Trying to encourage children to eat can be an exhausting task, but there’s one, often overlooked, approach to encouraging healthy eating for your family that you may not have considered — and that’s spending more time eating outdoors with them. Encouraging your family to spend more time eating outdoors is very good for their overall health and wellbeing, and it might just encourage them to eat their fruit and veg too!
Here are some of the ways that eating outdoors is beneficial for your family.
Eating Outdoors Brings A Family Together
It always seems so much easier to be present and focused when you spend time outdoors together as a family, don’t you think? No doubt it’s the absence of day-to-day distractions, technological or otherwise combined with the refreshing environment that encourages us to focus on relating better.
An article from Dr Todd Thatcher describes several benefits of spending time together as a family, for example; how time together lengthens life expectancy, reduces stress, teaches resilience and conflict resolution, improves confidence and mental health and more.
Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that spending time outdoors is incredibly beneficial for strengthening your family’s connections with each other. Eating outdoors together is the perfect way to start bonding with your family in ways you may not have experienced before.
It always seems so much easier to be present and focused when you spend time outdoors together as a family, don’t you think? No doubt it’s the absence of day-to-day distractions, technological or otherwise combined with the refreshing environment that encourages us to focus on relating better.
An article from Dr Todd Thatcher describes several benefits of spending time together as a family, for example; how time together lengthens life expectancy, reduces stress, teaches resilience and conflict resolution, improves confidence and mental health and more.
Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that spending time outdoors is incredibly beneficial for strengthening your family’s connections with each other. Eating outdoors together is the perfect way to start bonding with your family in ways you may not have experienced before.
Encourage Family Exercise Through Eating Outdoors
A family who exercises together, stays together.
Once you begin to spend time outdoors, especially with your family you’ll soon discover you want to spend more and more time together alfresco. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to encourage your family to eat outdoors and in turn, your time outdoors can promote healthy habits like exercising outdoors.
Perhaps you might like to take up the game of padel as a family, it’s an easier, faster outdoor version of tennis that your whole family can play together. After your game, head away from your outdoor padel court and enjoy a picnic outdoors. If padel isn’t your thing, perhaps you could head over to some local outdoor gym equipment to work out together on, or get your boots on and start walking, hiking, or even orienteering together. Whatever exercise you try, make it extra special by taking a picnic that includes a few tasty picnic treats. Just don't forget to take a comfortable blanket to sit on.
Outdoor Dining As A Family Alleviates Depression
There’s no pain worse than the pain of someone you love. If you have a family member who suffers from depression, you’ll know how true this statement is. Eating outdoors together as a family is an excellent way of reducing or even preventing the onset of depression.
Mind explains how being outdoors in a green space, and participating in activities like eating outdoors, growing your own veg and exercising is excellent for relieving symptoms of depression. The combination of being outdoors with family or people you love creates a positive environment for you and your family to interact with and connect. It’s the perfect combination for a healthy mind.
Improve Your Family’s Diet
Finally, when you eat together alfresco as a family, you tend to find yourselves eating healthier food. Usually, a salad, or if you have a barbeque, grilled food always makes a great outdoor treat. The fresh air also tends to slow down eating, allowing your family to recognise when they’re full rather than overeating.
The good thing is, you don’t have to reserve eating outdoors for the hot summer weather. As long as you have some sort of dining area canopy, and an outdoor heater situated near to where you all eat as a family you can extend your outdoor dining experience from early spring right the way through to late autumn. Shade sails make great garden canopies, and if you’re looking for something more robust, check out your local school and take a look at what school canopy they use for some inspiration they almost always have one, and for good reason.
A family who exercises together, stays together.
Once you begin to spend time outdoors, especially with your family you’ll soon discover you want to spend more and more time together alfresco. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to encourage your family to eat outdoors and in turn, your time outdoors can promote healthy habits like exercising outdoors.
Perhaps you might like to take up the game of padel as a family, it’s an easier, faster outdoor version of tennis that your whole family can play together. After your game, head away from your outdoor padel court and enjoy a picnic outdoors. If padel isn’t your thing, perhaps you could head over to some local outdoor gym equipment to work out together on, or get your boots on and start walking, hiking, or even orienteering together. Whatever exercise you try, make it extra special by taking a picnic that includes a few tasty picnic treats. Just don't forget to take a comfortable blanket to sit on.
Outdoor Dining As A Family Alleviates Depression
There’s no pain worse than the pain of someone you love. If you have a family member who suffers from depression, you’ll know how true this statement is. Eating outdoors together as a family is an excellent way of reducing or even preventing the onset of depression.
Mind explains how being outdoors in a green space, and participating in activities like eating outdoors, growing your own veg and exercising is excellent for relieving symptoms of depression. The combination of being outdoors with family or people you love creates a positive environment for you and your family to interact with and connect. It’s the perfect combination for a healthy mind.
Protect Against Infection And Disease Through Outdoor Dining
The fresh air is one of nature's best medicines, but combine that fresh air with love, laughter, family connectivity and food, and well, you’ve got a potent mix. One that keeps your family's immune system high in many ways.
Green spaces are known to help improve immunity, some studies show that phytoncides released from trees have antibacterial properties, and the great outdoors is known for reducing stress, lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.
The fresh air is one of nature's best medicines, but combine that fresh air with love, laughter, family connectivity and food, and well, you’ve got a potent mix. One that keeps your family's immune system high in many ways.
Green spaces are known to help improve immunity, some studies show that phytoncides released from trees have antibacterial properties, and the great outdoors is known for reducing stress, lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.
Improve Your Family’s Diet
Finally, when you eat together alfresco as a family, you tend to find yourselves eating healthier food. Usually, a salad, or if you have a barbeque, grilled food always makes a great outdoor treat. The fresh air also tends to slow down eating, allowing your family to recognise when they’re full rather than overeating.
The good thing is, you don’t have to reserve eating outdoors for the hot summer weather. As long as you have some sort of dining area canopy, and an outdoor heater situated near to where you all eat as a family you can extend your outdoor dining experience from early spring right the way through to late autumn. Shade sails make great garden canopies, and if you’re looking for something more robust, check out your local school and take a look at what school canopy they use for some inspiration they almost always have one, and for good reason.
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