In order to be wholly well - body, mind, soul, and spirit - as humans, we need to be able to experience pleasure throughout our day-to-day life.  It's easy to derive pleasure from life when everything is going well (you're on vacation, eating a scrumptious meal at a nice restaurant, opening a gift, feeling accomplished from completing a long-term goal), but the reality is that we don't experience these types of events on the average day.  In this blog post, I'm going to provide several ideas how you can experience more pleasure in your everyday life:

​Our modern day, fast-paced culture places a high demand on productivity.  Doing more seems to be the way of life for most people.  Unfortunately, always living life on-the-go can be a recipe for adrenal fatigue, which certainly is not a satisfying, or healthy, way to live.  By intentionally slowing down and soaking in the experience of the moment you're in​, you will derive more pleasure in your everyday life.  

​My top tip for slowing down is to regularly include electronic breaks throughout your day.  Also consider turning your phone on silent when you are having an electronic break.  By doing so, your system will not be bombarded with continually incoming alerts and notifications that can impede your ability to be present in the moment.  Other strategies can include driving just at (or under!) the speed limit in the "slow lane", intentionally walking slower than normal, or using your non-dominant hand throughout the day, especially when eating.

My top recommendation for experiencing the current moment you're in is to be aware of 1 of your 5 senses (sight/vision, smell, taste, hear/sound, touch/feel).  By noticing your sensory experience of the moment, you will feel more pleasure in your life.  Here are some practical examples of how you could incorporate this:
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​1. Notice the various qualities of the food you're eating or beverage you're drinking, such as the:

• Flavor - spicy, sweet, savory, salty, bitter, tart, sour, neutral, bland
• Temperature - hot, tepid, neutral, cool, icy
• Mouthfeel, Texture or Consistency - effervescent/bubbly, crunchy, smooth, crispy, hard, firm, soft, sponge-like, gelatinous/jelly-like, slippery, lumpy, grainy, nutty, dense, light, tender, chewy, sticky, thick, thin, creamy, etc. 

It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register the sensation of fullness, so by slowing down during mealtime, it will be easier for you to gauge your appetite level more accurately.  In addition to eating with your non-dominant hand, other strategies to slow down during mealtime could include:

• Pausing to pray before eating,
• Intentionally chewing your food until it becomes liquid in your mouth before swallowing (this will aid with better digestion too),
• Engaging in pleasurable conversation with the people you may be sharing a meal with, 
• Setting down your fork or spoon in between bites,
• Savoring every bite of food (implement tip #1 here).

Assess your appetite level before starting your meal or snack.  Do you feel neutral, a hint of hunger, hunger awareness, significant hunger, extreme hunger, or do you feel famished?  
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Allow yourself to pause in the middle of your meal to reassess your appetite level.  Do you feel comfortably full, satisfied, neutral, slight hunger, or noticeable hunger?  If you aren't sure of your appetite level, it's ok.  It takes time to reestablish in-tune hunger/fullness signals if you are used to rushing while eating or eating by the clock.  You can give yourself permission to take a 5 or 10-minute "time out" from eating, and then reassess.  The purpose of this activity is to condition your brain and your digestive organs to work in harmony, so you can better assess your nutritional needs which will result in a more satisfying eating experience.

3. Notice the beauty in your environment and increase the sensory appeal of the moment.  
Open your eyes to the charm around you, and you will feel more pleasure in the moment.  For example, notice the yellow dandelions or colorful flower-weeds in the sidewalk cracks, the puffiness of the clouds, or a soaring bird in the sky.  Hear the crickets chirping, birds singing, or the leaves rustling in the wind.  Smell the fresh air.  Feel the sunshine on your face or the breeze against your skin.  Or, you can make your inside environment more appealing with a small potted plant on your office desk or kitchen table.  Notice the color of the petals and the fragrance the flower emits.  For a more pleasurable meal experience, you can use decorative placemats or tablecloths, new dish ware, light a candle during mealtime, or listen to calming music.  This needn't be expensive.  You can visit a yard sale or your local ReStore for budget-friendly additions.

Your daily experience of life does not have to be significant to be richly satisfying and enjoyable.  Instead, you can derive deep pleasure in your everyday life by slowing down and experiencing the moment you're in by noticing the beauty in your environment, increasing the sensory appeal of the moment, pausing during mealtime to feel your fullness, and savoring your food during mealtime.  Stay tuned for Part 2 on how to experience another dimension of pleasure in your everyday life!

Intuitive Eating is an evidenced-based model.  To date, 91 research studies have been conducted on the specific process of Intuitive Eating.  These studies show that intuitive eaters:

• Have more trust in their body in determining what to eat,
  
• Select a greater variety of foods,
  
• Have a better sense of well-being,
  
• Are more connected with their bodies, and
  
• Have a lower BMI without dieting. 
  

Also, intuitive eaters are less likely to engage in behaviors that may lead to weight gain than dieters (for a list of the studies, refer to Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA, CEDRD).  When you look at the research, it is very compelling!

It is important to emphasize that a person cannot become an intuitive eater if he or she has an urgent, primary motivation to lose weight because this will interfere with the process, and then the principles might be turned into rigid rules, as opposed to productive guidelines.  Body weight is an outcome of our beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors.  By becoming an intuitive eater, a person’s choices will result in achieving his or her natural weight without trying so hard.

Intuitive Eating is a research-proven method for finding satisfaction with your eating and body image, while promoting health.  The result is positively empowering, and I have witnessed this in my life, as well as my clients who have decided to work on becoming intuitive eaters!

New opportunities, new year, new beginnings.  There's something refreshing and promising about starting a new year, and what lies ahead.  Beginnings stir hope, dreams, goals, and aspirations about the future.  Whether you are just beginning your digestive healing journey, or if you are in "maintenance mode" from the progress you have already made with your GI health, my tips below will help foster a healthier and happier tummy!  As you read the list, give yourself kudos for what you already implement, and consider a new change that you can realistically incorporate into your wellness lifestyle in 2019 and beyond!
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I am so excited to share this recipe with you!  Periodically, I become enlightened with a new food combination idea, which I attribute to my college days when food variety in the kitchen was scare.  I would have to "think outside the box" on how to pair foods I had on hand into a meal creation that actually tasted decent - oh, the memory of college days!  
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I love this recipe because it is simple and easy, but delivers a robust flavor.  This veggie pilaf is filling, and provides antioxidants, dietary fiber, and heart-healthy fat.  You can even serving it with Thanksgiving dinner.  Check out this must-have recipe...