BRING ON THE PLEASURE AND MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EATING EXPERIENCES

There is so much that goes into being satisfied with our food.  We use all of our senses to enhance the enjoyment of the pleasurable act of eating.  We want our food to smell appetizing.  We want it to be presented nicely so that it looks appealing.  We want the crunchy foods to crunch, and the creamy foods to be smooth.  We want the steaks to sizzle when they hit the grill.  We want it to taste fabulous, most importantly of all.  We also benefit from a clutter-free and technology-free eating environment.  That costs us zero points plus values but adds exponentially to our eating satisfaction.

As we know, however, there is so much that competes with our attention, not the least of which is the sense that we have to move on quickly--get it done--go on to the next activity.  This destroys our ability to use all of our senses and actually profit from the mindful eating experience we are trying to promote.

As Weight Watchers members, one of our life-long goals is to discover ways to get satisfied with less, e.g. how little can we eat and still be happy.  This is a life-long pursuit, because sometimes, we are fine with a pile of salad and nice protein on the side.  Other times, we want more indulgent choices.  NOT A PROBLEM.  We can find a healthy balance, and then we can actually look forward to our treats and get satisfied when we have them.

It would be lovely if the world we live in could help with this pursuit.  Unfortunately, we don't live in that healthy, balanced world where treats are reserved for special occasions, where points plus values are posted on all the foods at the grocery store, where restaurants serve right-size portions, where our friends and family don't push food....

My response to this is--SAVE YOURSELF.  You and I, and every person I know who is pursuing a healthy lifestyle, on a journey of self improvement know how true this is.  We simply do not have extra points plus values for others.  We do not have enough points plus values for foods we regret having eaten.  We do not have enough points plus values to eat every single thing we are offered.

The art of eating well--and I believe it can be an art--means that we take good care of ourselves, honor our commitment to feed ourselves healthy, nutritious food that fuels the body and maybe even the soul (think of some family favorites).  The art of eating well means that we plan ahead for meals that we can look forward to.  No more ho hum chicken in salt and pepper.  We can have Greek style chicken with a little olive oil, oregano and lemon zest/juice.  We can have Asian-style kebobs if we buy the ginger, soy, miso, etc. and make it interesting.  We can buy a plant or flower or candle and put it on the dinner table with a nice place setting.  We can have a technology-free table and enjoy the art of eating well.