Make time to feed body and soul
By Jennifer L. Boen
Ministry Team Writer
Renowned chef, cookbook author, and TV personality, the late Julia Child, told culinary fans: “People who love to eat are always the best people.”
It’s the time of year when families gather around tables laden with roasted turkeys and glazed hams, steaming bowls of grandma’s favorite sweet potato casserole and desserts so rich you could take them to the bank.
For the David and Jennifer Bush family of Fort Wayne, Ind., it doesn’t have to be holiday time to bring everyone to the dinner table. It happens nearly every evening, despite busy schedules.
It’s very important for us to sit down and eat together,” Jennifer said. “It’s a time to find out how everyone’s day went. There’s no phones at the table. It’s important to be present, really present.”
The Bushes have eight children—five, ages 11 to 18 who still live at home. David has been a Fort Wayne Police officer for 18 years. Jennifer works part time as the librarian at Ascension Lutheran School in Fort Wayne and regularly babysits the couple’s 2-year-old grandson.
Jennifer credits David for skillfully directing the conversation at dinnertime.
“We talk about what’s going on in the family, and it gives us opportunity to explain things that have occurred locally and in the world,” Jennifer points out.
A plethora of research gives credence to benefits the Bushes have found from eating a meal together. For example, in a 2022 American Heart Association (AHA) survey of adults across the country, two out of three reported feeling stressed, with more than one in four saying they were very or extremely stressed. But, among people who said they regularly shared a meal with family, nearly all reported lower levels of stress in themselves and in their family members.
TALKING AND LISTENING
Jennifer and David ensure everyone around the table has opportunity to talk.
“It’s important that they respect each other’s opinions and not put others down,” Jennifer explains, noting dialogue and listening are important lifelong skills.
Dinner is around 5 p.m. at the Bush home. Eating at a regular time “prevents the kids from grazing,” Jennifer said, while readily admitting the family sitting down to eat together doesn’t occur seven nights a week. Sometimes it’s a make-your-own sandwich night; periodically it’s grab-a-hot dog at the game concession stand.
But home-cooked meals are the majority. The children help with meal planning and prep.
“They’re very much aware of what they’re eating,” Jennifer points out as she opens a jar of home-canned salsa made from tomatoes grown in their small backyard garden. “Eating together is very important to us. After all, your family are the people who genuinely love you.”
To the Bushes and other families who gather at the dinner table, whether with your grandchildren or friends this holiday, Julia Child would most definitely say, “Bon Appétit!”
The Health Benefits of Eating Together
Research confirms a positive correlation between eating meals with family or friends and better health outcomes. This is true for all ages. Family meals can be any meal.
Older adults who ate frequent meals with others consumed more fruits and vegetables and reported more pleasure in eating compared to those who ate meals alone.
Eating together also provides socialization, which can be a need among older adults who feel alone or isolated. Eating alone can also affect your food intake which can, in turn, affect your weight and your overall health.
As 1 Corinthians 11:33 (NIV) says, “So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.”
Blessings on your meals and togetherness this Christmas season!
Sources:
www.fmi.org/family-meals-movement (The Food Industry Organization); Ageing Research News, May 2022.
“Eating Together” from a research study from the National Library of Medicine.