Eating is more than just consuming food

The weather is warm and the evening hours invite you to lounge about. When the sun sets, people stroll home from the beach and organise communal barbecues. This time of the day is synonymous with simple pleasures: good, enjoyable and shared food.

The joy of eating is uniquely embedded in every culture. An association between emotion and food is already created in childhood. The child receives nourishment through breast milk, but also affection and love. Over the years, children discover taste, different textures in the mouth and form preferences. A growling stomach causes tension, while satiety is associated with satisfaction of needs. Food enjoyment is, however, more than a simple feeling of fullness. In fact, it's about an experience. An important keyword here is awareness. Enjoyment and experience are strongly related to this concept.

If you eat a sandwich in front of the TV or computer, you devote less attention to the food. In addition, body signals such as fullness can easily go unnoticed and your sense of taste is impaired.

Studies also show that distractions while eating interfere with memories of the food. In other words, you literally forget that or what you have eaten and do not associate the meal with joy or pleasure.

However, if you take your time preparing the food (the anticipation also creates initial excitement) and then sit down in peace, your attitude towards the food changes dramatically. You thereby promote awareness of your body and the different tastes.

This promotes enjoyment and enhances the experience of eating. As shown in the initial example with the barbecue, the enjoyment is further increased by eating together. Eating with friends and family can generate emotions and can have a relaxing effect.