Do you ever wonder how the healthiest people in the world live?

How are they so healthy? 

How do they live to 100 years and longer?

How is their quality of life so good?

The Blue Zones, the communities of the world’s healthiest people, have many habits and daily practices in common.

And one of those common habits is to put “loved ones first.”

My parents are in town from Virginia this week, which reminds me of one of the key secrets to living a long, healthy life.

The Blue Zones people never eat alone.

They sit down to a long meal with family and close friends.

They put loved ones first.

Two nights ago, Matt and my parents and I went out for dinner in our Historic Third Ward. 

We sat outside, good food, great company, on a warm summer evening for 2 ½ hours!

Now that’s a lot longer than I usually take to eat my meals 😉

And while that’s not doable every night of the week, the lesson is clear:

Eating slowly, having great conversation with loved ones, creating stronger relationships all have a massive impact on our health.

The benefits of sitting down to dinner with family, close friends, and eating slowly are numerous:

• Better digestion

• Better food metabolism

• Less risk of obesity

• Less risk of being overweight

• Less risk of overeating

• Stronger relationships

Health is more than what we eat. 

It’s how we eat.  It’s how we spend our time.  And it’s who we spend our time with.  

What we eat is a small part of the picture of health.

The secret to living like the healthiest people in the world?

How they live.