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two snacks, per day, that means a family has 35 or more opportunities to eat together. Even a late-night snack with crackers, cheese, and hot chocolate can count. The goal of five meals per week is often mentioned as a “tipping point” for psychological benefits to occur, but it may seem impossible to start with five dinners per week. Yet, when snacks count as meals, the goal is attainable. Establishing a new habit can take 30 days, so start with baby steps. First, have everyone commit to sharing a family meal once a week. The teen can get feedback from each family member by asking certain questions: “What would you like to work on? If we could make one small change, what would that be? Should we try a new food? Should we try to have more fun at the dinner table? Should we learn more about what happens in everyone’s day? Should we talk about current events on the news? Should we explore who we are as a family and what we value? Or should we discuss nutrition and whether anyone even wants to eat more healthfully?” If the answer to the last question is no—that no one is motivated to eat healthier foods—then the teen has work to do. The rest of this book provides ammunition for the battle: nutrition and health facts to convince the most stubborn holdouts. Everyone Is Finally Onboard, but Confusion Reigns At this point, health-conscious teens can congratulate themselves on getting family members to commit. The next step is to decide on a time for a shared meal that is convenient, despite everyone’s busy schedule, and write the time on a whiteboard hanging in the kitchen. As weeks go by, this whiteboard can also list the dishes for each meal, a shopping list for needed ingredients, and tasks for family members.

Chapter 1: Jump-Starting a Plan for Healthy Family Meals

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