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““Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving””
— Albert Einstein
Your Guide To Intuitive Eating

Your Guide To Intuitive Eating

Taya Bregant
Nutriton

In recent years, in response to the various different diet cultures that surround us on the daily, a new anti diet approach has emerged which promises you can simply eat whatever you want whenever you want, just by listening to your bodies needs. People have claimed that this anti dieting approach not only improves your relationship with food but can also improve self esteem and body image.

So, with this in mind, today we will be diving into the simple sounding idea of intuitive eating and looking into wether it actually does standup for all that it is acclaimed for.

I hope you enjoy todays post and perhaps learn something new from it too 😄

WHAT IS IT?

Intuitive eating is based on the idea of listening to your own signals of hunger and fulness and to trust your body with its hunger levels, in the sense that its okay to eat when you are hungry and also okay to stop eating once full. This type of diet is not about respecting calories or any type of food group or nutrient, but instead all foods are allowed and you are able to trust your bodies natural hunger cues and cravings.

Furthermore, intuitive eating is also about blocking out the harmful external diet related cues we get from our environment such as diet talk and staying “slim”. The goal and intention behind intuitive eating is that it allows you to heal your relationship with food, breaking harmful cycles of binging, food deprivation or feelings of guilt associated with food.

To summarize, this dieting approach rejects viewing nutrition and wellbeing through a mathematical lens in terms of counting calories and macros but instead promotes a much more wholesome and compassionate approach to nutrition, one which is also naturally more enjoyable and intuitive.

WHY IS IT AN ISSUE TODAY?

Even though intuitive eating may sound like an unusually simple approach to eating, it may be harder to put int practice today than you might at first think.

The first reason as to why intuitive eating is less and less common today is because of the pervasiveness of the diet culture and media in our lives which advises us on what to eat, how and when, which indirectly makes us unable to listen in on our own bodies needs and cravings because of so much conflicting information being thrown at us.

Secondly, once again emerging from the side of media or unrealistic body standards, it is also the issue of wanting to look a certain way, usually more thinner or slimmer if it is by the media standards. While being naturally thin is not an issue, it becomes an issue when you are trying to fit everyones body into that unrealistic standard which has the potential to disrupt peoples eating habits, alter how they view food and overall create a unhealthy relationship with dieting and exercise, ultimately going against the intuitive eating approach.

Furthermore, with the advancements in technology and food processing, our food today is much more processed than it was 100 years ago, meaning that it is most likely no only higher in calories but also contains higher amounts of fats, sugars and additives, which makes foods easier to over eat or binger on mindlessly. This idea is further propagated by the media industry which advertises such processed foods to us - and children - on large billboards and online advertisements, once again altering our perception and approach to eating.

If you want to practice more intuitive and mindful eating, it is also good to be aware of the difference between the following 2 types of hunger we usually experience:

  • Physical hunger: This is the natural biological cue which tells us that our blood sugar and nutrients are low and we need to replenish these stores. We usually tend to recognize this hunger with the growling of our stomach, having fatigue or being irritable easily (hangry). Eating food in this case satisfies our hunger and afterward we can move on with our day.

  • Emotional hunger: This hunger is considered to not be driven biologically but more from feelings of sadness, loneliness or boredom which can create cravings for foods (comfort foods). Most often, excessively indulging in emotional hinger can cause us to feel guilt or even self hatred.

HOW TO EAT MORE INTUITIVELY

Straying Away From The Diet Mentality

As I mentioned before, intuitive eating is based on an anti dieting approach because seeing food only from a numerical perspective can be very damaging to us in the long term. The dieting culture promotes the idea of praising certain foods while strictly cutting out other foods or food groups, which may not only severely change you relationship and enjoyment of food but also in cutting out certain foods, you may be missing out on key nutrients to function at your best. For many people it is hard to find a diet which is sustainable in the long term for them to upkeep so many people will be jumping from one diet to the next, which also increases their chances of having poor self esteem, worsened body image and a higher chance of developing eating disorders.

Honoring Your Hunger Levels

Realize that hunger is not enemy of yours, but instead that it is your bodies natural response and way of letting you know that it requires nourishment. It is your bodies way of communicating with you so do not be scared of eating when hungry and honoring your hunger in this way. Eat when hungry and eat what your body truly wants in the moment, regardless of what certain diets would say. Often, your body knowns what it is best for itself and what it really needs in the moment. Additionally, by not suppressing your hunger levels, you avoid over eating on certain foods in the future which makes you less likely to fall into binging eating disorders or other food related issues.

Making Peace With Food

The media and general diet culture make us aware of what foods we should be eating and should be strictly straying away from and while eating some foods regular is really not good for us (such as ultra processed foods or foods high in trans fats for example), indulging in a little bit of them in a healthy moderation will not only make our overall eating patterns more enjoyable but also satisfy any cravings we may have and in this way avoid over eating or binge eating. You have to realize that its not like some foods are good and some are bad, it is all just food and energy at the ended of they day composed of different nutrients and chemicals, all of which have a slightly different effect on our body. Enjoy a little bit of everything in moderation and pay attention to which foods truly make you feel your best.

