Why eating accompanied and seated at the table (hopefully with an after-meal) can be healthier

The painting, object-space of so many events — real or fictitious — decisive for universal or individual history. Who has not heard of this last supper, marked by a fatal betrayal, but necessary for the future of humanity? Or have you been part of an unforgettable meal, whether celebratory or catastrophic, where a truth was discovered or a plan was hatched for a great project – which was done, which failed or which never had place – but who ultimately left a story?

Today the dining room table is more a place for notebooks, computers, calculators than for hot dinners, comforting to the spirits of diners and capable of being told or at least reminded of coming. If the furniture had feelings, anyone would say that the table feels abandoned under a chaotic blanket of anxiety and stress.

This may not be the case when Álvaro Peralta is present. Don Tinto, as food critic and columnist for Practice , is a faithful follower of the elongated table, the one that includes after-lunch or dinner, a format that is usually enjoyed with family and friends. “At a certain age, what you appreciate most is an extended lunch, where you take your table at 6 o’clock in the afternoon to put you at eleven,” he says frankly.

Of course, Peralta recognizes that this elongated board is something he saves for the weekend, because on a day-to-day basis the possibility of having it “gets lost” among everyone’s responsibilities. “The rhythm is screwed up and the schedules too.” This is why Saturday and/or Sunday meals are sacred in your family.

“Eating seated, calm and, hopefully, with a little after-meal, is essential. It’s the moment when, in addition to eating, we know how the others are and what they have to do the next day”. The thing is even more widespread when the table grows with other guests, family or friends. Something that, for Don Tinto, is common in the country. Or rather, natural: “Chileans are super attached in general, not only to food but also to life. It’s the only place in the world where the barbecue lasts for 12 hours and the grill comes back on.

If this is the average picture for Saturdays and Sundays, what about the rest of the week? “In general, we eat very quickly, which makes it difficult to feel full, because it takes 30 minutes for the signal of satiety to reach the brain. And when you swallow quickly, that signal appears when you’ve already eaten too much,” he says. Stephanie Kremer nutritionist at the Indisa Clinic.

For the specialist, part of the problem stems from the fact that we are no longer so aware of the act and processes of eating, which range from choosing foods to preparing and swallowing them. Also to the lack of habits, such as having certain times and spaces to eat, without other stimuli distracting the attention that the brain needs to become aware of the action of eating.

One of the factors that keeps us away from mindful eating, and therefore from the table, is technology: “A lot of people eat while watching TV or on their cellphones,” says Kremer. “There are children who eat dinner while they play or are in front of the computer. It disconnects us from the simple things and from the present,” he argues.

Some studies link eating alone to a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease. This is the case of the document published by the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), menopause , which concluded that older people who frequently eat alone tend to do so quickly, which means chewing less and swallowing more air, increasing the risk of stomach bloating and hampering the digestive process. This tends to generate overweight and high blood pressure, increasing the risk of suffering from a cardiovascular complication.

Although the context may vary, the “eating alone and fast” relationship described in research occurs in women and men of all ages. Another factor mentioned is the low level of nutritional knowledge and an unbalanced diet.

Álvaro Peralta remembers the many years he lived alone. “I always liked to cook, but I sat down at the table and in less than 10 minutes I finished the dish,” he says. In solitude, cooking is more likely to be a chore, especially after a hard day’s work. The solution, these days, comes from the hand of the motoboy bringing the order home. Pizzas, sandwiches, sushi, foods high in fat and sodium. In Stephanie Kremer’s patients, it’s something that happens at least three or four times a week. Whoever is free to deliver throws the first stone…

In recent years, among so many diets and trends that appear and disappear, one appears that seems to last: conscious eating. What is it? According to Kremer, it is about having full attention in the act of eating, “with the awareness present in the moment, without judging”. The main thing is to be attentive to the “hunger and full stomach signals” that the body itself delivers. “See what food I need at this time, what does the body want: fruit? protein? Fat? In what quantity? It does not necessarily have to be something programmed, but to make choices that contribute to physical and mental well-being, ”says the nutritionist.

On the other hand, the nutritionist Mary Jesus Ramos warns that mindful eating is often promoted as a restrictive tool, leading us to eat only “allowed foods”. However, it is very far from that. “The idea is that we connect with our bodies, enjoy and feel pleasure when eating, regardless of the nutritional content of what we have in front of us.”

