How to Be a Conscious Eater

Third, commensality. That is, the deeply human experience of

breaking bread together. This last caution about food aversions

is the potential increase in eating alone. Copious research

shows that Americans are already in dire straits in terms

of widespread loss of social ties, and personalized nutrition

doesn’t help the situation. Each of us fixated on our individual

litany of banishments makes it awfully hard to convene over

something as simple as a lunch date or convivial cocktail. In

fact, a 2019 survey found that nearly half of Americans follow-

ing an exclusion diet of some kind admit it impairs their social

life. So, although personalized nutrition makes a lot of sense,

keep in mind this potential irony: Despite going down these

roads of rejection in the search for long-term well-being, one

of the greatest predictors of longevity is actually social con-

nectedness. Rather than focusing on optimizing our unique

macronutrient ratios, we’ll likely live longer by embracing food

as a social act.

St u f f t h at’s made in restaurant kitchens 239

Conscious Eater_04 PT_4th patches.indd 239 10/23/19 1:38 PM