Wild creatures I've seen this week:

- twice, three white-tailed deer bounding across the road in front of my vehicle at dusk
- twice, a beaver in the flooded creek; the first time it was sitting on top of a layer of ice near open water
- a red fox that ran across the road and down through the ditch before it stopped and looked; when i slowed, thinking i might get a picture, it turned and ran further into the field

Study Says Family Meal is Good for Your Health*

According to a decade-long study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), teens who regularly have meals with their family are less likely to get into fights, think about suicide, smoke, drink, use drugs, and are more likely to have later initiation of sexual activity, and better academic performance than teens who do not.

Rutgers University anthropologist Robin Fox emphasizes the importance of positive intention in family meals.

"It's like the American Indians. When they killed a deer, they said a prayer over it," says Fox. "That is civilization. It is an act of politeness over food. Fast food has killed this. We have reduced eating to sitting alone and shoveling it in. There is no ceremony in it."

The CASA study also showed that eating with parents is an important factor in the nutrition and eating habits of adolescents, with research showing that family meals and parental presence at meals is associated with higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.

Learn more:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_752.cfm

*reprinted from Organic Consumers newsletter