The first company to mass-produce the TV dinner was the Swanson company that sold ten million trays in 1954, its first year of production. Following the lean casseroles of the 1930s during the great depression and the wartime meatloaves of the 1940s, American families welcomed progress and prosperity with frozen meals, canned foods, and cereals. With the advent of the television, the family substituted the round-the-table family dinner with TV trays.
We may blame our expanding waist lines, poor metabolic health, and addiction to the screen on the industrial giants of the 1950s, but is there something else lurking under the surface that we are not addressing? Libraries are written on the subject of nutrition and what constitutes “healthy” foods, and we know screens are an ever-present distraction. The pivotal antithesis to the processed and quick food, and to the distractibility of the television is the powerful entity of the Family Dinner.
Reading about the French Paradox, we may focus on the wine and the butter and wonder about the low rates of heart disease. We may look toward the Greeks or Italians to explain longevity with plenty of olive oil and fresh produce.
But the one experience that heads every health statistic is the family dinner. Family dinners in Europe occur with strict regularity and whether on weekday or weekend, dinners take time and precedence. It is time for the family to come together. The dinner is prepared, served and enjoyed. It is the fulcrum that binds the family, allows for daily conversation, and involves preparing fresh and wholesome food together. And interestingly, is the one key ingredient for longevity, wellness, and overall health.
In February of 2015, Canadian Family Physician published a “Systemic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth.” Surveying 1783 articles, the researchers concluded that frequent family meals were associated with increased self-esteem and school success, decreased substance use and violent behaviors in adolescents.
We all want the best for our kids, for our families. We work long hours, drive our kids to every activity and sport, we travel, we eat rushed meals before heading off to the next thing. Maybe we slow down for a change. Maybe we cancel some planned outings. Maybe we plan for a regular family dinner: cooked, served, and enjoyed as a family. The first step on a path of wellness and longevity.
Camilla Petersen is the owner of Petersen Concierge Medical, a curated bespoke private medical practice, providing wrap around personalized medical care for its clients.
"Maybe we plan for a regular family dinner: cooked, served, and enjoyed as a family."