Starting the school year on a positive note with healthy meal choices for youth can sometimes get sidetracked, but one expert has some advice that may help.

Iowa State University Extension Human Science Food and Health Specialist Renee Sweers says always involve your child when making decisions about what they want for breakfast and lunch can help them to eat those meals, especially when they are taking lunch to school.

“If they are bringing that cold lunch, trying to involve them into making those choices, and having on hand things that we can kind of quickly and easily put those lunches together that at least some of the foods are good, nutritious choices.” 

Sweers also suggests finding time to have dinner as a family and putting away electronic devices, which can start with one day per week and build from there.

“One misconception that people have when we say ‘family meal’ I don’t know if they think of like a big holiday meal or what, but they think it needs to be something that is fairly, elaborately prepared. A cold sandwich, and an apple and a glass of milk, if that’s what we’re eating for the family meal, that’s fine. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate meal to be a family meal. The concept of the family meal is that we’re looking at each other and we’re talking to each other.”

Sweers adds research shows that having family meals creates strong family bonds, better communication between all family members, shared learning, along with kids eating healthier food, especially if they see their parents eating the same kinds of foods they are.