5 reasons why the family should cook together

At the end of a long day, cooking often seems more like a chore than an opportunity to spend quality time with the family. When we are limited by time due to busy schedules and you are running out of energy, when we have to gather the whole family around the kitchen table, preparing a meal often does not seem fun to us.

If the family interacts more with a computer screen, cooking together is a great way to reconnect family members. Here are five solid reasons why you should make time to cook together:

1. Strengthens healthy eating habits

As childhood obesity becomes a problem, the home kitchen is even more important, as meals prepared at home are common more nutritious as meals prepared in restaurants. If you want your children to make healthy food choices, you need to teach them how to make wise choices. Children learn eating habits in their family environment. By modeling proper behavior, you will help children form healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

2. Encourages family conversation and bonding

Cooking helps to establish closer relationships with your children. Turn off the TV and computer and don't answer the phone while you're making dinner. This dedicated time in the kitchen gives everyone in the family a chance to talk about their day, learn more from each other, and create fond family memories.

3. Encourages openness to different tastes

Children eat food more often if they participate in its preparation. If you have a picky eater, have him help you with dinner so he can see and handle the food he will be eating. By actively participating in the creation of family meals, your child will more likely at least tasted the finished product.

4. Cooking is an educational process

In addition to learning to cook, children can they also practice and learn other skills, such as reading recipes, measuring units, and following directions. In addition, your children will work with simple math equations such as addition and subtraction.

5. Teaches responsibility and builds self-esteem

Helping to create a meal involves a lot of responsibility - you must follow the instructions, use proper safety when working around knives and hot surfaces,... If you allow your children to share the responsibility of creating a family meal, you are giving them a sense of importance that will help boost their self-esteem. Because preparing a meal in a short amount of time comes with a tangible reward, it's a wonderful way to build confidence.

Follow the Little Boss of Slovenia show on POP TV and vote.

CHECK THE DETAILS - LITTLE BOSS

At Mercator, they are aware of the importance of empowering children in the field of cooking and overcoming individualism, which is why, together with POP TV, they decided to encourage the culinary exploration of Slovenian children and little chefs with a new show The little boss of Slovenia, offer the opportunity for new challenges and the acquisition of new skills. Andreja Zadnik Andoljšek, director of marketing communication at Mercator, says:

At Mercator, we are aware of the importance of a balanced diet. Especially with children who are still learning proper eating habits. Considering the intense pace of life nowadays, it is right to pay more attention to this area, to encourage children to do the same and to try to do as much as possible. By involving children in the very process of creating a dish - from the correct selection of ingredients to the finished plate - we will encourage their respect for food and the joy of cooking. We recognized the same goal in the entertaining cooking show Little Boss of Slovenia, in which Slovenian elementary school students show off their cooking skills and acquire new knowledge. We will also reward all the participating little chefs with donations for their schools and the purchase of the tools they need.

Juror of the show Little Boss of Slovenia, Jorg Zupan, when asked why children should know how to cook, answers:

Recipe: shrimps in sweet and sour sauce, an easy and quick lunch

That they can sometimes cook something for us. (lots of laughter) In principle, younger children really don't need to know how to cook, because we, the parents, are actually responsible for their nutrition. But it is good that they at least start learning the basics of cooking and when they show a desire to help with cooking, we include them and encourage them. This actually encourages the child's desire for independence. That's why it's great if children sometimes cook something for their parents or friends.

Jorg Zupan, judge of the show Little Boss of Slovenia.

Follow the show The little boss of Slovenia on POP TV and vote! Mercator will award grants for good projects to the schools that receive the most votes. The schoolchildren who compete in the Little Boss of Slovenia show will bring winning donations to their schools with the first three places determined by the jury, while the other schools competing in the show depend on your votes. So vote and help share together 30,000 euros among the schools competing in the show The little boss of Slovenia. Voting runs from April 1 to June 2, 2019. Vote on malisef.mercator.si.

How to vote

When purchasing products marked with My Brands, you will receive a voting code on your account. At malisef.mercator.si, use the received code to vote for the school you would like to help with a donation.

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