Why Are People Eating Outdoors More Often?

Have you been eating more of your meals and snacks outside? You’re not alone. All over the United States, people are finding more excuses to eat outside both alone and with other people. But why is this the case? What factors are motivating people to eat outside more frequently? And is this trend likely to continue?

The Tools

For starters, there’s a bigger selection of outdoor cooking equipment than there’s ever been before. Whether you’re in the market for an outdoor flat top grill, an outdoor pizza oven, or a fully functional outdoor kitchen with all the appliances you could ever want, there are affordable and abundant options to choose from. If you have a few hundred bucks to spend, you can get a grill with all the basics, and if you’re willing to spend a few grand, you could have an entire outdoor cooking setup.

Obviously, if you don’t like cooking outside, you can still benefit from eating outdoors on patio restaurants – or at the backyard barbecues of your friends – but there’s no doubt the wide range of outdoor cooking tools is playing a role in this trend’s popularity.

The Benefits

People are also recognizing the many scientifically proven benefits of eating outdoors – and being outdoors in general.

For example:

•       Fresh air. Stepping outside and getting fresh air simply feels good. But it also comes with some impressive health benefits. Unless you live in an area with especially poor outdoor air quality, the air quality outside is better than the air quality inside; breathing this regularly is good for your lung health.
•       Sunlight and vitamin D. Most people understand that moderate amounts of sun exposure, with proper protection when necessary, are good for you. That’s partially because when we absorb sunlight through our skin, we produce vitamin D, a necessary nutrient that plays a role in many aspects of health. Higher vitamin D intake is associated with a variety of health benefits, including resilience to certain types of illnesses, better mood, and higher rates of calcium level absorption.
•       Improved sleep. Some studies suggest that people who spend more time outside sleep better at night. This could be due to a variety of factors, including more consistent circadian rhythms reacting to sunlight exposure, fatigue associated with exercising outside, and other factors.
•       Better mental health. People who spend more time outside generally show signs of better mental health. They tend to be happier, less depressed, less anxious, and generally more content with life. The next time you feel down, try eating a meal outside; you might be surprised at how much this one action can make you feel better.
•       Social opportunities. Some people are eating outside more frequently because it makes an excellent excuse to socialize. Whether you’re hosting a get together in your own yard or you’re enjoying a late lunch on a patio, you’ll have opportunities to engage with friends and strangers alike.

The Push

There are also some push factors that have led to more people eating outside.

These include:

•       Lockdown habits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health advisors warned against spending time in close proximity with others in indoor locations. This prompted many people to start eating meals outdoors, especially when eating meals with other people. This habit seems to have remained for many people; once they realized how nice it was to eat outside, they never wanted to stop.
•       Remote work. Depending on the study you reference, somewhere between 27 and 50 percent of the adult working population in the U.S. is now working remotely at least some of the time. And millions of people are working from home full-time. There are many benefits to remote work, for both individuals and businesses, but it can be stale to stay in your house all the time. Even the simple act of eating your lunch on the porch can provide a meaningful break from this environment.
•       Digital entertainment. It’s also worth noting that many of us are primarily seeking entertainment on digital screens. We watch shows and movies, we scroll social media, and we play video games as our primary options. While there’s nothing wrong with these activities in small doses, if you spend most of your day staring at a screen, it starts to eat away at you. It’s another reason why it’s so important to get at least some outdoor time – and meals are the perfect excuse to do it.

Does this trend have staying power? Or is it a short-term fad?

It’s hard to say for sure, but many of the factors that have led Americans to eat outdoors more frequently aren’t going away anytime soon; our access to outdoor cooking appliances is only going to expand in the future, and remote work and digital entertainment are unlikely to fade in the next couple of decades. If anything, these factors are going to become stronger, pushing more people to eat outside for more of their daily meals.