Parents: Family Meals May Lower Girls' Eating Disorder Risk

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that adolescent girls who eat five or meals a week with their families are approximately one third less likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors, such as making themselves vomit, taking diet pills and abusing diuretics or laxatives than girls who ate less frequently with their families.

For many girls who suffer with disordered eating, the desire for thinness is really a desire to be heard, to be accepted, and to feel like they matter in the world. In other words, it's probably not the chicken, fish, or mac & cheese at dinner that make the real difference in their lives. The meaningful benefits are in the "How was your day today?" and "What's on your mind?" convos that happen around the table. If you can't swing at least five family meals a week, make sure you're scheduling some other quality time to have those talks. [Reuters]