Nutritious & Delicious: Dinner Swaps That Kids Will Love
Modern life has put an almost unmanageable amount of demands on the family unit. In a world full of chaos it is more important than ever to prioritize coming together and enjoying a family meal. Family dinners have been proven by research to have a protective effect on the family. Providing families who participate with a sense of unity, connection, support, safety, understanding, and community. However, due to the busyness of modern-day life, it can feel like an impossible task to prepare a healthy meal every night. In this article we’ll provide you with healthy dinner swaps kids, as well as parents, will love.
Family Dinner and Mental Health
It may be surprising, but family dinners and shared meals have been extensively studied across the globe. The research has resulted in a unanimous conclusion that the absence of habitual family meals has resulted in a dangerous decline in mental health.
A study of 4,746 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse adolescents found that kids from families who rarely ate meals together had higher rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and attempts of suicide1. Another study of 99,462 students between 6th and 12th grade found similar results2. Students who reported having infrequent family meals showed higher levels of antisocial behaviors, depression, suicidal behaviors, and eating disorders, particularly binge eating and purging. Research indicates that females, in particular, gain a sense of safety and security from sharing meals with their families. The shared dining experience enhances their overall sense of security in themselves and in the world around them3.
Parents who frequently shared meals with their families reported stronger family bonds and healthier relationships. They also reported better family functioning, and improved mental health compared to families that did not regularly dine together. Parents who included family meals in their weekly routine were also found to experience less depression and have higher self-esteem.
Family Dinner and Physical Health
Family meals are equally essential for physical health. Research shows that families who eat together tend to consume more whole foods and significantly less ultra-processed and fast food. A study conducted in 2005-2006 with 3,233 participants found a strong link between frequent family dinners and positive health outcomes.
Families who ate together more often reported lower soft drink intake, healthier body weights, and greater confidence. Shared family meals have also been shown to foster a better understanding of healthy eating habits, both at home and in social settings.
Studies have shown that regularly sharing meals during childhood is strongly associated with a much lower risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adolescence and adulthood4. This association is due to the fact that an increase in family meals has been linked to a 52.6% reduction in the consumption of pre-packaged foods, sugary drinks, and fast food5. Research has shown that families who cook and eat together enjoy significantly better health compared to those who do not.
Nutritious Dinner Swaps Kids Will Love
1
Boxed Meal Kits SWAP WITH homemade pasta dishes made with your preferred meat. Boxed meal kits often include low-quality noodles and seasonings loaded with harmful chemicals and artificial ingredients. While they offer a cheap and convenient meal option, they can cost you your family’s health.
Homemade pasta can be prepared just as quickly or even the night before. The increased focus on carb-conscious foods and high-quality ingredients has filled the grocery shelves with healthy alternatives to traditional white pasta, such as chickpea, sweet potato, spaghetti squash, edamame, lentil, cauliflower, and more. You can also find healthy pasta sauces that are free from sugar, all corn syrups, and vegetable oils. Just make sure to read the labels!
These options provide endless possibilities for nutritious, protein-packed noodles and sugar-free, additive-free pasta sauce that transform traditional low-nutrient pasta dishes into a nutritional powerhouse for your family.
2
Canned Soup SWAP WITH crockpot soup or chili. Canned soup is another cheap convenience food that comes at a high cost to health. Most canned soups are filled with preservatives, artificial ingredients, sugar, vegetable oils, and excessive amounts of sodium. Crockpot soups and chilis are a great alternative that allows you to control the ingredients. The best part is, all you have to do is add the ingredients, set it, and forget it. The crockpot does all the work!
3
Traditional Burgers and Toppings SWAP WITH Burgers wrapped in a low-carb tortilla or coconut wrap or low-carb bun (store-bought or homemade) with health-conscious toppings. We all love a good burger – honestly, what’s not to love?
The issue with traditionally made burgers is that they are typically made with nutrient-dense red meat but surrounded by empty calories and processed carbs. That beautiful burger never gets a chance to shine.
Instead use low-carb tortillas or coconut wraps to make a crunchwrap-type burger. If you prefer bread, opt for low-carb varieties, homemade options, or higher-quality breads with minimal ingredients, such as sourdough. These can often be found in the deli section of most grocery stores or at local farmers’ markets.
Also, be very selective on burger toppings. Many popular toppings such as ketchup, relish, mayo, and pickles are filled with unsavory ingredients such as corn syrups, sugars, artificial colors, vegetable oils, and preservatives. Always read the labels to ensure your burger toppings have healthy ingredients.
