'Intuitive eating' in the perinatal period

Intuitive eating

I recommend the approach referred to as Intuitive Eating for women in the perinatal period (which is also the best approach to take to food more broadly). The principles of Intuitive Eating are discussed here.

If you're pregnant, your body and developing baby need a wholesome and enjoyable diet with an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, minimal refined and ultra-processed foods, standard pregnancy vitamin supplementation, and no alcohol.

Morning sickness

However, the first trimester in particular (and for some women, longer) is often a time of nausea, referred to as 'morning sickness' despite the way it is occurs at all times of the day and night! Although it's worth trying to eat as wholesomely as you can when you have morning sickness, often just eating much at all can be a challenge. Accepting that it's normal for your diet to be suboptimal during this time avoids those very unhelpful feelings of guilt and stress - your body's tumultous hormones will settle back down as the weeks pass, and you'll be able to return to your more usual, balanced enjoyment of foods.

If you're seriously bothered by morning sickness, please talk this over with your doctor.

Eat for enjoyment and for the care of your body without aiming for a perfect diet!

But eating in the perinatal period in general needs to be about pleasure, listening to your body, and allowing treats and some unwholesome foods sometimes. Aiming for perfection often results in crashes and binges; food is, ultimately, about joyful self-nourishment in a way that respects your body's need for wholesome foods enough of the time.

Acknowledgement

This bronze sculpture by Adam Schultz is called 'Sisters' and was on display in the grounds of the art gallery Canyon Road Contemporary in Sante Fe, New Mexico when I visited Santa Fe for a retreat in 2024. Don't you love these lucious ladies?

Recommended resources

Working breasts are diverse on the outside

Selected references

Lee MF, Target C, Liddelow C, Burke KJ. Bouncing back with bliss: nurturing body image and embracing intuitive eating in the postpartum: a cross-sectional replication study. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2026;44(1):129-142. doi:10.1080/02646838.2024.2367499