Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is so important as it comes to eating. Staying in tune with your body and honoring your hunger are ways to be sure you enjoy food while also nourishing your body and your baby. A healthy relationship with food is born from mindful eating.

With all the body and hormonal changes during pregnancy and lactation/breastfeeding, it can be challenging to eat mindfully. Do you know that saying during pregnancy: “you’re eating for two now”? Yeah, even though you may have an appetite for two, that’s not true! When pregnant, we’re eating for about 1.2, not 2 people. When lactating/breastfeeding, you will notice an increase in hunger due to the increase in your calorie needs. Mindful eating can help us honor our hunger and learn how much our bodies need so that we consume the calories we need during pregnany, lactation/breastfeeding, and beyond.

Here are some tips for eating mindfully:

• Learn what hunger is for you.

  • Give yourself time to study your own eating patterns (how much and when you eat).

• Reflect while eating. Think to yourself:

  • How does this taste? Savory, sweet, salty, bitter?

  • How fast or slow am I eating?

  • Is this filling me up? Could I keep eating or would I feel better if I stopped?

  • Does this food satisfy hunger, emotions, or a social cue (eating because others are eating)?

• Learn what fullness is for you.

  • Create a scale for yourself (example: 0 - 10, 0 = starving, 10 = stuffed like a turkey). Stop eating once you are about a 7-8, then take some time to think whether or not you want more food. It is okay if you realize that you are still hungry!

• Notice negative wording or thinking when it comes to food and eating.

  • Negative talk about food can negatively influence your relationship with food. Diet culture has given foods labels like "good" or "bad". However, food does not have morals and all foods can fit in moderation.

  • Keep in mind that negative self-talk or thoughts about food are usually linked to negative thoughts about weight and body image

• Give yourself permission vs restriction.

  • Saying “I can’t eat that” or “I don’t have any business eating this” will foster a desire to rebel and overindulge—starting the cycle of guilt. Telling yourself it is okay to eat 1-2 cookies is better than saying “no cookies”.

  • Note: if you are allergic to a food, then saying “I can’t eat that” is a different scenario.

It can take some time to get back in tune with your body, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Metabolism and hormonal changes can make it challenging to manage hunger and eat mindfully. Remember, never compare your mindful eating journey to anyone else's.