Family meals help kids maintain healthy weight

In a new report, the first to combine all existing studies on the issue, U.S. researchers found that kids who ate meals with their families are less likely to be overweight and eat unhealthy foods, Reuters reports. These kids were also 20 per cent less likely to eat junk food, 35 per cent less likely to have eating problems such as skipping meals or bingeing, and 24 per cent more likely to eat vegetables and other healthy foods. The 17 studies reviewed in the newest work were based on observations, and not actual experiments, so they don’t prove without a doubt that family meals help kids stay a healthy weight, but they do provide an association.

Reuters