Book Review: The Surprising Power of Family Meals by Miriam Weinstein

Albert Einstein is reported to have said “Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.”

I often thought of this quote while I reread The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier by Miriam Weinstein.

Miriam writes about so many benefits of families eating together that it is hard to even briefly mention them in a short book review. Here are a few:

1) Children learn to be strong by hearing family stories of those who experienced hard times. (p. 27)
2) Teenagers who eat with their family were twice as likely to get A’s. (p. 35)
3) Children who have daily family meals are much less likely to develop alcohol or drug addictions. (p. 36)
4) Daily family meals can help children survive an alcoholic parent. (p. 39)
5) Daily family meals provide a calmer environment and less stress, so children are less likely to develop asthma. (p. 46)
6) Daily family meals teach children how to moderate their food intake and avoid obesity, anorexia, and bulimia. (p. 48)
7) Children learn how to participate in conversations at meals. (p. 71)
8) Children learn manners at the dinner table. (p. 97)
9) Families which eat together are more likely to eat healthy foods. (p. 138)
10) Daily family meals can help children and parents get through divorce. (p.168)
11) Family meals are eight times more helpful in teaching children vocabulary than reading to children. (p. 208)

Miriam writes that there has been a huge change in family meals in the last two generations. It used to be that the family often ate together. This has changed.

In one survey 14% of the teenagers had not eaten with their family in the last week. Another 19% had eaten only one or two meals. In our hustle and bustle of running to and fro, families spend less time together. Our society no longer privileges family time.

I was surprised by all the effects that daily family meals had on children. For example the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that “when it came to prediction kid’s behavior, eating dinner with family was more important than church attendance, more important than even grades.”

Near the end of the book Miriam explains:

“Although I have spent this book ranting about supper, you may have noticed that, underneath it all, supper is not really the point. Supper is only the occasion, the excuse. The subject is actually family – establishing, enjoying, and maintaining ties.”

Daily family meals are the compound interest of building children. It is the frequent deposits in to the life and character of your offspring. By having a forum for frequent discussions you are able to nip problems in the bud and strengthen your children so they can avoid problems. There are very few magic bullets in life, but daily family meals come close.

Miriam writes well. The book is well researched and organized. I enjoyed reading it and have made a greater effort to be with my family for both breakfast and dinner.

If you want encouragement for having daily family meals, read this book. If you are starting to lose the habit of daily family meals, read this book. If you want to improve your relationship with your children, read this book.

And remember have dinner with your family tonight.


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