Having a well-set dinner table and sharing meals with others can significantly impact our emotional and physiological health. We are mostly oblivious to the fact that this mostly happens through stimulation of the ventral vagal system. What’s that?!
The ventral vagus nerve is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates the body’s relaxation responses. When we sit down to enjoy a meal in a calm and pleasant environment, our nervous system can enter a state of rest and digest. If you have experienced a long history of the dinner table as a time of chatting, sharing thoughts and feelings, processing one’s day with others, theses memories trigger the ventral vagal system, promoting feelings of safety, contentment, and relaxation.
Let’s look at four obvious ways dining supports well-being.
The ventral vagus is purportedly linked to our ability to engage in social connection. The act of dining together facilitates communication, eye contact, and shared experiences. These core elements of social engagement activate the ventral vagus system. Positive social interactions, such as laughter, storytelling, or simply being present with others, enhance vagal tone, the strength and efficiency of vagal activity. This promotes a state of calm alertness, encouraging social bonding and a sense of belonging, which are fundamental to emotional well-being. In this way, mealtimes become more than just about nourishment; they are about nurturing our social and emotional health.
I have felt that the process of preparing a meal and sitting down to eat in a mindful way can ground us in the present moment. When we focus on the experience of eating, savoring each bite, and appreciating the food, it reduces stress and creates a soothing ritual. This mindfulness is a powerful trigger for the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the fight-or-flight response. The act of dinning intentionally for a daily act of simple pleasure signals the nervous system that it is time to rest and recharge. This parasympathetic state lowers cortisol levels and helps balance our emotions. The sensory experience of sight, smell, and taste engages our sensorium in a way that stimulates social engagement and lays the foundations for connection. We may feel calm enough to think through things that when in stress state were too overwhelming to consider considering!
The calmness that comes with this mindful eating experience stimulates the ventral vagal system, contributing to an overall sense of well-being.
Healthy social interactions during meals also provide opportunities for emotional connection and regulation. When we eat in the presence of others, especially those with whom we feel safe and supported, it fosters emotional attunement. This process of emotional sharing and connection is mediated by the ventral vagus, which helps us feel calm and connected to the people around us. I can think of many times where social dynamics during mealtime has reduce feelings of isolation and stress, providing a sense of emotional coherence. Experiencing this regularly (as regularly as a nightly meal) promotes long-term mental health. The body responds to these interactions by lowering heart rates and calming the nervous system, further enhancing our ability to engage with others in a healthy way. I have even experienced social interaction at mealtime as an analgesic - bye bye headache! Thank you humans, for your pain-killing presence!
Finally, a really basic idea of structure and predictability can’t be overlooked. The practice of sitting down for a shared meal can encourage a shared sense of ritual and routine that supports mental and physical health. The consistent experience of a calming, social, and nourishing mealtime environment helps to create the sense of structure and predictability, that is particularly helpful in managing stress. It fosters a balance between rest and social engagement, which are essential for overall well-being.
As the ventral vagus system is strengthened through these experiences, the body’s ability to handle stress and maintain emotional equilibrium is enhanced, improving both mental and physical health. When is your next dining experience planned for? It is a simple yet powerful tool for enhancing health and now you know just how layered and encompassing the wellness of dining can be.
I have to sign off with one small note: who do you want to be for others? A light, warmth, fun, love, support, inspiration? At dinner time there are two things we don’t encourage and that is the blame/ complain game. Unfortunately for some people that is the only way they know to connect with others. The second one is point proving. A serious fun killer right there, and pointless in the bigger picture of life and death.
Bring the thing you wish other to share with you - we all can bring a dish to the table - making conversation as tasty and exciting, nourishing and surprising as the food.