Research finds families who eat meals together enjoy a healthier relationship, and they also tend to eat more nutritious foods. Iowa State University nutrition professor Elisabeth Schafer says families need to make every effort to make family mealtime is a priority.Schafer says roadblocks like busy schedules, time conflicts and a lack of commitment are weakening the family structure. She says mealtime should be a happy time that everyone looks forward to attending.Schafer has helped produce a four-page brochure for the I-S-U Extension office, which offers tips for getting families together. Another brochure offers a series of “conversation cards” that can be used to get parents and kids more involved in each other’s lives.The brochures are available free from any I-S-U Extension office statewide or through the Internet at “www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/pubs”.