Today is: 07.05.2008
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Eating With Your Children: The Anti-Drug |
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Teenagers who dine with their family on a regular basis, i.e. 5 or more meals per week, are less likely to use alcohol, drugs or nicotine according to a recent report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University sponsored by TV Land and Nick at Nite’s Family Table (www.casacolumbia.org). “There are no silver bullets – unfortunately, the tragedy of a child’s substance abuse can strike any family; but one factor that does more to reduce teens’ substance abuse risk than almost any other is parental engagement, and one of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens’ lives is by having frequent family dinners,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
The report also lists the following as benefits of frequent family dinners for children and teenagers: • are at half the risk for substance abuse compared to teens who dine with their families infrequently• are less likely to have friends or classmates who use illicit drugs or abuse prescription drugs • have lower levels of tension and stress at home• are more likely to say that their parents are proud of them• are likelier to say they can confide in their parents• are likelier to get better grades in school• are more likely to be emotionally content and have positive peer relationships• have healthier eating habits• are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide• are less likely to try marijuana or have friends who use marijuana While having dinner together as a family seems simple enough, it’s more often the exception than the norm. This is not because families don’t want to eat together, but because their hectic schedules coupled with both parents, or the sole parent, working makes planning, shopping for and preparing family meals another stress in an already stress-full existence. So, what can be done about it since clearly the benefits are worth the effort? A dinner solution that is gaining in popularity is for families to hire a Personal Chef. Personal Chefs provide families with delicious, healthy, affordable meals in the comfort of their own home. Typically consisting of 5 entrees and side dishes as appropriate, a service includes: customized menu planning; grocery shopping; in-home meal preparation; storage and cleanup. The Chef will meet with the family in their home to discuss everyone’s food preferences and any special dietary concerns. On the agreed upon “cook day”, the Chef arrives with all of the groceries that have been purchased en route and all the equipment necessary to prepare the meals. A weekly or bi-weekly Personal Chef Service can provide the family with the majority of their dinners, or, with a monthly service the family can use the meals prepared by their Personal Chef sporadically throughout the month. The key is to enjoy them together as a family. CASA created “Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children” in 2001 to increase awareness of eating together as a family as a important and effective drug prevention tool. This year it was celebrated on September 26th. For more information on the study and for other helpful information on this topic, please visit: www.casacolumbia.org and www.CASAFamilyDay.org. For more information on Personals Chefs, please visit: www.uspca.net and www.hireachef.com.
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Today's Forecast
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Red Bank NJ
68°F |
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