Eating to prevent disorders?

It's well after 6:30pm. I'm on my way to get the girls and head home while my husband is challenging traffic on the freeway. I know that once I get home it will be a mad dash of cooking, jammies, and finally sitting down to dinner all within the hour that we have till the girls have to get into bed.

Everyday I wonder why I (like lots of other parents) even bother. It would be SO much easier to have the girls feed before I pick them up and simply eat dinner with Andy after their asleep. Then I remember a quote that I read in college,

“If you have dinner with your family, including your kids, five nights a week, you have amazing results. You seem to have less incidence of a lot of problems that parents worry about with their teens.”
– Nancy McGarrah, Ph.D., psychologist

• Shared family meals are more likely to be nutritious, and kids who eat regularly with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Girls who have five or more meals a week with their families are one-third less likely to develop unhealthy eating habits, which can range from skipping meals to full-fledged anorexia or abusing diet pills.
• The importance of regular family activities to share ideas and find out “what’s happening” is a great way for a parent to be involved, discuss rules, monitor activities and friends, and be a good role model.
• The benefits of eating together will last long after your meal ends, especially if you make family mealtimes a regular activity.

So, tonight as I start dinner at 6:45, still in my work clothes, with two tired girls and one hungry husband "helping" I'll remember that it's not all in vain. The time we are spending together is creating a healthier and happier family.