Food Connects Us

By Shelby Shelby, MS, RDN, CDCES 

For the Messenger-Inquirer Mind & Body Column

During National Nutrition Month we are focusing on how food connects us. From weddings with extravagant cakes to holidays with family recipes, we know that when we gather there will be food. What you might not realize is that gathering together for meals is actually healthy for you.

The Mediterranean Diet has long been considered one of the healthiest eating patterns to adopt. As the eating pattern based off of the traditional diets of those living in the Mediterranean, it focuses on consuming healthy plant foods, emphasizes lean proteins, and is high in healthy fats from olive oil. This way of eating has been linked with improvements in heart health, diabetes, weight management, cancer risk, sleep, and mental health and cognition. But did you know that there is more to this eating pattern than just the food itself? The Mediterranean Diet also encourages daily physical activity and convivial meals as important for our health. 

What are convivial meals? This term means having our meals with others and is used to describe the joy of eating together. The Mediterranean Diet encourages eating with others, preparing food with others, and making eating a way to connect socially. In our culture today, this seems to be a challenge. Our schedules are busy and we often find ourselves eating in the car or at our desk with 5 minutes to spare before our next engagement. This can negatively impact our health. Quick, solo meals are often lower in nutrition, lack mindfulness, and are less enjoyable. When we consistently engage in this type of eating we may have lower satisfaction, more overeating, and more processed foods in our diet. 

So, how do convivial meals help our health? Slowing down, connecting with others, and preparing our meals, like we are encouraged to do in the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to have health benefits. For children and adolescents, shared meals have been associated with better academic performance, lower levels of risk behaviors, like substance abuse, and improved mental health, like lower risk of depression and developing eating disorders. Kids engaging in regular family meals also have lower obesity rates and healthier eating patterns in adulthood. 

Adults engaging in shared meals also see health benefits, like better nutrition, self-esteem, and lower risk of depression. Older adults are particularly impacted by the benefits of shared meals. In older adulthood, isolation increases the risk of premature mortality at rates similar to that of an unhealthy diet, low activity levels, alcohol misuse, and smoking. Eating alone was also associated with increased rates of metabolic syndrome (a group of conditions that raise your risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes) in a study of nursing home residents. We know that older adults who interact with people beyond their usual social circle have higher levels of activity and more positive moods. More proof that convivial meals are a health intervention worth considering. 

With all of the benefits of having shared meals, why don’t we make a goal during National Nutrition Month to try to eat together more often? Try gathering with your coworkers in the breakroom on your lunchbreak. Schedule a family meal on a night with no practices or games. Call up your friends and plan a picnic at the park on a sunny day. And if you aren’t sure what to make at these shared meals join us on March 20th at 5:30 p.m. at the Healthpark for our Meals Made Easy cooking class. To sign up call 270-688-5433 and we will help you learn how to make fast, nutritious meals that you can share with your family and friends. 

Shelby Shelby is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist at the Owensboro Health Healthpark.