Changing Your Outlook On Food

Many people also experience severe guilt when eating certain foods, especially those foods that we have been told are “bad” for us, but I think it is better to relax our view point of this a little more and instead opting for foods which not only cover your nutrition needs but also the cravings of your taste buds. Having a little bit of something sweet or processed here and there wont make you overweight or severely decline your weight but instead it is about the long term eating pattern that matters much more, such as what and how much you eat on a daily or weekly basis.

Being Aware When You Are Full

Our body is not only able to signal to us when it is hungry but also when it naturally becomes full and has received enough food. We are most likely to notice our fulness when we eat with no distractions (Eg: not watching TV, looking at screens etc) and when we eat slowly (Which also indirectly makes you notice and savor the taste and flavors of your food more). So, when ever you can, try to take a bit more time while eating your food so that you notice when you are truly full in time before already having over eaten since it takes our bodies quite a bit longer for us to register when we are full.

Getting More Satisfaction From Food

Recognize that preparing, cooking, eating and sharing food can be a very enjoyable experience and is something that does not only offer satisfaction to us by tasting good but also because food is such as integral part to our interconnected to other people and cultures. If you focus on the overall enjoyment of eating and preparing food, your taste buds will experience the flavors and textures more and your may even find that you actually become fuller quicker than you thought.

Taking Care Of Your Emotional Wellbeing

Many people turn to food to cope with their emotions and feelings such as when they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or worried. While most of us experience some sort of emotional eating, in the long run it is best to not view food as a way to cope with our emotions but instead try other coping methods such as spending time with friends, time outdoors, taking a walk, journaling about ho you feel, therapy, meditation or simply calling a friend or family member.

Additionally, be aware of when your huger is actually purely biological or it might just be tied to your emotions, like we discussed before. Overall, turning to food in the long term to solve your emotional worries will most likely not fix the underlying problem since food is only a coping mechanism, therefore you have to dig deep instead to first solve the underlying issue of why you are feeling anxious, stressed or worried and in response also changing your coping mechanism to these emotions.

Respecting Your Body

Instead of always criticizing your body or not liking the way it looks or anything else negative about it, instead try to realize how many amazing things your body and mind enable you to do and experience each day and how much of a crazy beautiful experience that is.

Celebrate Movement And Mobility

Ever since the rise of the dieting culture, exercise has always only been viewed as a way of burning calories, loosing fat, or staying “slim”, but instead I urge you to firstly take part in a form of movement you genuinely enjoy and then do a bit of it every day if possible. Start seeing movement and exercise as a way for your body to become stronger, build endurance, improve coordination, enhance your balance and so much more, instead of just looking at how many calories you have burned on that treadmill.

Most of these devices that track how many calories we burn are not accurate at all so focus on what moment makes you feels, good, confident and empowered and bring more of that into your live. Some people who may be paralyzed or disabled wish they could have the opportunity to be able to move freely on their own or do simple movements we take for granted, so if you are born with the lucky opportunity of being able to move your body, please take care of that. Move because you get to, not because you have to.

Taking Part In Wholesome Health

Finally, start seeing your health journey and overall life as not just being based on food and dieting but on so many other important factors such as deep sleep, regular movement, healthy stress management and having a supportive social life. Each of these pillars, as I have discussed here, plays a fundamental role in our overall wellbeing, health and happiness so try to work on each category every day or each week, because in this way you will truly provide the best you can for your body.

IS IT ACTUALLY GOOD FOR YOU?


There has been a substantial amount of research done on the health related effects of intuitive eating and the consensus is that intuitive eating is largely beneficial for cultivating healthy psychological attitudes and more mental peace instead of being acclaimed as a great weight loss method.

Participants from studies on intuitive eating have unsurprisingly reported better self esteem, improved body image, lower rates of eating disordered and general better mental health and quality of life through having more peace with food. Although the participants did not loose weight, their BMI had also slightly improved as well as showing higher retention rates to the studies since this type of eating is much more suitable than more rigid dieting.

It is worth mentioning however that a largely intuitive approach to eating may not be well suited for everyone, especially for people who have diabetes or high blood pressure since here it is largely advised to be avoiding certain foods or food groups for medical reasons. So if you are planning on incorporating more intuitive eating, Advising with a doctor before hand is always a good idea.

🔑 KEY IDEAS

In todays blog post we have discussed the anti diet approach of intuitive eating, discussing everything from what it is, how it works and why it can be genuinely beneficial for us and our relationship with food.

✏️ REFERENCES

Nootropics - The New Smart Drugs For Boosting Cognition

Nootropics - The New Smart Drugs For Boosting Cognition
Eggs: A Friend Or A Foe?

Eggs: A Friend Or A Foe?

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