There is a saying in the Catholic church that says “A family that prays together, stays together.” It blends well with a new study from the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at the Columbia University which reports that spending quality time with the family on the table improves physical, mental and emotional health for children and teens.

Children who eat together with their families are reported having better grades at school. They are also less likely to abuse substances like alcohol and cigarettes.

According to an article from Time Magzine, published in 2006:

“…The less often a family eats together, the worse the experience is likely to be, the less healthy the food and the more meager the talk. Among those who eat together three or fewer times a week, 45% say the TV is on during meals (as opposed to 37% of all households), and nearly one-third say there isn’t much conversation. Such kids are also more than twice as likely as those who have frequent family meals to say there is a great deal of tension among family members, and they are much less likely to think their parents are proud of them.”

Sources: www.time.com, www.swdtimes.com