Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian
Andrea Garen
About me:
Andrea Garen is a registered dietitian and project manager for Dairy Council of California. She manages the marketing and editorial strategies for Meals Matter.org, which includes social media efforts and online tool development. She is a contributing writer to the Meals Matter.org blog and has also written and edited numerous nutrition education materials for parents and children.
As a spokesperson for Dairy Council, she speaks widely on consumer health and nutrition issues for radio, television, print and online outlets. With a Master's degree in dietetics from San Francisco State University, Garen has been invited to speak at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco State University and California State University, Hayward.
As a mother of two young children, she is passionate about nutritious food and reality-based eating, which means choosing nutritious foods and preparing them in a way that makes them taste great. Sometimes that means minimal preparation and other times it means following a more detailed recipe. She believes that no foods are off limits!
Follow Andrea on Twitter @AndreaG_RD
Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn
Eat Better, Eat Together is a blog series by registered dietitians and parents whose stories and advice help families start or strengthen a commitment to balanced family meals and create healthy, successful families. Take the Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge at Facebook.com/MealsMatter.org.
The Eat Better, Eat Together family meals campaign promotes the benefits of eating more balanced family meals. You may already know that shared family mealtimes have been associated with reduced risk for pediatric obesity.
Did you also know that family meals are an opportunity to teach children many things that will enrich their lives beyond the immediate health benefits of eating nutritious food?
Here are ten reasons why you should take the Eat Better, Eat Together family meal pledge:
1. Memories Taking the time to sit together at mealtime helps create positive memories for yourself and your family.
2. Enjoyment The first and most important place where children learn positive attitudes about food is in the home. Eating meals together starts a lasting and positive relationship with food.
3. Self Esteem Mealtime conversation brings the family together and promotes positive self-esteem in children.
4. Life skills Children learn best by doing, not watching, so get them involved! You can teach children how to cook balanced meals for themselves by including them in meal planning and preparation.
5. Traditions Mealtime is an ideal time to strengthen family ties and pass on family cultural traditions. Whether you are celebrating a holiday or just eating an everyday meal, things you do in your home will be passed down to your children and grandchildren.
6. Curiosity Kids are more likely to try new foods when they are involved in meal preparation. They have a natural curiosity about food so be sure to offer new foods at mealtime (but never force them to try them.)
7. Relaxation Family meals are the perfect time to connect with each other and share your stories of the day. Shared time and positive experiences with your children is great way connect and relax together after a hectic day of work, school and errands.
8. Responsibility Research has shown that cooking with kids and assigning tasks surrounding mealtime, promotes independence and a sense of responsibility in the kitchen – and in life.
9. Communication Having conversations at mealtime increases your children’s vocabulary. Encourage them to speak by asking about the best part of their day and probe more about what made the best part so great.
10. Love Children watch and imitate adults, and look to them to learn proper behavior for everything from saying please and thank you to learning about fitness and nutrition. Mealtime is the ideal time to remind your children every day that they are important and loved.
Strengthen your commitment to family meals with the MealsMatter.org Eat Better, Eat Together Family Meal Pledge!
Visit Facebook.com/MealsMatter.org to take the pledge and sign up for recipes, meal suggestions and tips on how to balance meals with foods from all five food groups.
Check back here for our Eat Better, Eat Together blog series with family meal tips, resources and stories from Dairy Council of California registered dietitian moms and guests.
Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian
Subscribe to the Meals Matter blog, follow @MealsMatter and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips, recipes and family meal inspiration.