overcome some of these obstacles.
Liz is the voice behind Liz’s Healthy Table, a podcast about feeding our children easy and healthy meals. Her website and blog are filled to bursting with inspiration, recipes, and tips for serving beautiful, simple, and good-for-you meals that are sure to please.
Liz is also a frequent contributor to Today’s Dietitian, and one of the pioneers of the health and nutrition blog. She and her partner Janice started the much beloved “Meal Makeover Moms” blog and podcast that was very successful. I was even on the show, back in the day!
Now, Liz is with me to discuss all the incredible things she is doing over at Liz’s Healthy Table, and the tools she uses to gather a family around the table, distraction-free.
We’ll look back at the family meals that made an impact on our childhoods, as well as some of the modern challenges parents are facing with the advent of cell phones and busy schedules. It’s certainly an episode filled with practical tips and tricks, so you don’t want to miss out!
[bctt tweet=”Thirty percent of families sit down together 7 nights a week, but 40% still don’t. There is certainly room for improvement.” username=”pediRD”]
What You Will Learn about Family Dinner:
- Liz shares how her online community remembers family meals.
- The common barriers and modern challenges boil down to distraction, business, and pleasing everybody.
- Liz shares easy ways to re-prioritize our time to include family meals.
- Keep your kids busy but engaged while you cook!
- Your slow cooker is your friend!
- Ways to prevent distractions at the table.
[bctt tweet=”Being distraction-free at dinner means setting up some rules as a family. ~via @LizWeiss ” username=”pediRD”]
What We Discuss about Family Dinner:
- My family’s own history of eating meals together.
- Liz shares what her meals were like growing up, and the meals she shared with her two sons.
- Ways to make the process of meal prep much easier.
- Liz shares her easiest meals and tips for assembling healthy meals.
- We get a little nerdy about the world of podcasts.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Liz’s Healthy Table website
Liz’s Meal Plan Freebies and Coloring Cookbooks
Ep #49:How to Serve Meals “Family-Style” [& Why You Should]
Ep #13 Beat the Short Order Cook Syndrome
Ep #23 12 Reasons Kids Won’t Eat (& What You Can Do)
Healthy Living: Encourage Family Meals
7 Tips for Planning Family Meals
The Benefits & Basics of Family Style Meals
Help The Nourished Child Grow:
- Write a review on iTunes.
- Subscribe to the show.
- Share the podcast wherever you hang out!
Jill Castle, MS, RD
I like empowering parents to help their children and teens thrive at every size with realistic advice centered on healthful habits around food, feeding, nutrition and health behaviors. As a pediatric dietitian and author, my goal is to share strategies and realistic advice to help you raise a healthy and happy child through my articles and podcast.