Are you one of those people who rushes through your meal?
Or practically swallows everything whole, without chewing?
Are you guilty of eating and driving?
Or eating and watching old episodes of Law & Order: SVU?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. At one point or another we all rush through a meal. Sometimes, we can’t even remember what we ate. Quite frankly, these kinds of meals are far too common in our over worked society. Our lives are lived between one fast food meal to another. And in the end, food becomes completely unmemorable. What a shame that is!

Aside from the very real health implications of rushing through our meals, there is a much more (in my opinion) vital reason to slow down and savor your food. And that is the pure pleasure of eating.

Rarely in life do we allow ourselves to experience the joy of pleasure.
In fact, the word pleasure probably elicits some uncomfortable feelings for you. It’s tied to sex and shame and religion and is looked upon as self-indulgent. Pleasure is sinful — at least that’s the message I grew up with.

And yet, we are made for pleasure. Our bodies, all of our senses — from head to toe, we are built to experience pleasure. That is a fact. So, instead of zooming through life at 90 mph, it’s vital that we take days like today, to fully experience the pleasure of preparing a nourishing meal, of seeing the abundance that we are so fortunate to have and of tasting every single morsel, every flavor, as we eat.

A few tips to get more pleasure out of your Thanksgiving meal:

• Curb Conversation // when you’re taking a bite of food, allow yourself a moment of silence. Close your eyes if you have to. Shut out the world and your loved ones, for a few seconds, to really experience the food you’re tasting. Then you can go back to chatting!
• Be Mindful + Listen // common practice at this time of year is to gorge yourself on multiple piled high plates of food. Instead of ending up in a total food coma, why not eat slowly and mindfully? Take your time. There’s no rush. Be mindful of what you’re eating, how it feels in your mouth, as it moves down your throat and into your stomach. Listen when your body signals to you that it’s full. You can always come back for round 2 (or 3) later.
• Set the Mood // just like in the bedroom, you want to create the right ambiance for maximum guaranteed pleasure (at the table). Even if you’re not entertaining a big crowd, make sure your table looks beautiful. Light candles. Buy greenery and flowers. Put on a great Spotify playlist. String lights overhead. Pull out the nice napkins. Make your space feel beautiful and it will most definitely change the way you savor your experience.

Over to you. In what way will you bring more pleasure to your Thanksgiving this year?

No matter what you do, I hope that you are surrounded by family, friends, food and love. Lots of love.
I’m terribly grateful to you for reading + being a part of The Girl Who Knows community.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

xo
Steph