Think about when you’ve taken a bite of a food or family recipe and were transported back in time to your childhood dinner table, a holiday gathering, or family celebration. Food connects us with special memories of family and friends. This year’s National Nutrition Month theme of “Food Connects Us” embraces the social and communal aspect of how food connects us to our cultures, traditions, and the people in our lives. Established in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month is celebrated each March to educate and to increase awareness about making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and lifestyle habits.
Food nourishes and sustains us, but it also serves to express appreciation, celebration, creativity, comfort, and connection. Sharing a meal allows opportunity to focus on others, learn about one another’s lives, enjoy familiar and new foods, laugh, make new memories, and connect!
One of my students’ favorite assignments in my nutrition classes (also included as an end of chapter 14 activity in my textbook, Nutrition for a Changing World) involves exploring and comparing food-based guidelines from countries and cultures around the globe. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has over 100 countries featured on their website organized by continent and region with each country’s messages for their population about recommended food choice and diet related practices. * When examining recommendations between countries, a fascinating pattern emerges – many emphasize the social and communal aspect of eating as a central component of what constitutes a healthy way of eating.
Brazil’s guidelines specifically state “Eat regularly and carefully, in appropriate environments, and whenever possible, in company.” I love that they emphasize eating as a social practice that should be done in environments where people can focus on their food and one another. Japan promotes “enjoying meals” through shared family dining. They even recommend establishing regular mealtimes so family members can partake in the same dishes, passing down culinary traditions and strengthening family bonds. French guidelines include that meals should be pleasurable social experiences, never rushed or eaten while performing other activities. Mexico highlights “la comida” (main meal) as a central family event when families gather, disconnect from technology, and engage in conversation. Italian guidelines explicitly state, “conviviality strengthens the sense of belonging”. Browsing messages and recommendations from other countries highlights the role of food in connecting us to one another.
The FAO food-based guidelines reveal that across diverse cultures, the act of eating together isn’t just about nutrition, it’s about strengthening social bonds, preserving traditions, and promoting overall well-being. While culturally cognizant, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans do not specifically highlight the social and communal aspect of eating. Consider that surveys estimate Americans eat more than half of their meals alone and that less than half report eating dinner with other members of their household. We may do well to consider the messages from other countries and food’s important role in connecting as it nourishes us.
*For an article with suggestions on how to use the FAO Food-based Guidelines website as a class activity or assignment visit the Macmillan Learning Nutrition Community at https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/nutrition-blog/how-are-over-100-countries-around-the-worl...
