We all appreciate the benefits of having a family and being able to turn to someone who always has your back when you need them the most. If you’re having some difficulties currently in your life, it is reassuring to know that you can talk to your other family members who can help you get over the various bumps that you come across in your day-to-day living. Technology is playing havoc with the typical Australian family and where families once sat down and had a meal together, it is no longer the case. Not only the kids but the parents are constantly on their smartphones surfing the Internet and just taking up so much of their time.
This means that the family unit and family values have been damaged and as the head of the household, it is your job to bring everyone back together and if that means that you have to book a table so that everyone can eat out together in a restaurant in Surfers Paradise then that is what needs to happen. If you haven’t eaten out as a unit for quite some time then you and your family are missing out on the many benefits of eating together. The following are just some of those.
- It leads to healthy eating habits – Children nowadays all across Australia eat a lot of rubbish which includes high sugar and salt foods as well as highly processed food. When family members come together, it is usually the case that teenagers eat more fruits, vegetables and seafood, so this can only have positive effects on their overall health. It gets them into good habits that will prepare them for adulthood.
- It’s good for mental health – Young people nowadays are highly stressed and if it isn’t people’s pressure in them towards something then it is the pressures of everyday life and social media. Many kids nowadays suffer from various eating disorders, alcohol abuse, drugs and depression and believe it or not, eating together as a family reduces the amount of stress they carry around with them every single day because they will have someone to bounce their frustrations off.
- It helps with weight control – The number of Australians who are obese continues to rise year on year. When families don’t eat together, then kids just grab the first thing that they see out of the refrigerator are covered and this is generally something that is high in sugar, salt and is highly processed. This leads to weight gain and it is a habit that they get into in their teenage lives that follows and into their adult lives as well. By eating out together, it helps to lower the rate of obesity all across Australia.
Best of all, the family that eats together communicates better and this is particularly important for young kids growing up. Everyone can talk about their week at the dinner table with their smartphones turned off and so this leads to both children and adults with better communication skills.
