American families are busier than ever, and finding quality time to spend together can be difficult for us and our loved ones. Did you know there are countless benefits for children and adults to sit down around a table and eat meals together? We have all heard the phrase, “Take time to stop and smell the roses.” Why not take time to smell the food and share it with the people we love? Making a conscious effort to eat with the people we care about has numerous benefits for our physical and mental well-being.

There is a plethora of research out there that supports this notion of what I like to call “table togetherness.” Studies show many benefits to children from eating dinner with their parents including better academic performance, learning healthy eating habits, increased social skills, lower risk of eating disorders and substance abuse, and overall improved physical and mental health. Young children who eat meals with their families have larger vocabularies, higher self-esteem, improved social skills, and an increased sense of emotional safety. Other benefits to the family include reducing screen time and the creation of strong emotional bonds. The following tips will help strengthen your family dinner game or start a new tradition of eating together as a family.

• Start small. Make reasonable and sustainable goals, maybe starting with one meal a week and increasing each week as it works for your family!
• Make “table togetherness” a priority, and be consistent. The focus should be on bringing everyone together, not making the meal elaborate or too much work.
• Get everyone involved! You and your family can rotate each week who picks the meal, make the menu together, and even grocery shop together.
• Cooking together (and the less fun part, cleaning together) is another excellent way to incorporate that family time!
• Minimize distractions as much as possible. No screens during family time shows that we are giving our undivided attention to our loved ones.
• Slow down. It’s not a race! Practicing mindful eating together decreases overeating, aids digestion, and helps us appreciate the meal.

I know what you might be thinking: Dinnertime can be the busiest time for families with extracurricular activities, meetings, sports events, homework, and just getting ready to shut down at the end of the day. All families are unique, and creating “table togetherness” might not happen every evening or even every day. Luckily, these benefits transfer to any meal you can share with someone about whom you care. Some families find having breakfast or lunch together easier than dinner. To reap the benefits, we don’t even have to have a standard meal—anything from a cup of coffee, a late-night snack, or weekend brunch allows us to shut down from our day-to-day work to come together and destress. A quick meal with a friend or family member has been shown to lower the risks of depression and relieve stress and tension. What about those who live far from their loved ones? This is where those screens come in handy. Seeing a friend on a screen has more benefits than just hearing their voice alone! I am a big fan of Zoom or FaceTime happy hours and coffee dates. No matter how little or how much time we have, we can always try to spend more of it with our families and those we care about the most.

Eating with loved ones is food for our souls. No matter with whom you spend it, “table togetherness” creates a sense of belonging and structure and is endlessly good for our emotional and mental health. It’s your turn now. Time to eat, drink, and be happy together!