Week 8 – Let’s Eat Together
Aim of the week – Share meal times
There is a well know saying that a “family that eats together, stays together…”
In this fast paced world when everyone is over-charged (sometimes even the kids) it is important to find time to sit together around a table, share the food, share some stories. This type of ritual for a family starts early and even if children are very small, they will still pick up on whether their parents eat on the run or sit down to relax and share a meal.
Why is it important to stop and eat?
Our body has an Autonomic Nervous System – it is like an ON/OFF switch – we are either in safety or in danger. Listen to the video for an explanation on how this works.
Safety Danger
Rest & Digest Fight/Flight/Freeze
Parasympathetic Sympathetic
Oxytocin Adrenalin/Cortisol
Digestion ON Digestion OFF
Weight loss/ conception Weight gain or inability to lose weight
It used to be the case that our bodies where only in stress during very special circumstances – running away from a predator or hunting for our food. These days our stress levels surge when we have too many emails, are trying to cross a busy road or watching a thriller.
The problem is that your body can not make the difference between a real or perceived threat and even if you know that you are sitting safely on the sofa and it is only a stress-enhancing series you are watching, your body is still producing the hormones that effect your digestion.
So taking time out to eat is incredibly important and a habit that kids need to take on in the early years. Sitting to eat at a table without laptop, TV or tablet and simply enjoying the pleasures of sharing a meal is as essential to our bodies as a good night’s sleep.
Find your own family’s unique rhythm. It may not be every meal of every day that you eat with your children – work schedules may not permit. But can you start the day together? Can you have lunch together at the weekends? Are there evenings you eat with the kids and others that you have the chance to eat as a couple (if you are in one). Find out what works for you.
Top tip: Create a table space that you like to be at – placemats, flowers, candles – make sure the lighting is nice for you. Perhaps you have some relaxing background music?
Set the table for breakfast before you go to bed to make the mornings easier.
Games of the week!
Where did my food come from?
As you are eating with your children you may want to imagine where your food has come from and how has been involved along the way… children can get quite imaginative… you can even name the people (hey there are no wrong answers!).
Here are some questions for starting off:
· Look on the plate of food in front of you… where has it come from?
· Where did the journey start – the seeds? Who planted them? Who looked after them?
· How many people have been involved?
· Who picked the crops? What kind of work is that?
· Who boxed them? Transported them?
· Where did they travel from?
· Who bought them?
· Who cooked them?
Aliens from out of space!
You and your children have just arrived on planet earth and have never seen food like this before!
· What are your impressions of it?
· What does food look, smell, feel, taste, sound (??) like?
· How does it compare to your usual alien food?