Question for those of you with families

[jay_dub]

I'm 22 years old, so it will be awhile before I have to worry about this, but I'm still curious. When I was growing up my parents always had a set time for dinner and the whole family would sit down and eat together. I plan on doing the same thing with my family someday. For those of you who eat together, do you just eat a separate meal from what the rest of the family is having?

I'm curious on how most of you raise a family and feed kids while you are dieting.

 

[triathloncoach]

Family Eating

I don't get home till after everyone eats. Weekends I just eat what the kids eat.

As far a BB dieting, as long as it's a positive example, be proud to show the kids you eat healthy. Maybe they'll put down the chicken fingers and frozen pizza and eat what you eat.

 

[HOTROCKS]

Objective To examine family meal patterns and associations with sociodemographic characteristics and dietary intake in adolescents. Design A population-based cross-sectional study design was employed. Adolescents completed the Project EAT (Eating Among Teens) survey and the Youth and Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire within their schools. Subjects/setting The study population included 4,746 middle and high school students from Minneapolis/St. Paul public schools with diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Statistical analyses Associations were examined using cross tabulations, log-linear modeling, and linear regressions. Results There was a wide distribution in the frequency of family meals during the previous week: never (14.0%), 1 or 2 times (19.1%), 3 to 6 times (40.1%), and 7 or more times (24.8%). Sociodemographic characteristics associated with more frequent family meals included gender (boys), school level (middle school), race (Asian American), mother's employment status (not employed), and socioeconomic status (high). Frequency of family meals was positively associated with intake of fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-rich foods and negatively associated with soft drink consumption. Positive associations were also seen between frequency of family meals and energy; protein (percentage of total calories); calcium; iron; folate; fiber; and vitamins A, C, E, and B-6. Conclusions Family meals appear to play an important role in promoting positive dietary intake among adolescents. Feasible ways to increase the frequency of family meals should be explored with adolescents and their families. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:317-322.

 

[HOTROCKS]

Family Dinner Meal Frequency and Adolescent Development: Relationships with Developmental Assets and High-Risk Behaviors
Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 39, Issue 3, Pages 337-345
J. Fulkerson, M. Story, A. Mellin, N. Leffert, D. Neumark-Sztainer, S. French

Purpose
To examine associations between family meal frequency and developmental assets and high-risk behaviors among a national sample of adolescents.

Methods
Anonymous surveys were distributed to 99,462 sixth to 12th grade students from public and alternative schools in 213 cities and 25 states across the United States. Logistic regression analyses tested differences in assets and high-risk behaviors by family dinner frequency.

Results
Consistent positive associations were found between the frequency of family dinners and all developmental assets, including both external (e.g., support, boundaries and expectations; odds ratio [OR] 2.1–3.7) and internal assets (e.g., commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and positive identity; OR 1.8–2.6); relationships were attenuated, but remained significant after adjusting for demographics and general family communication and support. Consistent inverse relationships were found between the frequency of family dinners and all high-risk behaviors measured (i.e., substance use, sexual activity, depression/suicide, antisocial behaviors, violence, school problems, binge eating/purging, and excessive weight loss; OR .36–.58), relationships were attenuated, but remained significant after adjusting for demographics and family factors.

Conclusions
The findings of the present study suggest that the frequency of family dinner is an external developmental asset or protective factor that may curtail high-risk behaviors among youth. Creative and realistic strategies for enhancing and supporting family meals, given the context within which different families live, should be explored to promote healthy adolescent development. Family rituals such as regular mealtimes may ease the stress of daily living in the fast-paced families of today’s society.

 

[njpooldude]

^^ ??? ^^


great thread, id like to know also

 

[JCLadson]

^^ ??? ^^


great thread, id like to know also

Lol, I was thinking the same thing.

 

[tsimehc75]

I'm 22 years old, so it will be awhile before I have to worry about this, but I'm still curious. When I was growing up my parents always had a set time for dinner and the whole family would sit down and eat together. I plan on doing the same thing with my family someday. For those of you who eat together, do you just eat a separate meal from what the rest of the family is having?

I'm curious on how most of you raise a family and feed kids while you are dieting.

good?

well i have a 3 year old and she eats what i eat but in smaller portions of course..tonight we will have chicken ,(baked) broccoli,and, sweet potatoe.

i eat pretty clean , i give her snacks of course and lots of crystal light..she is still 3 and i wont deprive her of that

this sport is about sacrafice alot of the times and parts of your life will suffer because of that but having prepared food is not a bad idea,its a part of the game..whats cool is that your not at this point yet and your preparing so i dont see this as being a big issue for you.. but to answer your ? yes while dieting unless you hate your family meals will be diffrent..its just like going out to eat with friends,your meals will differ from theres..no mozz sticks for you

 

[EasyEJL]

my kids eat what I eat, but I tend to keep dinner as the least clean meal so that it works out ok. still quinoa, baked chicken, etc etc.

 

[JCLadson]

I actually think it is a good thing for the family to sit down and have a lean, healthy meal with each other. It is not going to be every night that you are at the dinner table with just 10 oz of tilapia and some almonds or something. But I get where your going. But the idea of eating like a bodybuilder can also be put to good use when it comes to dining at the dinner table with the family.

 

[knucklehed]

Good thread...

This got me thinking aout what we do. Mrs and I usually host dinner for the boys while we prepare our food. There is overlap and we are usually all sitting together eating at some point.Or at least all together in the same room talking about the day. This is nearly every evening . It can be difficult but this time is important to me.

 

[JCLadson]

Well said Knuckle. It is about spending that time with your family, not matter when and where it may be.

 

[jay_dub]

Thanks for the responses so far.

And awesome website btw knucklehed, I like what you and your wife are doing. I noticed you both are in the IT field, I'll be graduating this year with an MIS degree. Thats cool you are involved so much in bodybuilding while having a career in IT.

 

[Gunsmith]

I was raised with the family sitting together and eating together , dissucssing your day and so on.

We do the same thing now , my wife and boy eat pretty much what I eat but a couple time s a week they will have somthing else.

 

[SOCOM]

I was raised different..

My family not once sat around a dinner table to talk about our day and such.. and when I would get invited over a friend house to have dinner, I would feel weird and out of place cause it seemed all proper like something I'd see on TV. I liked grabbing my plate and sitting down in front of the television to watch The Simpsons or whatever..last thing I wanted to do was hear about someone elses crappy day.

But now its different, the day I have a family I would want to sit with the family and talk about our day and shit..I would want them to eat healthy but not boiled chicken for everyone everynight.

 

[love2build1]

I, 22 years old, have a fiance and a 3 year old and do it a couple different ways. We sit down probably 3-4 times per week. We eat healthy, so..I just eat a larger serving

Now, when we don't eat together, I eat steak..always. A lot of times i'll thaw a steak before the gym, hit the gym, then throw it on the george foreman when I get home. I do this several times per week, some nights even in addition to what the actual "meal" is.