THE FAMILY MEALTIME HABIT

With the Holy Month of Ramadan upon us this month, many families will be eating together. But making this an all-year-round habit has tremendous advantages.

Ramadan is usually the exception, but with our busy work and school lives, sitting down as a family to eat a meal is not as common as it is in other countries. But did you know that, as well as many other benefits to children, it is one of the best tips for avoiding or overcoming fussy eating in toddlers? If you could make regular mealtimes to sit down and eat together, even at the weekends, it will be of huge benefit to your children's eating habits and social development.

BENEFITS OF EATING TOGETHER

Eating together as a family has a really positive impact on everyone, not only from a nutritional perspective but in many other ways too. Let's take a look at what these are.

Family bonding

By switching off TVs, laptops, tablets, or phones and sitting down as a family, it creates the ideal opportunity to interact and bond with each other.

Improve your child's vocabulary

Research tells us that family mealtimes together, without screens or distractions, can boost children's vocabulary even more than reading stories to them.

Create healthier food habits

From a nutritional point of view, studies indicate that children who experience family meal times regularly consume more vegetables and fruits and fewer soft drinks.

Protect against obesity