If we were to ask you, "Whose been your best teacher in helping you know what to eat to be healthy, what would you say?"

For us, a number of experts come to mind. Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Greger, Dr. Esselstyn, and more. But when we really think about it, these experts give us expert information on what to eat, but what teaches us to KNOW what supports us to thrive is our own body? It doesn't matter what experts or scientific research says, but what does our body need that we need to learn? What we need comes from our experience and listening to our body's intelligence.

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Our bodies have so much wisdom. They're constantly monitoring all the parameters of health: our blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, pH. Things we could never manage with our conscious mind.

And the way it communicates its findings is through feeling. If it feels good, it's probably signalling that it's good for us. If it hurts or feels bad, our body is probably trying to tell us something isn't right here. It needs attention.

If we sprain an ankle or break a bone, it hurts. That pain isn't punishment for what happened. It's our body's way to get our attention to deal with that area and take care of it. If I just get a splinter in my finger, it's got my full attention. It's an amazing feedback system. And it's on 24/7 for free! Pretty good service.

So, while there are lots of great experts sharing lots of great information that's shown to support us to be healthy, these facts may or may not apply to us individually. Most of it does. But to decide what to eat and how much of it based on research won't necessarily lead to the best results.

Like we said, our body's wisdom is always giving us feedback. And that feedback around our health and food usually comes in subtle feelings, like a kind of resonance. We rarely hear, "eat 1/2 cup of edamame on 5 leaves of lettuce." But, when I listen to my body, I can start putting lettuce leaves on a plate and have a sense for when it's enough. And I can start putting edamame on my salad and "feel" how much to add.

The more I've been able to refine this felt perception, the better I find I feel after I eat. And how good I feel over the long run, and how much I enjoy my meals is signaled from this felt perception as well.

Keep in mind, we are always changing. Which means that our body's needs are always changing. Again, an important reason to listen to your body. By creating the habit to listen to our body for what and how much to eat, we're constantly adjusting to the natural changes that occur as seasons change and we grow and age.

Where this can be tricky is when there's a strong urge or craving. So often when we suggest to a group to listen to their body, someone inevitably says, "My body wants chocolate!" And everyone laughs. Of course they do, because we all know that feeling, don't we?

So, it's important to learn to distinguish between the feeling, the nudge toward what's healthy for us, and those, often stronger feelings, that we call cravings, toward an unhealthy choice.

It isn't all that hard actually. The craving voice is loud and urgent. The wisdom voice is quiet and patient. The hard part is that the craving is tied to our pleasure center, the dopamine production driving the pleasure trap. That's a strong, instinctive response, but we can learn to hear the difference. And we can learn to pause when that urgent feeling comes and see that it does move on.

This is part of developing a healthy relationship with food in the same way we develop a healthy relationship with another person. In dealing with people, we see that not reacting to strong inner feelings, but leaning to pause, so we come back to our "right" mind, and respond from there, preserves a healthy, nourished connection.

The more we have learned to listen to our bodies for guidance, the healthier we find ourselves feeling. It's become a wonderful, rich, and enjoyable relationship we have. Give it a try and let us know how it goes for you.

The recipe this week is a Spring Noodle Bowl. Partially cooked with plenty of raw too, this is a refreshing noodle bowl with a delicious, lightly spiced sauce. We know it's going to be a regular around our house.

To your Amazing Healthy,

Connie and Bill

Spring Noodle Bowl (Serves 4)

• 12 ounces Pasta of your choice
• 3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
• 1½ cups frozen, shelled edamame
• 1 bunch radishes, sliced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 bunch scallions, diagonal slices
• ¼ cup almonds, sliced or chopped
• Mung bean sprouts as garnish

Sauce

• ½ cup coconut aminos
• ½ cup filtered water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

In 3 tablespoons filtered water, cook broccoli and edamame for 4 minutes. Set aside.

Make the sauce by adding coconut aminos, water, rice vinegar, tomato paste, ginger, and red pepper flakes or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water and mix well. Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce pan, stirring to prevent lumps until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2-3 minutes.

Pour sauce over the pasta and mix well.

In serving bowls, add pasta to bottom of bowl, then broccoli, edamame, carrots, radishes and scallions, and garnish with sprouts and almonds. Enjoy.