#5 Eat a Meal in Silence

The following is part of  a series of posts detailing the information in my free download Connect With Your Baby A-Z!

We all know how important good nutrition is during pregnancy.  Perhaps this is an area where you feel very confident and healthy. You might have started your pregnancy with healthy eating habits and have continued to use them throughout.  On the other hand,  prenatal nutrition may be source of stress for you.  There are a lot of messages out there about what to eat and what not to eat. You may wonder if you are gaining too much weight, or not enough.  Pregnancy can also wreak havoc on your palate. What you loved to eat for breakfast before you got pregnant, repulses you now. And you can't wait to get your hands on that tuna fish sandwich (which you NEVER liked before!). 

With so many messages and emotions surrounding what you eat, it can be easy to become routinized.  You fix the same thing over and over because you know it is "safe"... or because you crave it.  You come home from a long day of work and grab something easy to eat. Maybe you plop down on  the couch and catch up with your DVR.  Maybe you are wrangling young kids with their own picky palates and you just eat whatever is available.  Or maybe you are just too tired to care.
 
However you are feeling today, embrace it. Don't judge yourself if you feel like you are falling short. 
Take a moment and bring some mindfulness to your eating habits.  Here is one way to do this:

Choose a meal that you look forward to eating.  This could be any meal... breakfast, lunch, dinner... it's totally up to you.

Begin by gathering all the ingredients to make your meal.  Choose each item with intention and the awareness of how it will all fit together to nourish and grow your baby.

Prepare your meal. Or if you're really lucky, someone else will prepare it for you!

Now is the fun part!

Enjoy this meal that you (or someone else) lovingly prepared for you and your baby.  With each bite, know that your baby is getting all the nutrients he or she needs. 

Savor each bite.

Notice the taste.

Notice the texture.

Notice your mind quieting down. 

You are doing it. You are nourishing your baby with food, but more importantly, with love.

It is with this awareness and stillness that you are preparing your body for labor. You are allowing your thinking, analytical, logical side of your brain to quiet down, making room for the intuitive, creative, side to come to life.

Need some Inspiration?
Try this meal.  Cook it withthis if you prefer.  And for dessert, don't miss out on this.
Read this great article about your placenta and nourishing your baby.
Watch the video below as Remy's Right Brain takes over!

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In the comments let us know what your favorite meal has been during your pregnancy.

photo credit: dcarlbom via photopin cc