Families are sharing meals less than ever in 2024, which is developing physical and mental health issues in our younger generations at an alarming rate.
As the American depicts, a husband would arrive home after a long work day, and be greeted at the door with mouth watering scents coming from the kitchen. He would sit down and enjoy his wife's perfect meal while sharing conversation amongst his wife and kids. The lifestyle back then supported a routine, and ensured that families had time on a daily basis to bond with one another.
Oh how times have changed, right?
In today’s age, many peoples lifestyles do not allow for family traditions like sharing meals. Since the 1960’s, families stopped sharing meals so much, and the value behind it has diminished throughout all cultures on earth. The leading list of factors to blame include:
- Declining marriage rates
- Higher percentage of women in the workforce
- Telephones, Television, Internet
- Availability to fast food and restaurants
- Food Delivery Services
- The COVID Pandemic
- Inflation and grocery prices
- Career factors [commute times, unique schedules, competitive stress]
Over time humans have instinctively packed more into their daily occurrences, but to our demise, many today live in a state of overstimulation; often disregarding the importance of healthy eating habits and setting aside time to strengthen the family’s bond.
Several families reported that family dinner just doesn’t work; the parents get home late, the kids are picky eaters, they do not get along or enjoy themselves around family, or there is nobody willing to prepare a family meal on a daily basis.
Why is this a problem?
At first glance it would seem that a lack of mealtime connection seems harmless to people. This could not be any further from the actual truth, which is hidden in the mealtimes we always overlook.
If you are a parent that has established a routine for your family to frequently eat together, you have protected everyone from a variety of issues.
In a family that does not share meals, children AND adults are highly prone to certain consequences:
- Forming poor eating habits; developing health issues
- Relying on junk food; poor financial sustainment
- Picky eaters
- Low Self Esteem
- Delinquency
Often enough, these kids that frequently eat alone would find alternative ways to let their identity shine through (In their teenage years). Unfortunately, these kids end up finding drugs, alcohol, or a desire for crime and delinquency.
Before you make generalizations about this correlation, keep in mind what I mentioned earlier, children NEED an environment to grow their identity. With no role model or environment to show them right from wrong, we cannot blame these children, for they like everyone were simply looking for acceptance.
- Conclusions
If you noticed, the consequences that we discussed above are primarily directed around children and their development; that was intentional.
Maintaining healthy food habits and integrating connection into your meals are two crucial skills that must be taught. When a family doesn’t value this lifestyle, growing kids are prone to developing physical and mental health issues; many of these issues being lifelong and incredibly challenging to break.
If you are reading this as an adult who has always known how to eat well, congratulations! BUT if you fall into the other class of people who have or are trying to improve your eating habits by yourself, then I commend you for taking on such a vast tribulation. The rest of your life will thank you.
- TAKE ACTION!
However your dynamic looks, we at Totem challenge you to explore the hidden value that is stored in mealtime connection. We as people deserve nutrients that help us grow, and we deserve an environment filled with love and bonding.
If you find that you mostly eat alone, I challenge you to invite friends or family to a dinner, just to see how it makes you feel. It is likely that your time will be filled with laughter, joy and gratitude! To take it a step further, create a tradition to share meals with that person (people) on a weekly or monthly basis. Challenge yourself to develop new dishes to create, and begin making memories and traditions that are guaranteed to improve your quality of life.
If shared mealtime is a common occasion for your household, remain conscious and grateful during that time. It is a difficult task to maintain, especially in the long- term. Find the courage and challenge yourself to keep the occasion exciting; try new recipes, create a unique presentation, and spark deep conversations. Pour love into the occasion which can be so tedious, and watch your effort pay off in the result of an incredibly nourished family.
IF you cook for yourself, for family, or for incredibly large groups of people, we recommend you integrate Totem Serveware into every part of your food lifestyle. Our company creates innovative, durable serving products for all food occasions. Our signature product, the Totem Axis can enhance the quality of any meal, all while providing ease to the mealtime process start to finish.
We at Totem believe that our society has been steered away from our real priorities as human beings. As a result of infrequent connection, people today feel lost, people are developing health issues, but mostly we have grown lonely.
The Totem Family and each of our products promote human connection, sharing, and growing stronger bonds every single day. We are driven to make all people conscious of these principles, and to assist them in forming connections that are filled with love and vibrancy.
We are grateful for your support, and thank you for making it to the end of this intricate topic.
Did we miss anything? Let us know your thoughts in a comment!
As always... Elevate, Share, and Enjoy!