From the wise words of Evelyn Tribole (the co-creator of Intuitive Eating<\/em><\/a>!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don’t reach full satisfaction, then you\u2019ll find yourself in a constant cycle of wanting more. Which we know leads to feelings of deprivation that can manifest in feeling out of control around food or shame if you eat a \u201cforbidden food\u201d (check out this blog on principle #3<\/strong><\/a> for more on this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to take inventory and assess where you are right now when it comes to satisfaction level with food. Are you actually eating the foods that you want or choosing the second best thing because you think it may be \u201cbetter\u201d for you or what you \u201cshould be eating?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are not a machine who needs \u201cx\u201d amount of calories or carbs a day, and sometimes it can feel like that\u2019s what your daily job is when you\u2019re pregnant. Hyper-focusing on getting \u201cx\u201d amount of nutrients\/vegetables\/etc can take away from you intuitively listening to your body\u2019s true needs and cravings. Let me say it again, you are not a machine. You are a human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are already designed to know what you are craving and desire – the hardest part comes with listening to that and giving it what it wants! This might be scary if you\u2019re new to Intuitive Eating or are used to hitting a specific number of carbohydrates per meal or day – but as you learn to trust your body and make peace with food (Principle #3!<\/a>) this will become easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that there are no morally \u201cright\u201d or \u201cwrong\u201d foods – understanding this will allow you to tap into what you really want and be able to build meals and snacks with satisfaction in mind. What about balanced nutrition you ask? That\u2019s coming in Intuitive Eating Principle #10. If you have gestational diabetes you want to focus on balanced meals AND satisfaction so eating is more than just balancing blood sugars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t already gone through principles #1-#4, this may be more difficult so I encourage you to go back and read those before you move forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n #1 Rejecting The Diet Mentality<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #2 Honoring Your Hunger<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #3 Make Peace With Food<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n #4: Challenge the Food Police<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually giving your body what it wants and needs can decrease the craving or overwhelming desire for foods later! Notice these key elements when thinking about what you want to eat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noticing all aspects of your food (appearance, smell, volume, etc.) has a lot to do with overall satisfaction<\/strong>. Being able to notice or change the meal to your liking will also help you naturally get the nutrients your body is craving. For example, if you\u2019re in your first trimester and you have an aversion to the temperature, taste and texture of raw vegetables – some cooked vegetables may be more satisfying than a big leafy salad.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mindful eating also comes into play to connect to the experience of eating. Being mindful when eating allows you to notice satisfaction. Incorporate mindful eating by using your senses. What does the food sound like? Feel like in your mouth? Smell like? Is this something you would want again? You may notice you really enjoy a food and be able to savor it. You may also notice that you don\u2019t actually like a food and you can choose to stop eating it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your eating environment is also important. Are you allowing yourself time to eat and pay attention to the eating experience? Eating while distracted, while driving, in a meeting, making snacks for a toddler, etc. may lead you to feeling disconnected to the food you are eating and the experience of eating it. Pay attention and notice what different environments do for your satisfaction of eating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about ways you can make the eating environment more enjoyable so you can eat without distraction and really tune in. Many people find it helpful to eat at a table that isn\u2019t their desk. Perhaps you like silence or some gentle music. Eating off of plates and using real silverware might enhance the experience for you. I\u2019m looking at you parents\u2026.compare eating off an \u201cadult\u201d plate versus a \u201ckids\u201d plate. Or even a plate versus the storage container your leftovers came from. Notice a difference? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Discovering the Satisfaction Factor is all about tuning into your personal food preferences, in general and in the moment. It\u2019s about creating meals and snacks that are delicious for your tastebuds. And those taste buds change a lot during pregnancy, so get ready to keep tuning in and being surprised about what you discover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re having trouble navigating intuitive eating and feel nervous to focus on satisfaction while pregnant or navigating gestational diabetes, I\u2019m here to help. As a registered dietitian and doula who specializes in gestational diabetes I know the unique fears and challenges you may be facing right now, and I also know it is possible to navigate them with ease and confidence (when you have the right support). To learn more about me and my services, click here<\/a>. I look forward to chatting more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When was the last time you really sat down and paid attention to how satisfied you are with a meal? Does it actually taste good? Do you have time to enjoy it or are you in a rush? Distracted? In our ongoing series of Intuitive Eating Principles, comes one of the most important: Discover the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270784"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270784"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270820,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270784\/revisions\/270820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cIf you don’t love it, don’t eat it. And if you love it, savor it\u201d <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Am I Eating What I Want? In the Amount that I Want?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Know If Your Food is Satisfying<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mindful Eating for Pregnancy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"intuitive](\"https:\/\/nourishedjourney.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Untitled-design-8-1024x790.png\" "\\"\\"")
Discovering the Satisfaction Factor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n