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In India, where I am from, most of the people sit on the floor to eat their food. It is widely believed that sitting on the floor and eating is more beneficial than sitting in a chair or on a sofa. However there is an exception for light meals and having tea or coffee, most people prefer sitting either on a bed or sofa here also for that.

So, is sitting on the floor a healthier way for people to eat?

The article 10 Reasons Why The Indian Way Of Sitting On The Floor And Eating Is Good For Health lists some of the benefits. I would like to know only about two claims. First the claim on health benefits mentioned in the article, especially "Sitting on the floor helps in digesting food":

When you sit on the floor and bend forward to eat and go back to your natural position. This back and forth movement helps muscles in the abdomen to secrete digestive juices, and helps in digesting the food properly and quickly.

And second the claim about "Humans are not designed to sit in chair" i.e. improving posture:

When we sit on the floor our body posture is automatically corrected with our back straight, expanding our spine and pushing our shoulders back, beating all the frequent pain and aches that are caused due to bad posture.

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    Only Reason 2. Helps in digesting food has any relevance to both sitting and the floor and eating (and applies to eating when seated at a table anyway). For example Reason 4 claims the benefit is to get exercise when you sit down and stand up afterwards. Others mention digestion, but that happens after you have eaten. Many of the reasons suggest it is a cultural practice, with no evidence to back up its health claims.
    – Weather Vane
    Nov 1, 2020 at 13:13
  • @WeatherVane - Yes , that's what I precisely want to know. Is there any scientific investigation regarding sitting posture during consuming food? And I am also interested in knowing whether the claims made can be proven or not.Thanks.
    – SwiftPushkar
    Nov 1, 2020 at 14:56
  • That is not how this site works: it is not a platform for exploring possibilities, but challenging notable claims. The article posted is someone's opinion about sitting on the floor, not really about eating (though it is one small angle).
    – Weather Vane
    Nov 1, 2020 at 15:02
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    In that case, perhaps the question should focus on sitting on the floor as opposed to on chairs, rather than eating. If a culture is not using chairs, then of course they will be sitting on the floor to eat: not because that particular activity is more healthy.
    – Weather Vane
    Nov 1, 2020 at 16:02
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    How are family bonding and being humble health benefits? (And can’t family bonding be done just as effectively sitting at a table?) You should quote the specific claim from the link that you want answered and include it in the body of your question.
    – Laurel
    Nov 1, 2020 at 19:21

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