September is National Family Meals Month, an initiative by the Food Marketing Institute Foundation to promote the benefits of family meals. A family meal can look different from house to house. Some families may include parents and children sitting together at a table, while others may enjoy a meal together at the ball park or in the car. Roommates and friends may come together for fellowship and share a meal in front of the television. Whichever way you eat your meals, doing so in a communal, family setting is beneficial to many apsects of your life.

According to research distributed by the Food Marketing Institute, family meals nourish one’s spirit and brain. For children, regular family meals are linked to higher grades, greater self-esteem and delayed sexual activity. Children who experience family meals have demonstrated more prosocial behaviors as they move into adulthood, such as sharing and showing fairness and respect. Family meals decrease the likelihood of adolescent attitudes and behaviors, including symptoms of violence, depression and suicide; use or abuse of drugs; running away; and engagement in risky behavior or delinquent acts.