8 Healthy Meal Rituals of Lean Families

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There are few things that Americans agree on, but here’s one of them: Eating dinner together as a family is a good idea.

And yet, The Walking Dead eat together more often than today’s families. For most of us, getting the whole group together for mealtime is a ritual reserved only for Sunday nights or special occasions. Otherwise, it’s the drive-through gobbled in the car, the takeout snarfed in front of the TV, or the leftovers shoveled down while standing over the sink.

And this style of eating is bad for a lot of reasons. Number one among them: Families who eat together stay lean together. In fact, in one study, 80 percent of healthy weight kids ate dinner with their families at the table, compared to 55 percent of overweight kids. Families of overweight kids mostly tend to eat in family rooms, offices or in bedrooms.

Set the table for a lifetime of healthy living by setting the table tonight. Use these 8 Eat This, Not That!-approved tactics to fool your kids into eating right—while you lose weight too!

(And remember: Better eating all starts at the supermarket—click here to discover the 8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day.)

Healthy Ritual #1

Pass bowls family style.

You may think you’re imposing portion control by dishing out servings for your kids, but in fact, you’re robbing them of a very important lesson. When kids serve themselves, they learn to read their own body’s hunger cues, according to a recent study printed in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Children who are given control at the dinner table are also more likely to try new foods, the researchers said.

Healthy Ritual #2

Make the meal last 4 ½ minutes longer.

That’s the difference between how long healthy-weight kids spend at the dinner table, and how long overweight kids spend there—18 minutes on average for the slim kids and 13.5 for the heavier ones. That might not make a lot of sense—more time at the table means more time to eat, right? But in fact, eating slower means eating more mindfully, and not shoveling down food in an attempt to get back to whatever else is on your mind.

Related: Lose Weight Eating Cheese Fries (and other comfort foods like Mac and Cheese), with this free Cook This, Not That! family recipes app. Learn how to save time, money and calories in just minutes while still eating the foods you love.

Healthy Ritual #3

Leave a little something on the plate.

Whether it’s a Clean Plate Club membership drive or castigations about starving kids in Africa, efforts by parents to get their children to eat healthy foods can backfire. In a study of 63 children, Cornell researchers found that those whose parents insisted on clean plates ate 35 percent more of a sweetened cereal later in the day. If kids ate 35 percent more than 1 serving of Froot Loops every day for a year, they’d gain 4 pounds! Rather than forbidding certain foods, set up specific parameters for when treats can be enjoyed.

Healthy Ritual #4

Put away electronics.

Say “nevermore” to Evermoor and snap off Snapchat. Parents who let their teens use electronic devices or watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, a new study by the University of Minnesota suggests. Researchers found families that reported frequent media use at meal times also served up less fresh fruit and vegetables and more sugar-sweetened beverages. In fact, distracted eating is almost as dangerous as distracted driving: A separate study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that distracted eaters consumed 10 percent more in one sitting than they would otherwise. (While you’re sliding that iPad to “off,” also check out these essential Secrets to Losing Weight While You Sleep.)

Healthy Ritual #5 

Use smaller bowls and plates.

Our eyes always tend to be bigger than our stomachs. A recent Cornell study found bigger bowls (16 oz vs 8 oz) caused children to request 87% more food, and eat 52% more of it, than they would otherwise. And while adults aren’t as susceptible to the visual illusion, research printed in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) found larger bowls caused people to serve and eat an average of 16% more. And with the typical manufacturers’ snack package being 2.5 times bigger than the appropriate amount for young kids, health-conscious parents fight an uphill battle. Control what you can. Keep in mind that restaurant portions—even for kids—are egregiously oversized, so don’t force them to wolf down every last tater tot. Splitting a dish with a sibling is never a bad idea (as long as you ask for two toys). At home, use smaller bowls, plates, and utensils.

Healthy Ritual #6

Ask them if they’re hungry.

Researchers at the University of Illinois suggest that asking the right questions can help children listen to important hunger and satiety signals. So acknowledging an empty plate with a question like “Are you full?” or “If you’re hungry, you can have some more,” is more conducive to teaching intuitive eating habits than a simple: “Are you done?” (You’ll also want to question exactly what’s in your food. Start with our latest Eat This, Not That! Lunchtime Special Report: Brand-Name Deli Meats Worse Than Cheetos.)

Healthy Ritual #7

Try all sorts of new foods.

Nowadays, kids avoid vegetables like they’re out-of-style sneakers; only one in five of them actually eats enough plant matter. If you want to reverse that trend, a little scheming can go a long way. Research out of England found that giving children a taste of a new vegetable daily for 2 weeks increased their enjoyment and consumption of that food. Giving kids ownership over what they eat is also a powerful play. Turn a trip to the supermarket into a treasure hunt, and let them try to find produce they’ve never eaten before; letting your children choose their vegetables can lead to an 80 percent increase in their consumption. Pick any from this definitive shopping list: The 34 Healthiest Foods for Kids.

Healthy Ritual #8

Set the example, Dad.

In less than five years, the percentage of our calories that come from food outside the home has risen to 43 percent—the highest since the USDA began tracking such statistics. Parents’ increasing penchant for restaurant food or delivery can translate to nutritionally unsound decisions by kids. One study laid the heaviest blame on fathers. Researchers at Texas A&M University say dads carry the most influence largely because when they take their kids to, say, Burger King, it’s often as a treat. This enforces the idea that unhealthy eating is positive. Next time it’s Day with Daddy, choose a restaurant without Big Macs.

MOMS, START YOUR HEALTHY HABITS EARLY: Don’t miss our latest Eat This, Not That! maternity report: 6 Bad Habits Pregnant Women Should Avoid.

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