- Eat outside, thrive inside...
When people think of health, they often immediately think about what types of foods they eat. Sometimes, they think about the timing of their eating, such as avoiding midnight snacks or making sure to eat a nutritious breakfast. But we rarely think about where we have our meals.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are strong health benefits associated with eating outdoors. But what exactly are these benefits and how can you maximize them?
Finding More Excuses to Eat Outside
For many people, the biggest barrier is finding a way to eat more meals outside. If you frequent restaurants, you probably know many locations in your hometown that have outdoor patios and other outdoor eating options. You can always go on a picnic, especially if you live next to a beautiful park, and if you have a deck or a patio, you can enjoy home prepared meals outside on nice days.
You can also plan and build an outdoor kitchen in your own backyard. With an outdoor kitchen, you can not only eat outside, but also cook your meals outside, improving the overall experience and minimizing the odors and cleanup as well. Outdoor kitchens also make for an excellent gathering space, so you, your family members, and your closest friends can all enjoy outdoor meals together.
No matter where or how you choose to eat your meals outside, you’ll likely improve your health by doing so.
The Surprising Health Benefits of Eating Outdoors
These are some of the most interesting and surprising health benefits of eating outside:
- Sunlight exposure. One of the greatest benefits of spending more time outside is exposure to sunlight. Although it’s important to wear sunscreen, especially on bright summer days, moderate and frequent exposure to sunlight is good for your health. It helps you absorb vitamin D, it mitigates the risks of certain mood disorders, and it even has the ability to boost your immune system.
- Fresh air. Another critical advantage of eating outside is that you’ll have the opportunity to breathe fresh air. We often overestimate the quality of our indoor air, because we don’t consciously perceive the particulate matter floating around in the air we breathe. But outside, we have access to the cleanest, freshest air available, and it’s good for our lungs, our mood, and our long-term health.
- Stress reduction. Spending time outside is good for reducing stress. Even if you’re not an outdoorsy person, you’ll likely feel a boost in your mood and energy simply by stepping foot outside. This is especially true if you can enjoy your meal in a place full of natural scenery, like a park or a garden. There’s something inviting, calming, and de-stressing about nature.
- Less overeating. When you eat outside, you won’t be distracted by TV, work, or things around your house that need done. Accordingly, you’ll be more mindful with your meal, and you’ll be much less prone to overeating. This, in turn, can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk for several ailments.
- Immune benefits. Your immune system will thank you for spending more time outside. A combination of effects, from sunlight exposure to innocuous pathogen exposure, can strengthen your immune system and improve its ability to respond actively to health threats.
- Mindfulness. By now, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of mindfulness meditation. Focusing on the present moment and filtering out distracting thoughts can greatly improve your mental health. Eating outside isn’t necessarily equivalent to practicing mindfulness meditation, but there’s something inherently mindful about enjoying a quiet meal in the great outdoors.
- Potential for exercise. You probably won’t be exercising while you eat your meal, but being outside naturally lends itself to more physical activity. For example, you might have to walk to and from your eating destination, and even this seemingly trivial bit of exercise can be beneficial for your physical health.
- Social perks. Your social relationships have a massive bearing on your health, and eating outside introduces you to more social opportunities. If you have an outdoor kitchen, you can host more parties. If you have close friends nearby, you can invite them on picnic lunches together. If you have a spouse or significant other, you can take them out to a nice evening of patio dining. In each of these scenarios, you’ll have the opportunity to reinforce your bonds, share experiences, and reap the health benefits of greater socialization.
Eating outside isn’t always possible. You may not have a convenient gathering place, you may not have the budget for an outdoor kitchen, and the weather may not always be conducive.
But if you can make a concentrated effort to eat outside more frequently, you’ll enjoy all the aforementioned health benefits and more.