ALL TOGETHER

Loneliness has become the latest epidemic negatively affecting Americans' physical and mental health. The good news? Food and cooking can prevent isolation and help boost overall well-being.

- MARGE PERRY

The United States Surgeon General recently declared loneliness an epidemic in America. "In recent years, about one in two American adults reported experiencing loneliness," says Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, in his 2023 report Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. "And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation." Loneliness is more than an emotion; it is a serious health risk to both individuals and society as a whole. Our need to be social is part of our neurobiology. When our social needs are not met over time, our very biology