A growing body of evidence suggests that the home food environment,especially family meal sharing, is important for promoting the healthy development of adolescents. Children and adolescents who share meals with their families are leaner, have healthier dietary patterns, and are less likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors. 1 Family meal sharing also apappears to act as a protective factor for adolescents against a number of risktaking behaviors such as substance
use, violent behaviors, and mental health problems.2 Moreover, adolescents who frequently share meals with their families report greater connection and communication with their families and better emotional well-being.3 Numerous hypotheses have been suggested to explain the positive impact family meals may have on healthy youth development. Most
obviously, family meals may create opportunities for children and adolescents to eat healthy foods and for parents to role-model healthy eating behaviors. In addition, involvement in food preparation and meal sharing may provide adolescents with opportunities for developing life skills, their