They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when it comes to mental health of teens, new research suggests the most critical meal of all might be dinner—as long as families eat it together. The Canadian study leveraged data from a massive government poll taken in 2010. Researchers combing through the data found that families that ate meals together typically had healthier kids (mentally and emotionally) than those who didn’t—regardless of gender, age or socio-economic status. “We were surprised to find such consistent effects on every outcome we studied,” said Frank Elgar, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. “From having no dinners together to eating together seven nights a week, each additional dinner related to significantly better mental health.” (PsychCentral.com)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.