4
Pizza SWAP WITH low-carb crust pizza. Pizza holds a special place in many hearts but unfortunately, pizza is high in processed carbs and fat. When you eat a meal rich in both processed carbs and fats, your body prioritizes burning the carbs for energy, storing the fat for later.
This stored fat usually presents itself as visceral or abdominal fat. With obesity, including childhood obesity, becoming a global health crisis, reducing meals that are high in processed carbs and fat is more important than ever. Instead of a traditional flour crust, try low-carb or processed carb-free alternatives like chicken, cauliflower, or low-carb flours like almond and coconut. Top it with your favorite toppings—pepperoni, cheese, sausage, bacon, jalapenos, even pineapple—and enjoy!
5
Frozen Boxed Meals/TV Dinners SWAP WITH homemade “TV dinners”. TV dinners offer a cheap, convenient meal option, but they often come with serious health drawbacks. Most TV dinners come with an ingredient list that is longer than a Stephen King novel. They are filled with vegetable oils, sugars, preservatives, chemicals, trans fats, carcinogens, and very minimal nutrients—essentially, a science experiment of empty calories.
A healthier alternative is to make your own “TV dinners” at home. Start by getting meal prep containers that resemble traditional TV dinner trays, then prepare a big batch of your favorite dishes, such as Salisbury steak with broccoli, pot roast, chicken and rice, or brisket and potatoes. Divide the meals into the containers and freeze them for a quick, easy, and nutritious dinner option.
6
Meat Loaf SWAP WITH sugar-free meal loaf. We’ve saved the best for last—transforming traditional meatloaf into a healthy family favorite is surprisingly simple!
Classic meatloaf recipes often include unhealthy ingredients like bread crumbs, brown sugar, ketchup, and sometimes flour. To make it healthier, swap bread crumbs and flour with ground pork rinds or almond flour, choose sugar-free, corn syrup-free ketchup, and replace brown sugar with a natural, zero-calorie alternative like brown sugar Swerve. Your meatloaf has now been upgraded to meet your family’s health needs!
Healthy Dinner Swaps To Unite The Family
Let’s revive the tradition of family dinners and foster a culture of health and well-being within the home. There is incredible power in gathering around the dinner table. In our busy lives, family members often drift apart during the day. A shared meal in the evening allows everyone to reconnect and strengthen their bond as a community, ready to tackle life’s challenges together.
By incorporating more frequent family dinners filled with nutrient-dense foods, you can transform your family into a powerful force for physical health and mental well-being. These shared meals create a sense of safety and security in your home. With a few healthy swaps, family dinners can unite everyone while shielding them from the long-term health issues often associated with traditionally prepared meals.
For more tips on family meal planning and prep, be sure to explore our other related articles:
Supporting Research
- Rose, L. (2018, January 24). 1 in 3 Americans can’t eat a meal without being on their phone. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1867994-eat-americans-cant-eat-without-being-on-their-phones-20180124-story.html ↩︎
- Fulkerson JA, Story M, Mellin A, Leffert N, Neumark-Sztainer D, French SA. Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: relationships with developmental assets and high-risk behaviors. J Adolesc Health. 2006 Sep;39(3):337-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.026. Epub 2006 Jul 10. PMID: 16919794 ↩︎
- Utter J, Larson N, Berge JM, Eisenberg ME, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D. Family meals among parents: Associations with nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing. Prev Med. 2018 Aug;113:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.006. Epub 2018 May 7. PMID: 29746973; PMCID: PMC6309329. ↩︎
- Mahmood L, González-Gil EM, Schwarz P, Herrmann S, Karaglani E, Cardon G, De Vylder F, Willems R, Makrilakis K, Liatis S, Iotova V, Tsochev K, Tankova T, Rurik I, Radó S, Moreno LA, Manios Y; Feel4Diabetes-Study Group. Frequency of family meals and food consumption in families at high risk of type 2 diabetes: the Feel4Diabetes-study. Eur J Pediatr. 2022 Jun;181(6):2523-2534. doi: 10.1007/s00431-022-04445-4. Epub 2022 Mar 30. PMID: 35353229; PMCID: PMC9110493. ↩︎
- Ruhee D, Mahomoodally F. Relationship between family meal frequency and individual dietary intake among diabetic patients. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2015 Aug 8;14:66. doi: 10.1186/s40200-015-0187-5. PMID: 26258111; PMCID: PMC4529702. ↩︎
