There is a major selling point to eating out in Thailand, and it’s the fact that it’s warm for most of the year-round. This offers you and your family many opportunities to be able to eat outside, which is a luxury that people in other countries just don’t have. There’s something about eating outside and especially at night, under the stars. Many restaurants have realised that customers are searching for something like this, and they have put things into place to allow people to be able to eat outside on a regular basis.

You can, for example, enjoy a rooftop dinner in Ratchada, where an extensive menu is offered to you of both Thai food and other food from around the world. The level of service is fantastic, and everything that you could possibly need is right there under one roof. There are many health benefits to be enjoyed when eating outside, and the following are some of those.

• It changes your focus – The downside of eating inside in front of a television set, or with your smartphone in your hand, is that you are taking part in something called distracted eating. You’re too busy looking at your Facebook profile, checking out TikTok, or some other social media platform, that you’re not aware of the amount of food that you’re eating, and how often you are eating it. It leads to uncontrolled weight gain and poor health outcomes. Eating outside allows you to put your phone down, engage with the people that you’re eating with and improve your overall social connection.

• It helps with stress & anxiety – Many of us have lots of stress in our lives, either through our jobs or our family lives. When you are reading outside, you are out there with nature, and this helps to reduce your overall stress and anxiety levels. The outside area is known as ‘green space’, and it has been proven to have a positive effect on your sleep, your blood pressure, and to help reduce disease. You should try to squeeze in at least a couple of meals outside every single week.

• It’s good for your immune system – If we have learnt anything about the pandemic, it is the fact that we had depleted levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is associated with a strong immune system, which leads to healthy bones and better health outcomes. The sun can be pretty strong here in Thailand, so five minutes is usually enough in direct sunlight to give you the vitamin D that your body needs to perform. If you are eating outside for longer than this, be sure to apply an effective sunscreen with a high SPF.

These are only three of the many proven benefits of enjoying your meals outside with your family and close friends. Eating all the time under artificial light is not good for you, so today is the day when you start making plans to book a top-quality restaurant outside.