This is where the differences appear. Some specialists will more strictly advocate a “healthy” diet – that is to say fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean meats and fresh fish -, while others will understand flexibility as a fundamental support to face the rhythm of life. current. This is the case of the clinical psychologist, specialist in modified eating behaviors, Camila Morales. Along with Ramos and nutritionist Denisse Kohn, they talk about these issues in the popular podcast women who eat .

Morales says every habit is important for our physical and mental health, but you have to understand that there are people who find it nearly impossible to maintain them. “A mom who feeds her one-year-old son while she eats too. This person will have a great mental load at this time, because he cannot eat in peace, and he will associate this habit with a stressful moment. Thinking in ideals is super unrealistic: everyone generates their routine according to their possibilities”.

That’s why he advocates for those who eat in ten minutes as much as those who need “something more elaborate” to connect to the eating process. “It depends on each context, the place or the space that each inhabits; I hope food is always a place of pleasure. If it has to do with the quality of the light, the temperature or the weather, it is something that everyone can define,” explains the psychologist.

Kremer, meanwhile, has a perspective mindfulness in regards to. That’s why he recommends that once a week you have a meal in a “spectacular environment”. It would be with “a tablecloth, candles, aromatherapy, beautiful cutlery and plates, and music that helps to fully experience: how the self-care process makes you feel, the touch of the kitchen , the aromas that emerge, eat slowly and enjoy the food”.

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A third vision can be found in know how to eatthe guide that the American journalist Michael Pollan -specialized in food- published in 2009. In it he seizes both science and tradition, culinary myths and his own experience, and the result is 64 rules which have for leitmotif the axiom “Eat food. With moderation. Especially vegetables.”

From there come recommendations such as “eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored”, “spend as much time savoring the food as it took to prepare it”, “eat slowly (…) , it will take less to feel full. or “try not to eat alone”.

Another rule that appears in the book is “always eat sitting at a table.” Pollan says science proves it: Eating while watching TV, working or driving leads to eating mechanically and therefore swallowing “a lot” more than necessary.

Basically, everyone agrees on this point: even if María Jesús Ramos maintains that there is no problem watching series while eating – as long as there are breaks to become aware and appreciate the act of eating — the table offers a “sacred” space to better develop the ritual of eating, sheltered from the hectic pace of everyday life, multitasking and other stimuli that disrupt the moment.

The idea of ​​pleasure and enjoyment comes up several times when we talk about food. “It’s a space and a time to share,” says Ramos, a bond that has existed since prehistoric times. “There is almost always affection and love involved. Also, the more we pay attention to and enjoy food, the more easily we connect with our body and its physiological signals of hunger and satiety.

If we’re talking fun, why not add the office to the story? For Álvaro Peralta, it is desirable, natural and even healthy that the ritual of the meal includes a second time of conviviality at the table. “It’s saving time on the routine, not missing after eating to continue working. It probably can’t be done every day, but at least twice a week, with family or friends. Otherwise, eating becomes mechanical and it’s sad.”

Stephanie Kremer, on the other hand, believes that the office has a double benefit. “It’s been proven that the more food on the table, the more people eat.” María Jesús Ramos differs: “Why inhibit an important food space, very cultural for the rest, for fear of eating more? Eating has become so pathologized, filled with so many strict rules, that in the end we move away from the same experience of eating, ”he accuses.

To avoid overeating, the meal after meal can be more a time for drinking than eating. This is what Álvaro Peralta does, for whom it starts between dessert and coffee. “Se estila hacer con los bajativos clásicos —licores digestivos como la manzanilla, el triple sec, el bitter o el drambuie (o más fuertes como el cognac y el whiskey—, pero hay gente que toma mate o infusions de hierbas, así que es comfortable”.

Peralta believes that the transfer of the table and desk experience can be transferred to work, obviously if conditions permit.” Certainly it won’t go beyond a coffee and a cigarette, but it is necessary to change the pace and not become an automaton”. When I worked in the office, we had a coffee club: the company installed the machine and we bought the beans and the infusions”. As Oscar Wilde said, the key is to be moderate, even in moderation… even at work.

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