texasmesquite

Food for the soul

Group dinners can help reconnect family members


By Tyler Heath, Sentinel reporter, theath@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — With the information age inescapably working its way into many American homes, those “Leave It To Beaver” style family dinners are often few and far between.

Local experts said dinnertime can be a last frontier for reconnecting with family members. Preparing a meal as a family or just sitting down and eating dinner together are ways to discuss the day’s events with children and family members, said Debra Gregory, extension educator of family and consumer sciences at Penn State Cooperative Extension in Huntingdon.

“Make family meal time a priority, because meals are important for the emotional well-being of your family,” Gregory said. “Meals don’t have to be fancy or take a lot of time, because most people are busy and don’t have a lot of time to begin with.”

According to a survey conducted by the University of Minnesota for the August 2004 issue of “The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine,” frequent family meals have been correlated to better nutritional intake and a decreased risk for unhealthy weight-control practices and substance abuse.

To help readers with family dinnertime, the following tips were provided by Mifflin County Cooperative Extension. The tips are not just meant to help families develop healthy eating habits, but also to help strengthen family relationships while spending time together at the dinner table:

= Eating together as a family encourages children to eat nutritious meals.

Parents are a child’s best teacher. Children will see the parent eating healthy foods and that will encourage them to do the same. Meals should be planned to include the five basic food groups — this provides variety and balance in your meals.

“Kids like to be copycats of their parents,” Gregory said. “So if parents eat vegetables and drink milk at meals, the children are likely to do so. Set a good example.”

Encourage children to taste everything, even if it sometimes takes ten to 20 tries. Don’t force a child to eat, but encourage them to try new foods. Enjoy the time together as a family and don’t make food or dinnertime a battle ground. Meal time can be a time to connect with children; and make sure the phone and television are not hindering that time.

= Plan a trip to the grocery store together as a family.

Let the children pick out a fruit and/or vegetable that they would be willing to try. This will help stimulate interest in eating more fruits and vegetables. Encourage children to pick dark colored vegetables and fruit. Eat a colorful variety of fruit and vegetables for the best nutrition.

“Let children help pick out foods, plan meals, and help with clean up,” Gregory said.” Children can learn counting, colors, and shapes through different foods,” she said.

“Older children and teens can look up recipes in cookbooks or online. They may research family heritage or ask an older relative for a recipe that they can prepare together,” Gregory said.

= Use the information available on Web sites and in brochures.

Go to the government Web site, www.mypyramid.gov, and find information about the new food pyramid. Each family member can find out exactly how much food, from each group, he or she should eat each day. There are also lots of fun games that families can play.

= Planning meals and snacks helps families eat smart together.

In about 30 minutes, a family can plan what they would like to have for meals and snacks for a week. After the planning phase, make a grocery list, shop and follow the plan. When eating at home as a family, people will eat more nutritious meals, eat smaller portions, have less fat and sugar and save money. Make sure the television is off and share the events of the day.

Gregory said it is also important to have regularly scheduled snack times. She said learn what the proper portion size is for a child’s age. For example, half of a banana is the serving size for preschoolers.

“Younger children have smaller stomachs and that’s why they need to eat more often,” Gregory said. “Teenagers who are in growth spurts need to eat often to keep their energy levels even.”

Eating out at a restaurant doesn’t have to be shied away from, and it can be a good family time to help teach manners and learn about making nutritious decisions, Gregory said. Limit the jumbo sizing and avoid too many fried and high-sugar foods.

Two free brochures, “Growing Healthy Kids” and “Brighten Up With Breakfast and Keep On Snacking”, are available at the extension office, 152 E. Market St., Suite 100, Lewistown. For more information call 248-9618. Each brochure contains eight easy nutritious recipes.

Gregory recommended the Web site, www.mealsmatter.org. She said the site has many good ideas and recipes.

On Wednesday, The Sentinel Food Page will feature a special section for Turn-Off TV Week. The Food Page runs every Wednesday and features various ideas for nutritious and wholesome eating for the entire family.

Also online: Read how the Rhodes family, of Lewistown, is enjoying Turn-Off Week by viewing their blog on this Web site.

DINNERTIME CONNECTIONS

The following recipe and nutrition tips were provided by the Penn State Cooperative Extension office and are meant to help families develop healthy eating habits while spending time together at the dinner table:

Beefy Skillet Dinner

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope beef-flavored onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) can corn, drained
3/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain. Return meat to skillet. Stir in the soup mix, water, tomato sauce, corn and macaroni. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove cover and simmer until macaroni is tender; stir occasionally. Top with cheese.
Makes five, 1-cup servings.
Nutrition Information (per serving): calories - 240; total fat - 6 grams; saturated fat - 2 grams; protein - 24 grams; total carbohydrate - 26 grams; dietary fiber - 2 grams; sodium - 640 milligrams
Children may not get all the nutrients and calories they need from their meals, so nutritious snacks are important. A nutritious snack will include two or three food groups. Try these ideas for snacks at home or “on the go:”
= Popcorn and fruit juice
= Bugs on a log — fill celery sticks with peanut butter and top with raisins
= Veggies and dip
= Banana with peanut butter
= Cheese and crackers
= Trail mix made with ready-to-eat cereal, nuts and dried fruit
= Graham crackers and milk
= Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread
= Low-fat yogurt and fruit