Have you ever noticed that your food choices change depending on who you are dining with? I do!
When I go out to eat with my family, we order so much. Several appetizers, a main for each of us, and at least one dessert. My kids are in the driver’s seat with the ordering here, but I certainly am doing my fair share of the consumption. Alternatively, if I go out with friends, we order a much more reasonable amount. We share everything, and I leave feeling satisfied without feeling stuffed. These two scenarios illustrate how our food choices can change based on the company we keep.
A study from Cornell University showed that social influence is a strong determinant of food consumption, which in turn influences health. Researchers analyzed purchasing patterns in campus dining facilities and discovered a phenomenon termed “purchasing mimicry.” Purchasing mimicry occurred when a person observed someone ahead of them in line selecting certain food items, and was therefore significantly more likely to choose the same items themselves.
For instance, if the preceding individual added a particular condiment or side dish to their meal, the following person was 14% more likely to do the same, representing an 83% relative increase in likelihood. This effect was consistent across various food types and demographic groups, indicating a broad pattern of social influence on food selection.
Research from the well-known Framingham Heart Study revealed that if a close friend becomes obese, your risk of becoming obese increases by 57%. This underscores how health behaviors can spread through social networks.
Here are two tangible examples we can relate to:
1) You have plans to meet a friend for coffee, but she suggests going for a walk instead. In this case, instead of being sedentary and possibly consuming a beverage that is upwards of 200 calories, you get 7,500 steps in while having a meaningful catch-up with your friend.
2) The Cohens are coming over for Shabbat lunch, and you know that they prefer to eat healthier foods, so instead of making kugels and meats, you decide to make pargiot, salad and veggies and feel significantly better after eating this lighter meal.
Both situations illustrate that who we surround ourselves with can affect our food and activity choices. These choices can create a positive ripple effect on our own and others’ health.
Here are five more tangible ways to positively influence your friends/family to eat healthier and prioritize movement.
1) Suggest a restaurant that has healthier options to meet for lunch.
2) Share your positive experiences. Try a new healthy recipe that was a hit. Share it with a friend. Try a new exercise class you loved and think your friend would enjoy? Share it!
3) Normalize cooking healthy food for your Shabbat company and offer one dessert along with fruit instead of three. Everyone will survive with one dessert.
4) Talk about the positive ways that eating healthy and moving more have affected your health. This doesn’t mean to brag about how amazing you feel in your clothes (although you should feel proud). Share with your friends how much more energy you have, how you feel less bloated, and how your stamina has increased.
5) Don’t judge and don’t push. Not everyone will be influenced, and that is OK! Yes, we want the people we love to be as healthy as possible. But ultimately, our friends are our friends because we love them and not because they eat healthy and work out.
Our health is deeply connected to our community, not just through shared meals and traditions, but through the subtle choices we make together every day. From the foods we serve at our Shabbat tables to whether we meet for coffee or a walk, our social lives shape our habits more than we realize. Science confirms what many of us have experienced: we tend to eat like our friends, move like our friends and ultimately live like our friends.
Alyson Small is a registered dietitian who helps women achieve a sustainable weight loss of 10 pounds or more without food rules or an all or nothing mindset. Once an avid follower of food rules, she realized that eating more balanced and mindfully was the key to a healthy diet and food freedom. Follow her on Instagram @alysonsmallnutrition for more nutrition tips, recipes and freebies.
