Family meals dish up multiple benefits

“I didn’t grow up in a traditional family, and I never had a family dinner around the table,” says actress/talk show host Drew Barrymore. “So whenever I actually had a dinner ‘plan,’ it meant a lot to me; it made me feel excited and safe.”

Shared mealtimes improve your emotional outlook and reduce your tension and stress. That’s the conclusion of a survey from the American Heart Association.

Nationwide, the AHA interviewed 1,000 adults and overall they said they ate alone more than half of the time. They also acknowledged that eating with family and friends has great benefits.

■ 91 percent of parents notice their family is less stressed when they share family meals together.

■ 67 percent said sharing a meal reminds them of the importance of connecting with others.

■ 59 percent said they make healthier food choices when eating with other people.

■ 54 percent say it reminds them to slow down and take a break.

Acetaminophen warning

Between 50 percent and 70 percent of pregnant women experience back pain related to their pregnancy, and for 10 percent of them, it’s so severe that they cannot continue working or enjoying daily activities.

The Food and Drug Administration says that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and celecoxib are to be avoided after the 20th week of pregnancy because they can cause rare but serious kidney problems in an unborn baby that lead to low levels of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby and additional complications.

The often-recommended alternative is acetaminophen — the FDA and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that it’s safe during pregnancy, with your doctor’s permission.

However, a new study in PLOS One looked at 1,011 women who reported using acetaminophen during pregnancy and discovered that at age 3, their kids had significantly more sleep and attention problems than kids whose moms didn’t take acetaminophen while carrying them. This follows a 2021 consensus statement published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology urging caution on the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.

So, talk to your obstetrician before you take this pain reliever either over-the-counter (it’s in 600 medications) or as a prescription.