Dinner Outside

Minnesota’s summer is short and sweet.  It’s hard to cram in everything outdoors in one season.  Even when I’ve spent all day outside, I still crave more and feel like it’s never enough.  I’m going to try and maximize what’s left of summer by challenging myself to eat at least one meal outdoors each day until the November.  I’m debating about recording it by journaling or even photographing, but am not tied to those ideas yet, but did you know that eating outside is actually really good for you?

Eating outdoors makes you more mindful of your food and enjoy it more.  Everyone now days is tied to their phones and screens, so research shows that taking the time to put those things down and pay attention to what you are eating makes it digest better.

Nature also plays into stress reduction.  Studies show that being outside lowers your heart rate, blood pressure, and helps to relax your muscles.  Taking your meals outside helps with not only these physical things, but is also linked to reducing anxiety and depression.

All in all, eating outside seems like a great idea! I will start today, and hope that doing so will make me feel like I took full advantage of summer.  Would you like to join me?

Sources: https://luvofoods.com/blog/eating-outdoors-better/

https://www.vitacost.com/blog/food-nutrition/benefits-of-eating-outside.html