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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: SOU Science Building noise will lessen ... Special event attempts to ensure 'Ashland Is Ready' ... Grange to celebrate 85th birthday ... Guest Opinion: SOU Science Building noise will lessen ... Special event attempts to ensure 'Ashland Is Ready' ... Grange to celebrate 85th birthday ... Healthy Aging: Whether supper or dinner, it's best eaten together Comment By Sharon Johnson More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Sharon Johnson More Content Now Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 8:33 AM By Sharon Johnson More Content Now Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 8:33 AM » Social News Do you still use the word “supper?” I use it less now than when I was growing up in Minnesota. Most every night during the ’50s and early ’60s, our family would sit around a Formica kitchen table eating supper together. The meal was composed of a little meat, a lot of potatoes and seasonal vegetables. In the summer, it was leaf lettuce fresh from the garden drizzled with white vinegar and sprinkled with a little sugar. “Dinner” was reserved for Sunday at noon. It was almost always fried chicken. My father would invite fellow congregants with whom he’d had a conversation on his way out of church to “come for dinner.” And they would. On the way home in the car, my mother would turn to the back seat and direct us, “When the chicken is passed, take a wing and say ‘I really like wings.’” I really liked drumsticks, but I willingly obliged because an expanded-family dinner always meant dessert — and there was the definite possibility my younger brother would attempt something outrageous that involved our family dog capturing a large scoop of vanilla ice cream in his mouth and swallowing it whole. Studies support if you do nothing else together as a family, sitting down and eating a meal is the most important. There’s an abundance of research, but the summary findings developed at Cornell University are the most compelling. It’s Cornell University, after all. I was a student there one summer; I know these things. “Your child is 35 percent less likely to engage in disordered eating, 24 percent more likely to eat healthier and 12 percent less likely to be overweight.” These statistics are attached to “a family ritual — shared mealtimes.” And that’s not all. There are links between shared family meals and fewer symptoms of depression in children. Other studies identify greater academic achievement and improved psychological well-being in children who grew up eating together at the family table. It's 30 to 45 minutes of pleasurable exchange that's renewing in a multitude of ways. Cornell researchers suggest setting a goal of at least three family meals eaten together each week. Turn off the TV. Turn off your cellphones. Ask questions and think out loud about the answers. When our children were growing up, we valiantly tried to practice family eating several times each week. It was hard then with all the school and community activities going on — it’s even harder for families today, I suspect. What I recall most vividly about dinner table moments with our teenage children were the silly exchanges. “Pass the peas please,” which then became “Give peas a chance,” which inevitably turned into a discussion of the nutritional benefits of peas over, say, pizza. As teens, our kids were required to be in charge of one meal a week, complete with menu-planning and grocery purchases. Pizza prevailed, but it was eaten at the table as a family. And there was always dessert. This idea of more family meals eaten together is worth considering. Maybe you could start your day that way? Call it breakfast. Sharon Johnson is a retired Oregon State University associate professor emeritus. Reach her at [email protected]. By Sharon Johnson More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Sharon Johnson More Content Now Posted Jan. 21, 2015 at 8:33 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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