Using food to bring people together

Food is essential in life, but it doesn't just provide nutrients. It's also a powerful component in our social lives.

Throughout history, food has played an important role in creating a sense of community. When we sit down and eat with friends and family, we're present and focused on those around us, which in turn strengthens our relationships.

We're connected through technology in more ways than ever before, but we're also losing face-to-face interaction and multi-generational living. People are sometimes eating alone, in front of the television, which is not ideal and can possibly even impede our capability to properly digest our food. It's a challenge that we must consciously address.

Take an Italian family that makes tomato passata, for example. It's like a ceremony. The tomatoes are picked, nana soaks them, and the skins come off when they're boiled. The young kids crush them and then the older guys bottle them. When we make food a ritual, we are reminded of what it means to be human.

When my partner Laurentine and I started FoodMatters, we lived in a share house. We arranged regular group dinner nights, and everyone had to be there. We sat around a big long table with bench chairs. We'd take turns to cook and always laid the table out properly. We'd have a drink, put the food out and have some good conversations. It was a ritual we created in that house.

Now that we have a family, we have created new rituals. Before a meal we'll say, "we're better," and then our two kids reply, "together." We'll also say a blessing to thank everyone who's made it possible that we have food. It's a small moment just to reflect and it centres us as a family for the meal. We try to replicate old-fashioned values so shared meals continue to be a family priority.

Other rituals might be turning off the TV, setting a meal time where everyone comes together to eat, or everyone has a job to complete in terms of setting up or cleaning.

Sharing a meal together isn't just about eating food. Everyone might help set the table or clean up. These simple processes replicate what we've done for so many years. It makes eating a meal more purposeful and helps us pass important lessons on to the next generation.

I spend part of my time living in Vanuatu. We live quite close to tribal communities and they always eat together. That's all they know. It's collaborative production, collaborative preparation and collaborative eating. It's how humans have evolved, but that has broken down in parts of society; the kids have eaten at 5pm, dad gets home late from work and eats on his own, grandparents are in the old folks' home - which is why it's more important than ever to schedule time to eat as a family.

Eating alone on the couch can make you feel more disconnected, and that is a dangerous spiral because, if you believe the news, we're already more isolated, depressed, anxious, unhappy and stressed than ever before. We need simple opportunities to share in order to reverse those issues of modern humanity. Bringing family and friends together with food is the perfect antidote to a lonely existence.

Filmmaker of 'Food Matters' and 'Hungry For Change', and founder of FMTV, James has dedicated his life to discovering the truth behind nutrition and our food supply. James, alongside Laurentine ten Bosch, has transformed the 'Food Matters' film into a global wellness hub, with a community of over 3.3 million followers across email and social networks. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.