A dietitian has warned parents not to give their children an early dinner. Photo / 123RF
A dietitian has warned parents not to give their children an early dinner. Photo / 123RF
A dietitian has warned parents about the problem with giving children an early dinner, standard practice in many households with young people.
Alex Parker, dietitian from The Biting Truth, told Kidspot there are a few downsides to the standard 5pm dinner time for children - and it's actuallynothing to do with food.
"If children are eating at 5pm they are generally eating without their parents," she said.
"There is a huge amount of evidence to show the positive social skills associated with children eating meals with the family," the expert added.
Sitting down for a meal with family contributes greatly to a child's language acquisition.
"Family dinners provide opportunities for parents to model and regulate their kids' healthy eating habits," the expert said.
"Children who share family meals three or more times per week are more likely to be in the healthy weight range, and have healthier dietary and eating patterns."