Eating with friends and family makes that meal a time for sharing.  I grew up in a family that sat down together to eat dinner nightly.  We were not a wealthy family and did not have an abundance of food, but we always sat down for dinner together and had lively conversation!  My mom continues to try to have family and holiday dinners when possible.

Making meals a time for sharing is an important food practice.  Mealtimes in the Blue Zones are for bonding.  Eat slowly and have conversations to build stronger family ties and healthy bodies.

How you eat is as important as what you eat.  Research has shown that children who eat meals with their families at least three times a week are more likely to be in the normal weight range and have healthier eating patterns and teens who eat dinner with their family more than three times a week are less likely to do poorly in school.

Eat with friends and family

How?

• Never eat standing up
• Never eat while driving
• When eating alone, just eat and avoid watching TV, reading, or using your computer or phone

Taken from National Geographic’s  “The Blue Zones-The Science of Living Longer”

Try to sit down with your roommates/partner/children to eat breakfast before going off to work and school.  Schedule lunch dates at work so that you can eat with coworkers when possible.  More people live alone today and need to intentionally set dates to meet with family and/or friends for some regular mealtime sharing. Mealtime conversations should be stress free;)

Growing up, my sister Jill and I would sit down together to eat toast or maybe Cheerios before heading off to school.  I have vivid memories of she and I talking and laughing during breakfast.