The Benefits of Eating Together

It’s day 7 of RV living.  We’ve settled into a bit of a routine where Ben gets up early to work while Ava and I sleep in.  We get up, shower, get dressed, make breakfast and all sit around the table together for the first meal of the day.  Ava and I will usually make an outdoor play run while Ben works, return to our camper for lunch together with Ben.  While Ben works in the afternoon, Ava and I will play around the camper, run errands, then return to eat dinner with Ben.  Then, the three of us will spend the evening doing whatever together.  Yes, we spend a lot of time together.  We also gather together around a meal table 3 times per day.


There are all sorts of studies out there about the benefits of eating together:  time for bonding, decreased rates of smoking, drinking, or illegal drug use, better grades, etc.  Some of you may say those studies are biased in some way, but if you can’t believe a study at Columbia University by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), you have to believe Chuck Norris.  That’s right, Chuck Norris’s C-Force Rule #3) 

“Slow down and eat with your loved ones. The art of cooking needs to return to American homes, and so does eating together. Sitting down for meals with your family not only improves eating habits and ensures proper nutrition but also reduces obesity patterns in children and provides for daily times of interaction and relational building”

However, to reap the benefits, the family sitting around the table must not be dysfunctional.  Humm...