Health is Wealth

Dr. Bill Releford

Just 43 percent of Americans eat at the dinner table every day – and we’re a fatter, unhealthier nation because of it.

Instead of gathering together for healthful, home-cooked meals, we’ve replaced this honored tradition with fast food, chain restaurants, or highly processed foods we consume while plopped in front of the television as our kids text and tweet between bites.

Cleaning your plate used to mean you weren’t wasting food. Now we eat super-sized portions and buy food by the bin, by the tub, and by the crate.

March is National Nutrition Month, and I’d like to propose a return to the dinner table.

Start by shopping right. Stick to the periphery of the grocery stores – hug the walls to find the foods that are good for you. In the aisles, you’ll find too much processed, high-calorie junk.

On the Dinner Table Diet, you’ll start to lose weight naturally. Give up your burgers, fries, and sodas for a month. Substitute meals shared at the table instead.

It doesn’t take any more effort on your part to eat at home, because you don’t have to cook each night. Just pick one day a week to prepare meals in bulk, and freeze individual portions. Defrost only what you need and dine at the table with your loved ones every night.

Dust off your Crock Pot, add some protein, and fill it with five colors of fresh vegetables in the morning. By the time you get home from work, your kitchen will be filled with a savory aroma, and you’ll have a meal big enough for the entire family – in portions you control.

Return to the dinner table during March. Once you see the healthful benefits it brings to your family, you’ll restore the tradition for the rest of the year! 

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