The good old saying "Family that eats together, prays together, stays together" has been supported by a recent study. But in these times of hectic schedules, family meal is probably the first thing that gets overlooked. This, according to the scientists, can have a greater consequence than you ever thought.

In one of the first long term studies probing the effects of family meals, researchers at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota discovered that family meals have considerable impact on adolescents for the reason that they encourage healthy eating habits and good nutritional choices.

During the course of study, the researchers scrutinized data from Project EAT, a study that looked at which socioeconomic, personal and behavioral factors affect the eating habits of nearly 400 children.

The students were made to fill the questionnaire first at the age of 12 to 13 years and then about five years later.

It was discovered that during the early teen years, 60 percent of the children had regular meals with their family, while only 30 of the adolescents had their meal with their family.

The researchers established that children who ate five or more meals a week together as a family in both early and middle adolescence ate more nutritious meals with ample vegetables and foods rich in calcium, fiber and minerals five years later.