Making Family Dinner Possible, featuring Anne Fishel, PhD - Shrinking It Down

Making Family Dinner Possible, featuring Anne Fishel, PhD – Shrinking It Down

By Steven Schlozman, Contributor, Gene Beresin, Executive Director, Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D. and Sara Rattigan, Communications Director

Posted in: Multimedia, Podcasts, You & Your Family

Topics: Healthy Living

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Shrinking It Down.”

There are many emotional benefits that come from connecting over a family dinner. But with the competing demands of reality, like busy schedules, technology, and picky eaters, this simple idea isn’t always so simple. On today’s episode, Dr. Anne Fishel, executive director of The Family Dinner Project at Massachusetts General Hospital, joins Gene and Steve to discuss her new book, Eat, Laugh, Talk! From speaking with thousands of different families – including single-parent, three-generational, those with infants, those with teens – this book crowd sources the best tips that real families have found to make dinner an easier lift, along with conversation starters, games, and some great recipes. Added bonus? Dr. Fishel gives advice for keeping politics off the dinner table.

Thank you for joining in this conversation! Have a family dinner story to share with us? We’d love to hear. Write to us!

Media List

The Family Dinner Project at MGH
The Unexpected and Long-Term Benefits of Family Dinner (Mass General News)
Eat, Laugh, Talk! The Family Dinner Playbook (Familius Press)
Ratatouille – Official Trailer (YouTube)
How to Make Your Toddler and Adventurous Eater and Cooperative Diner (MGH Clay Center)
Community Dinners (The Family Dinner Project)
Putting a Little Thanksgiving Into Your Nightly Family Dinners (MGH Clay Center)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

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Thanks for visiting the Clay Center. We are entirely funded by visitors like you. We receive no financial support from Massachusetts General Hospital or Harvard Medical School. Your support of our work helps us to continue to produce content on mental health topics that support the emotional well-being of young people everywhere.

Steven Schlozman, Contributor

Steven Schlozman, M.D. is a contributor to The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also an ...

To learn more about Steven, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.

Gene Beresin, Executive Director

Gene Beresin, M.D. is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a staff child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also a ...

To learn more about Gene, or to contact him directly, please see Our Team.

Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D.

Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D. is the author of Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids (...

To read full bio click here.

Sara Rattigan, Communications Director

Sara Rattigan, M.S. is the communications director for The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a public health communicator whose passion has always centered around innovative a...

To learn more about Sara, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.

Making Family Dinner Possible, featuring Anne Fishel, PhD – Shrinking It Down