Family Meals
Family meals have the potential to offer important contributions to the normal developmental process of adolescence. They are not only a means of assuring proper nutrition for growth but also a way of providing time for parents and other family members to demonstrate choosing nutritious options and to foster social and psychological competencies. The focus on nutrition certainly is well warranted. On average, the overall guidelines for adolescents related to fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, and dietary fiber are not being met, and those deficiencies are likely to continue into adulthood when there is an absence of appropriate family support (Burgess-Champoux et al. 2009). While breakfast and lunch habits are important, research has shown that adolescents are more likely to eat dinner with their family (Burgess-Champoux et al. 2009). This likelihood of having family dinners has gained increasing significance in that, in addition to being linked to...
References
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