Nonna-maxxing

I’ve been doing this my whole life and I didn’t know it had a name.

Apparently there’s a trend going around where people are trying to live like their Italian grandmother (Nonna). Cooking from scratch. Long meals with people they love. Daily walks. Less screen time. More presence.

They’re calling it nonnamaxxing.

I read about it and thought.. is this not living well?

The Concept of Nonna-maxxing

What It Actually Is

Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle. It started on TikTok, spread everywhere and is now being discussed by nutritionists and psychologists who are pleased young people have finally discovered the concept of a home-cooked meal.

The name is new, the lifestyle however.. is ancient.

Why It Resonates

Here’s my mild objection to the whole thing. A nonna made the sauce because that’s what you do on a Sunday. She walked to the market because that’s how you get your fresh produce. She sat at the table for two hours because the meal wasn’t finished yet and neither was the conversation.

None of it is intentional in the way we’re making it out to be now. It’s a way of life and it makes exceptional sense.

How I Actually Adopt the Concept

The weekend farmers market that I treat as a non negotiable, the pasta made from scratch on a random weekday afternoon, the dinner table I eat at instead of the couch, the walk I take without my phone.

The things that make you envy nonna’s life isn’t the pasta or the apron… it’s the people, rest, food, the unhurried movements throughout the day.

You don’t need permission to to it but if the name helps…

nonna-max away.