If you follow foodie accounts on Instagram, or have an interest in nutrition, odds are you’ve probably heard of intuitive eating. You might have heard that it’s anti-diet, and to be honest, that’s basically what it is. Intuitive eating is a non-restrictive lifestyle. It is all about treating your body with kindness, being aware of what your body wants and breaking the chronic dieting cycle. Intuitive eating is not a diet. There is no calorie counting, no macro counting. Just listening to your body and healing your relationship with food.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself “if intuitive eating is anti-diet, is it healthy?”
Yes it is.
Intuitive eating does not mean you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Instead, it enables you to tap into your body’s natural ability to tell you what it wants and when it’s full or hungry (4). In fact, research shows that even though intuitive eating might not lead to weight loss, those who follow this lifestyle tend to have lower BMIs and better mental health (4).
Let’s give you a better idea of what intuitive eating looks like. Remember that intuitive eating does not mean you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. That is not a healthy lifestyle, and will lead to poor mental and physical well-being. Instead of saying to yourself “I’m going to have waffles for breakfast, cake for lunch and pizza for dinner” try saying “I will have oatmeal for breakfast because it makes me feel good and if I’m still hungry after, I might have a cookie”. In the second scenario there is balance, but you are still giving your body what it wants which will lead to you feeling satisfied. Still not convinced this lifestyle is healthy? Let’s give you an example of a full day of intuitive eating.
Breakfast: Chocolate peanut butter oatmeal (packed with fiber and protein and also satisfies your sweet tooth cravings)
Lunch: Greek pasta salad
Snack: Apples with peanut butter and Greek yogurt dip sprinkled with cinnamon
Dinner: Barbecued chicken with vegetables and rice
Dessert: Apple crisp and gelato (meeting that satisfaction factor)
See how the person in this scenario isn’t just eating sweets all day, but is also not restricting their diet? This day is a great example of balance and intuitive eating - providing your body with what it needs but also with what it wants. Not only that, but this day of eating is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals!
So how do you practice intuitive eating? Well there are ten simple principles to help you start (2):
1. Reject the Diet Mentality
The first step is all about breaking away from diet culture. Break away from the diet culture that promotes thinness as the beauty standard. Break away from diet culture that has failed so many people, and is proven to be unsustainable (3). It’s time to reject the notion that you failed yourself when in fact diet culture failed you.
2. Honour Your Hunger
The second step is understanding and accepting that being hungry is a normal, biological function (1). It isn’t something you should be scared of or something you should ignore. Instead, you should listen to your hunger and give your body what it wants. Denying your body of food is denying your body of energy and nutrients, and doing so will lead to binging. Honouring your hunger will help you rebuild your relationship with food.
3. Make Peace with Food
Let go of the mentality of “good” and “bad” foods and allow yourself to eat foods you might have previously avoided (1). Telling yourself you can’t eat certain foods can lead to intense cravings and even binging. When you finally allow yourself to eat those “restricted” foods, you will find yourself much more satisfied.
4. Challenge the Food Police
Challenge the thoughts in your head that say you’re “good” for eating salads and “bad” for eating ice cream (2). This way of thinking makes you believe that your worth is associated with what you eat and that is simply not true. All foods can be part of a healthy lifestyle and it's crucial to challenge the thoughts that make you believe otherwise.
5. Discover the Satisfaction Factor
The satisfaction factor is when you fully enjoy what you are eating without any guilt (1). When you choose to eat foods that don’t make you feel satisfied, you are more likely to develop cravings. It’s possible to feel physically full without feeling satisfied and when that happens, you will often eat past your fullness to eat something that satisfies you.
6. Feel Your Fullness
This step is all about listening to your body. Take your time when eating, pause in between bites and watch for signs that indicate you’re full. People often eat past their fullness just so they can finish the food on their plate, but it's important to realize you don’t need to do that. Instead, ask yourself if the food still tastes good or how you physically feel and continue eating based on your answers. Eating past your fullness often results in the meal becoming less pleasurable.
7. Cope with your Emotions with Kindness
Understand that there are different ways to cope with your emotions other than food. Food won’t fix your feelings, whether you're anxious, angry or bored. It’s important to realize that even though food may help distract you or even numb your feelings, it will often make you feel worse in the long run. Instead, try to find other ways to deal with your emotions such as journaling, moving your body or watching your favourite movie.
8. Respect Your Body
This step is much easier said than done, but it’s time to love your body and be proud of it. Don’t compare your body to others; every person has different genetics and that is something out of our control. Turn off the voices in your head that criticize you, and instead listen to the voices that build you up. As you start to learn how to respect and love your body, rejecting the diet mentality will be that much easier.
9. Movement - Feel the Difference
Instead of focusing on how many calories you burn or how much you sweat, just focus on moving your body and how it makes you feel (2). Move your body in a way that makes you feel good and makes you look forward to it whether it's walking your dog, dancing or even gardening.
10. Honour your Health - Gentle Nutrition
The final step is making food choices that honour your health but also make you feel good. It’s important to understand that you don’t need to eat perfectly in order to be healthy. Eating one “unhealthy” snack or meal doesn’t automatically make you unhealthy. What makes you healthy is how you eat over a period of time (2). If you listen to your body and give it what it wants, you will find it much easier to make healthier choices.
Now that you’ve learned the ten principles of intuitive eating, you’re able to start practicing it. It might be a bit challenging at first, but remember to be kind to your body and truly listen to what it wants.
Best,
Rachele Smith
References
Dina Garcia. 17 December 2020. 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. Available at: https://www.vidanutrition.com/10-principles-intuitive-eating/
The Original Intuitive Eating Pros. 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. Available at: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/
The Original Intuitive Eating Pros. Studies. Available at: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/resources/studies/
WebMD. What is Intuitive Eating? Available at: https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-intuitive-eating#
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