10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Series, Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S; and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND created the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. These principles were developed to act as guidelines and steps for anyone and everyone to learn about intuitive eating and incorporate them into their lives. We will go into the ten principles individually, what they mean to me and what they can mean for you, and how they will help to guide you on your journey through intuitive eating. Throughout this series of blog posts, we will go in-depth on the individual principles. Today, we start with Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor.

Discover the Satisfaction Factor

What does “Discover the Satisfaction Factor” mean to you? When I take my first bite of dinner after prepping for the week, I can taste the different sauces in which I marinated my protein—this is satisfaction for me. Savoring the spices gives me a feeling of satisfaction in my meal.  Figuring out what the satisfaction factor is for you can be a process depending on what your relationship with food used to be and is in your current status in the intuitive eating journey. Being present during a meal is another way to get to the satisfaction factor. You can start this by limiting the distractions in front of you while you eat. This can mean putting your phone down and turning off the tv so that your focus is solely on the food.

Do I Really Like This?

You can start with the task of eating a meal that you enjoy without concern for calories, macros, or nutrients; ask yourself, “Do I want to eat this? Do I like eating this meal?” Due to the puritanical nature of our society, any sign of pleasure we may feel can be quickly replaced with feelings of guilt. This, too, is true when it comes to feeling pleased with the foods we eat. In the next principle of intuitive eating, we will learn more about “Feeling Our Fullness,” which can result from discovering the satisfaction factor. You can feel full and satisfied without eating everything on your plate. Once satisfied and full, you have honored your hunger and can feel at ease to end the meal. And don’t be afraid or limit yourself from enjoying your food. As described by Tribole and Resch, “Letting yourself enjoy food will actually result in self-limiting, rather than out of control eating. Remember, deprivation is a key factor that leads to backlash eating.” (Tribole et al., Chapter 10: Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor 2020)

Think about the last time you denied yourself the pleasure of eating a food you truly desired. There have been instances where I would tell myself I was not allowed to eat one of my grandmother’s lemon squares because it had too much sugar. I would go out of my way to eat rice cakes or diet desserts because, in my former dieting mentality, I was at risk of taking in more calories if I ate one lemon square than the copious amount of air food (rice cakes) and low-calorie desserts. This was false. I was not satisfied with my choice of diet foods when all I wanted was a single lemon bar. 

Taking the time to ask yourself what you really want to eat allows you to put a little extra thought into your meal choice. We are working to deconstruct the dieting mind, and therefore we are free to choose what we will eat rather than being told what we must eat to be “successful” in our diet. 

Rediscover Your Taste Palate

Take the opportunity to rediscover your palate preferences without guilt or shame. With my rediscovered taste palate, I love spicy and savory foods; I want to enjoy the myriad of flavors put into a dish I’m eating. Take the time to taste your food, figure out what category the flavor falls under, and whether you truly enjoy it; if you don’t, you can move on to the next food. The point is to find out what you find satisfying in food. This includes how you feel about food textures! If you don’t like that a particular food is mushy, you may not want to eat it in the future because it is not appealing to you. Other characteristics of food, such as aroma, how filling it is, and appearance will help you to determine if you find it satisfying. 

If you don’t love it, don’t eat it; if you love it, savor it. Living by this motto will assist you in deciding which foods you find appealing and worth your time and palate. Check in with yourself to see if the food you’re eating still tastes good. Keep in check with what your satisfaction factor is when you find it. If you have questions about Intuitive Eating, please message Robin Harris through email at robin@bodypositiveacupuncture.com to schedule a workshop. Look forward to more posts like these, which will cover the ten principles of Intuitive Eating.

Works Cited: 

Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020). Chapter 10: Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor. In Intuitive eating: A revolutionary anti-diet approach. Essay, St. Martin’s Essentials.