Today we're exploring an interesting question: Can eating with friends and loved ones actually improve your health?
It's a question we Americans don't usually spend a lot of time thinking about.
In many European countries, mealtimes are considered social times, sometimes lasting hours, and involving plenty of stimulating conversation along with the food. I remember this as one of my favorite things about visiting Europe!
Growing up in a half-Italian family with several siblings, mealtimes were often noisy, boisterous affairs - especially when friends or extended family were involved. My husband still sometimes gets overwhelmed at Christmas dinner at my parents' house with all the generations gathered together talking over each other! :-)
However, in much of modern America, the trend over the past century seems to have been towards more and more solo eating habits. In this interesting podcast episode of The Doctor's Farmacy, they examine the question of whether this trend is negatively impacting our health as a nation...
It's a question we Americans don't usually spend a lot of time thinking about.
In many European countries, mealtimes are considered social times, sometimes lasting hours, and involving plenty of stimulating conversation along with the food. I remember this as one of my favorite things about visiting Europe!
Growing up in a half-Italian family with several siblings, mealtimes were often noisy, boisterous affairs - especially when friends or extended family were involved. My husband still sometimes gets overwhelmed at Christmas dinner at my parents' house with all the generations gathered together talking over each other! :-)
However, in much of modern America, the trend over the past century seems to have been towards more and more solo eating habits. In this interesting podcast episode of The Doctor's Farmacy, they examine the question of whether this trend is negatively impacting our health as a nation...
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