Long-lived people often share a common 'free' eating habit.

This habit that helps you live longer is very simple and easy to do, but not everyone knows it, experts say.

Extremely simple habits help live long

Nowadays, we often see the image of the whole family sitting together on chairs with a full table of food. Therefore, if we see a family sitting on the floor to eat , we find it strange and wonder why they don't sit on the table. But in fact, experts rate this as the best habit for health.

Benefits of eating on the floor

A few hundred years ago, eating on the floor was something everyone had to do because of poor economic conditions, and they could sit on the floor or squat. However, with the development of society, every family had a nice dining table set, so this habit gradually disappeared. Only those who understood the benefits continued to do it, especially the Japanese.

Sitting on the floor to eat is one of the habits that helps to live long.

Medically speaking, this way of eating has its roots in yoga and the traditional Indian Hindu system of medicine (Ayurveda). According to Samantha Boesch, a health expert currently working in the US, here are some typical benefits of eating on the floor that you may have overlooked:

Improve digestion

Sitting on the floor to eat in a cross-legged position is very good for your digestive system. Specifically, the back and forth movement of bending forward to eat and returning to a natural sitting position helps the abdominal muscles secrete digestive juices. This is necessary for quick and proper digestion.

Helps lose weight

It may sound unbelievable, but eating on the floor actually helps you lose weight. Samantha shares that when you sit on the floor to eat, your body and mind will focus on eating. This will help you chew more slowly, giving your stomach and brain enough time to recognize signs of fullness, so you can control the amount of food you eat, thereby helping you lose weight.

Improve posture, prevent back pain

When you sit on the floor to eat, your body will automatically adjust to the most suitable posture to create a comfortable feeling. At this time, your shoulders will be pushed back, your back will be straight and your spine will be lengthened, which will help improve your posture as well as prevent back pain. This is also an Indian yoga therapy pose called Sukhasana.

Sitting on the floor to eat can improve posture, preventing back pain.

Increase longevity

A 2012 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that standing up from a seated position on the floor without any support was associated with increased longevity. It also acts as a natural exercise and increases flexibility.

Improve blood circulation

Sitting on the floor makes it easier for the heart to pump blood to other parts of the body than sitting on a table. It is also better for the heart because it reduces the pressure on the heart while eating. For people with circulatory problems, sitting on the floor to eat is even more necessary.

Note when eating on the floor

In general, sitting on the floor to eat brings many health benefits, and is also commonly practiced by Japanese and Korean people, especially people in Okinawa – the place with the highest life expectancy in Japan. However, expert Samantha said, you need to pay attention to a few things to make this happen smoothly.

Before sitting on the floor to eat, you need to choose a clean, airy and dust-free location to avoid food contamination. If you have children in the house, you must be careful because it is difficult to manage them. In cramped places, an uncomfortable sitting position will affect the stomach, even the psychology when eating.

In particular, pregnant women should not sit on the floor while eating or drinking because it will affect their health. In general, maintaining health and longevity is not only about this habit but also about combining food choices and eating properly (chewing slowly, chewing thoroughly, focusing on eating.) to easily achieve results.