Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Written by Michelle Shelton

March 21, 2023

At the very center of Intuitive Eating is finding satisfaction in eating. Food should be nourishing to body and soul - the body through the actual nutrients and components that fuel our body, and soul through the experience of enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction of being cared for. Both are important for health. 

So often we have so many rules around food, or we’re in such a rush, or too distracted, that we lose sight of the actual satisfaction of eating. In these times, we do well to slow down and re-engage with the full experience of meal time. 

Just notice. It’s as simple as it sounds. Notice the taste. Do you like it a little or a lot, or not very much, or absolutely hate it? Notice the texture and how it feels in your mouth. Notice how a change in texture changes the satisfaction, even if the actual taste remains the same. Notice the aroma. How does that play into your overall experience of pleasure and satisfaction?  Notice the temperature. 

Notice how certain elements of the food change as your eating experience progresses. Notice how your satisfaction and pleasure changes.  As you become more aware, you will notice that, even for your absolute favorite food, the 20th bite never tastes as good or is as satisfying as the first. 

As you become more familiar and in-tune with your satisfaction levels as you eat, you will become more aware of when you no longer want or need to continue eating. You will notice that you are satisfied, that continuing to eat does not add, and in fact, may take away from your eating experience. You may notice that you don’t actually enjoy the food and that you, in fact, do not want to eat it. How many times have you continued to eat simply because the food is there, suddenly over-full of the food you didn’t even enjoy by the end. If you are like me, you do it all the time. 

As you get better at noticing, you are empowered to stop when you are optimally nourished. It unlocks the natural intuition around eating as you tune in fully to your experience. Fully experiencing the satiation of being well-nourished leads to a natural end to the meal, not out of self control or diet rules, but out of rest and reassurance that your needs have been met. 

So this week, bring a little more awareness, a little more enjoyment, a little more satisfaction, a little more intuition to your meals.