Eat Better, Eat Together is a blog series by registered dietitians, educators and parents whose stories and advice help families start or strengthen a commitment to balanced family meals. Take the Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge at Facebook.com/DairyCouncilofCalifornia.

Last week, 15 bloggers from the US, Canada and New Zealand shared their tips, tricks and motivation for sharing balanced meals with their families. Here are the top 10 big ideas they shared, from their families to yours.

1. Planning is essential; develop systems that make the purchasing, preparing and partaking easier.
2. Keep it simple. Family meals don’t have to be elaborate to be healthy and effective. Come up with easy ways to balance your meal with simple vegetable side dishes or fruit and yogurt for dessert.
3. Have healthy food on hand and eat from your freezer or pantry on busy weeknights. Prepare double batches of food when you’re less rushed so you can cook once, eat twice.
4. Family meal does not have to be dinner, breakfast or lunch may work better in some households.
5. Toughen up. Offer your family one meal that includes all five-food groups and everyone should be able to find something they’ll want to eat.
6. Turn off technology and tune into each other. Make conversation the focus of family meals, but keep it light. The dinner table is not the place for discipline.
7. Share the work. Enlist help from the family, from planning the shopping list to making lunches, setting the table, pouring the milk and clean up.
8. Eating as a family is truly comforting, from toddlers, teens to adults. Family meals can become a cherished tradition for the whole family.
9. Dump the guilt. Family meals may not happen every day, and that’s ok. Make the most of your family meals when they occur.
10. Family meals aren’t always easy, but we think they’re always worth the effort. Start or strengthen your family’s commitment and take the Eat Better, Eat Together family meal pledge today!

To learn more about family meals and how to make them a more positive and nutritious experience, subscribe to the Dairy Council of California blog, follow @Dairy_Council and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips and the latest on healthy family meals.

Dairy Council of California