Family Dinner = Less Drug Use!

Research in the past has shown that the more often a family eats together, the less likely a teenage child is to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs. Plus, they tend to do better academically.
A survey published by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has revealed regular family dinners produce benefits that stretch beyond those obtained at the dinner table. A University of Minnesota study even found that families who eat together are less likely to have children who suffer from eating disorders.
But with dance lessons, practice, homework and the demands of a career and a long commute, sitting down together for an evening meal can be a challenge. Here are some tips:

Pick a Meal

It doesn't have to be dinner. Turns out the positive effects are not limited to the evening meal.

Snack Strategically

If your child is hungry at 5 p.m. but dinner is scheduled for 7 p.m., offer a protein snack to tide him or her over.

Plan Menus

Design an entire week’s worth of meals in advance. Reduce stress by having the ingredients you need in advance.

Prep Ahead

If you have time in the morning, use it to wash and trim the vegetables you plan to cook or thaw the meat you intend to cook that evening.

Think Fast

Many nutritious meals can be stir-fried or broiled, two speedy ways to cook quickly. Save meals that are more elaborate for weekends.

No TV

Keep this time sacred. Share stories and the highlights of your day without the distraction of the news.
Given that frequent family dinners have such a positive influence on children, find ways to make this a habit in your family. “What was the best thing that happened to you today?”

Comments

Your posture affects your mood

Poor Posture, Poor Mood Whenever you’re sitting at a computer, be conscious of your posture and keep your feet evenly planted on the ground. As many people are finding themselves spending more time sitting slumped behind a screen or standing on their feet for hours on end without a break, paying attention to your posture is more important than ever. If you’ve never thought much about whether you’re sitting or standing stance is doing harm to your health, you might want to start before you find yourself in a bad mood. Whenever you’re sitting at a computer, be conscious of your posture and keep your feet evenly planted on the ground. Each time we lean forward 60 degrees, the stress placed on our neck is increased dramatically. This can lead to numbness, pain, pinched nerves and improper breathing—none of which are good for your mood! Stress on your neck can also lead to tense upper back and shoulder muscles, resulting in headaches which can be very frequent for som...

Tips on Designing a Healthier Workspace

What’s Bringing on Your Back Pain?

Struggling to find the source of your back pain? Schedule a visit with our practice. Many people with sudden, acute back pain think, “But gosh, I didn’t even do anything!” What many folks don’t know, or understand, is that it’s not always a case of what you did five minutes ago, or what you did yesterday, or even what you did last week that’s causing the current problem; it’s more a case of “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” no pun intended! Discovering the Cause Sometimes it’s chronic stress that wreaks havoc on your nervous system and finally causes your back to “go out” or a “pain in your neck” because of the strain of carrying the weight of all that stress on your back and neck. Let’s use an everyday example to demonstrate. You go to the local eatery and put your purchase on your bank debit card. All of a sudden, bells and whistles go off because you didn’t have enough money in your account to cover that charge. It’s not this charge that “broke the bank,” it’s all t...

Diamond Chiropractic

Search This Blog