TriCounty Health Department has a simple but important tip for Basin families this week: make family mealtime a priority. September is Family Meal Month and with that the health department is spreading awareness of the great benefits of putting electronics away and really taking advantage of meal time as a time to bond with family members. “Take time to sit down and eat as a family,” shares TriCounty Health representative Ferron Young. “Kids feel more connected and loved and it opens up conversations about important topics.” The research backs up this good advice. The benefits of family mealtime on youth include an increase in grade point averages, improvement in vocabulary, decrease in depression, increase in self-esteem, lower obesity rates, limits use of cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs, and just better adjusted adolescents. For tips on making the most of family mealtime, visit
www.tricountyhealth.com
.
