Center for Families

Community Promotion Ideas

• CASA Family Day
  Sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
• National Eat Dinner Together Week 
  Sponsored by the National Pork Board

Conversation Starters

• Conversation Cards and Family Meals Modules
• Screen-Free Tips and Conversation Starters
  The April 2007 media campaign promoted "Smart Family Moves: Less TV, More Meals Together" and has these resources available online.
• TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family Table 
  Video clips of classic TV families at the family table, family table tips, conversation starters, and a family table challenge.

Family Meal Planning and Recipe Ideas

• Cooking with Alicia 
  This Web site provides recipes and detailed cooking instructions for subscribers.
• Food and Family magazine and regular mealtime tips from Kraft Foods 
  Sign up to receive a free magazine and/or e-mail recipes.
• Meals Matter
  A Web site to assist consumers in meal planning. Hosted by the Dairy Council of California, it helps people find recipes, plan meals through an online shopping list, meal planner, and cookbook.
• Quick family dinner ideas from Beef: It's What's for Dinner 
  Sign up for an electronic newsletter, Beef Dinner Bell. 

Recipe Web sites

• All Recipes
• Cooking Light
• Culinary Cafe
• Food and Health
• Food Network
• Kraft Foods
  
• Meals for You

Ideas for Positive Mealtime Behavior

• Ellyn Satter has numerous ideas for promoting a healthy feeding relationship. Her "division of responsibility" in feeding is the best strategy to avoid mealtime conflicts and promote children becoming competent eaters.

Research and Reports about Family Meals
For an extensive list of research studies and reports about family meals, download the reference page.  

• Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children 
• The Diets of America's Children: Influence of Dining Out, Household Characteristics, and Nutrition Knowledge
  Includes a chapter on meal and snack eating patterns of American children from the USDA Economic Research Service.
• The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
  National survey data of American attitudes on substance abuse.

Teaching Resources about Family Meals

• Canned Food Alliance
  This site features family and kids resources, including the "ABC's of a Fun Dinnertime." 
• Eatsmart.org
  Resources are available for promoting family meals from the Washington State Dairy Council.
• Family Meals Modules and Resources for WIC Programs
  This site has downloadable posters, handouts, bookmarks, and other resources for families. Available in English and Spanish. 
• Family Mealtime Presentations for Professional Audiences  
  Click on Events & Seminars. "Family Focused Nutrition" is a topic selection.
• Food Reflections
  A free monthly e-newsletter providing a how-to message on food, nutrition, or food safety for health professionals, educators, and consumers.
• "Making Meals Matter" 
  A nutrition guide for busy parents from the Dairy Council of California.
• "Making the Most of Family Mealtime" 
  A nutrition fact sheet from the American Dietetic Association.
• NuNews
  A nutrition newsletter available from the Schwan Food Company. Available in English and Spanish.
• Touching Hearts, Touching Minds
  Innovative nutrition education strategies and resources. Go to the Emotion-Based Materials section and within Healthy Eating are resources about family meals. This site also has excellent ideas for counseling.