Sophie Tebbets, CEO of charity FoodCycle, reveals the benefits of a shared meal and why we should be eating together more to boost our mental and physical wellbeing.
Words: Sophie Tebbets. Images: Foodcycle
So, why is it that a shared meal can be so beneficial? And how can we do more of it? Let’s find out…Looking further into the Oxford University study, there are some shocking statistics about just how little some of us are having a shared meal. One in seven respondents said that they hadn’t had a meal with another family member in the last 6 months whilst just under a third (30 per cent) said they hadn’t done so with a best friend either.
This correlates with the charity’s own data which found that just under 70% of guests at their community meals said they mostly or only eat their meals alone when not at a Foodcycle meal.
This isn’t due to a lack of desire; research also found that as many as 65 per cent of people felt there was someone they should make more effort to see or spend time with, and three out of four believed this was best done by sharing a meal. So what’s so special about a shared meal? The science is pretty clear on this one – people who had a shared meal with someone reported feeling closer whilst the number of diners, laughter, and reminiscences were also shown to boost a sense of bonding along with it.
There are also more practical benefits to the practice. For example, having a shared meal can encourage you to try new and healthy foods and can expose you to a more diverse range of cultural cuisines, promoting a varied and balanced diet. There’s also a benefit that comes from a healthy form of peer pressure – studies have shown that when people eat with others, they tend to consume a greater amount of fruits and vegetables.
Kelly Avery 43, from Hackney in London, can attest to the impact a shared meal can have after witnessing it for herself as a volunteer at community meals through Foodcycle:‘It is truly amazing to see the change that happens to people from when they enter the building to when they’ve sat down and started eating with others.
Enjoying food together really does connect people. Even complete strangers can make conversation over a meal, by sharing what they like about it or discussing how they could recreate it themselves at home. And then of course the conversations evolve. I see people sharing jokes and stories and getting to know each other. There is always a real buzz in the dining room.
‘Many guests come each week and arrive earlier and earlier so that they can spend more time together. And it’s especially great to see people of all backgrounds, circumstances and ages coming together and enjoying each other’s company over a good meal. I can attest firsthand that these communal meals genuinely foster a sense of belonging and community,’ she explains.
Someone else who can also speak personally about the benefits of enjoying a shared meal more often is Joe Ward, aged 42, from Milton Keynes. After a series of setbacks and personal loss, Joe found himself struggling with sleeping, eating, and loneliness. That was until he started attending community meals through Foodcycle.
‘I wasn’t going out, I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t sleeping properly. I was having really bad thoughts and I was just lonely. I came to a point where I thought I can’t keep doing this, I need to do something, I need to get out,’ he says.Joe found a community meal being put on in nearby Fishermead and he found the experience totally changed his outlook on life. ‘I was just really welcomed by the guests there, and the volunteers and everyone, and it just felt like a safe place, straight away. And that got me networking – meeting like-minded people… It’s helped me to become a better person.’
Joe also found that it increased his ties to the community, adding: ‘I know people who come to this locally, you might see them once a week at FoodCycle but you might see them round the community too and they’ll say hello, so in that way, it has made a difference. You get to make friends.’ Experiences like Joe’s are far from unique.
Sophie Tebbetts, CEO of FoodCycle, believes that shared meal initiatives are vitally needed. ‘In a world where people are increasingly feeling more isolated and disconnected from their local communities, and in the backdrop of the rising cost of living, shared meals like the ones we host at FoodCycle are needed now more than ever,’ she explains. ‘Whilst technology like social media should, in theory, make us more connected, over half a million more people say they are lonelier than in the first year of the pandemic. A shared meal won’t solve everything, but it’s a good place to start.’
FoodCycle is a charity that runs community meals using surplus food to feed the hungry and tackle food poverty, loneliness and food waste. Find your local community meal location, volunteer, donate or fundraise to support their work by visiting foodcycle.org.uk.
