Intuitive Eating

What is Intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is a philosophy of eating that makes you an expert of your body and its hunger signals. There are no guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. Basically, food should be nourishing and enjoyable without overthinking and restricting. Therefore, being aware of and trusting our intuition makes up a big part of intuitive eating.

Why adopt this philosophy?

Restrictive dieting doesn’t lead to sustainable weight loss. It can actually lead to more weight gain. But, we can increase our awareness of what we’re eating and why by practicing intuitive eating. Actually, studies have shown that eating intuitively has led to healthier psychological attitudes. In addition, intuitive eating helps to reduce dieting patterns and enable more sustainable, long-term behaviors. Actually, individuals who have adopted this way of living have a better chance to have a lower BMI and maintain their weight. Other major benefits are: better psychological health, improved self-esteem and body image, improved quality of life and less depression and anxiety. As you can see, the more appreciation we have for our bodies, the more happiness we tend to experience. Another great benefit of this lifestyle is that people who adopt this lifestyle are more likely to stick to it rather than to a restrictive diet. They are also less likely to have disordered eating behaviors.

In conclusion, the most sustainable approach to healthy eating is eating in a way that’s enjoyable rather than restrictive.

Its 10 principles:

Intuitive eating consists of ten key principles created by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

1. Reject the diet mentality

First of all, a lot of people begin dieting to lose weight, but dieting can have the opposite effect. Indeed, diet culture often advertises weight loss which doesn’t last or may not work in the first place.

2. Honor your hunger

Surely, many of us have had at least one instance where we didn’t eat despite feeling hungry. As long as we restrict our intake of food, the more cravings will be kicking in. Therefore, eating when we are hungry is one of the most important steps to feel satisfied physically and emotionally.

3. Make peace with food

Food should give us energy; nourish our cells from the inside out. Rather than thinking of foods as “good” or “bad”, we can try to think of them as “everyday” food and “sometimes” food based on what our body cues tell us. In consequence, it brings happiness, joy, and satisfaction.

Restricting food intake can, at length, lead to periods of binging, and then lead to more restriction.

4. Challenge the food police

The food police is the little voice that tells us “don’t eat that” or “you need to exercise now to make up for that” or “this food is bad, and that food is good”. Indeed, it’s that inner critic that makes us feel guilt, shame, or other negative emotions when we don’t follow these unfair food rules.

In practice, we can try to notice the food police each time they whisper in our heads. Say to yourself, “that’s not me talking, that’s the food police”. Then, question their authority; is what they’re saying even true? This, in consequence, helps us take back control over our food choices, rather than letting the food police make our decisions.

5. Discover the satisfaction factor

Without satisfaction, our body can be physically full but we might not feel content. A healthy attitude would be that if a meal didn’t feel satisfying enough, we would for example have some hummus with crackers. In consequence, this can sometimes lead to a feeling of guilt for not having been able to control our urges. But, learning to reach the point of satisfaction will help us feel and experience the joy the food brings us. With this mindset, it becomes easier to listen to the inner voice that says “I’ve enjoyed that, thank you, that’s enough for now”.

6. Feel your fullness

Listening to our bodies is a critical aspect of intuitive eating. This is because diets tend to make us ignore these signals.

Here are some helpful tips for feeling our fullness:

-The hunger meter is a simple tool to help us reflect on how we feel when we’re eating – continue reading for more information!

-Pause for a minute when eating to check-in with our body.

7. Cope with your emotions with kindness

We’re all human. Nobody’s perfect and it’s totally normal to feel emotional at times.

A good first step is acknowledging that restricting our intake of food can trigger negative emotions to come up. Therefore, eating may distract us from certain feelings, but if we don’t reflect on what’s really making us emotional, we won’t be able to solve the true problem.

8. Respect your body

We should treat ourselves like we would like others to treat ourselves. If we have unrealistic goals or expectations for ourselves, it will be very challenging to reject diet culture. Indeed, it’s that very body that pumps our heart without us thinking about it; it brings oxygen to our lungs; it makes us feel love for those in our life; it feels warmth; it smells delicious food, it does everything for us, every day. As a result, we have to honor the food we give it, whether that food nourishes the cells or the soul.

9. Movement – feel the difference

Physical activity is actually associated with higher happiness levels. Instead of forcing ourselves, we can move our body and focus on feelings rather than calories burned or time on a machine. You will see that it’s much easier to commit to moving in ways we enjoy than forcing a dreaded exercise plan.

10. Honor your health – gentle nutrition

Lastly, what we eat consistently is what counts more than a single meal or snack. Eating isn’t an all-or-nothing approach, so consider focusing on progress instead of being perfect.

Into practice

When we were young, we simply cried when we were hungry, and stopped eating when we were full. Then, we’ve learned the idea of “good” and “bad” foods; we’ve been taught that some foods are rewards (such as dessert); and we’ve learned that some foods “deserve” feeling good about (like drinking a green smoothie), while other foods deserve feelings of guilt or shame (like eating french fries).

1. Unfollow certain social media accounts

Firstly, unfollow any social media accounts that don’t bring value. We can easily replace these with accounts that share body-positive messages to fill up our feed!

2. Try a hunger-fullness scale

This is a tool that can help us reflect on how hungry or full we are.

Start by noticing without judgement your own eating behaviors and attitudes. Then, ask yourself if you’re experiencing physical or emotional hunger. If it’s physical: scale your hunger from one to ten, from not hungry at all to starving. It’s important to begin eating when we feel slight signs of hunger, and to stop eating when we feel like we’re comfortably full, and could go a few hours or so. Generally, it’s encouraged to start eating between 3-4 and stop eating between 6-7. Aim to be hungry but not starving, stop when comfortably full not stuffed. Continuing to eat after we’ve reached a comfortable level of satiety can lead to abdominal discomfort.

3. Take note of non-food fuelers

When we notice that our food choices might be fueled by something other than hunger consider trying these:

-Emotional self-care: stress and/or emotional management can come in many forms, do something that makes you feel good and helps you relax.

-Progress at something: we can feel fulfilled by things other than food. Find things that you enjoy doing that are not linked to food.

-Social nourishment: we’re social creatures. Consequently, there’s value in finding someone we’re comfortable communicating with, creating a support system, and asking for help.

-Physical energizers: make space for exercise, stretching, sleep and rest, wherever possible.

4. Give yourself permission

If we notice we’re having cravings in general, we can allow ourselves to have what we’re craving for no reason at all.

Rather than not buying an item of food that makes us feel guilty, I recommend keeping your pantry stocked. Part of the process is learning to be comfortable with these foods around, and this tip is a great starting point.

5. Reflection, reflection, reflection

An other key point to intuitive eating is reflection. Before eating, ask if you’re truly hungry or if you’re craving food for another reason. Some people may find it helpful to drink a small glass of water, wait a few minutes, and then reevaluate hunger or cravings. Perhaps, go on a walk, phone a friend, or unwind with some yoga. Finally, and most importantly, let’s enjoy it! Limit potential distractions before eating if necessary, such as a TV or cellphone to truly savor the experience mindfully.

Take a few breaths between bites of food. Take a moment to enjoy each bite and focus on how it tastes, feels, or smells; that’s the pleasure in eating, after all!

Consider the following question:

How did that food make me feel? There’s no right answer but some possibilities include tired, lazy, energized, and content.

Summary

In conclusion, how you eat is as important as what you eat. Indeed, following your own internal cues of hunger and fullness will guide your eating habits and improve your body image and quality of life. So, scratch the diet mentality.

There are 10 pillars to intuitive eating, reflection is key and patience is a virtue. For those of you choosing to give it a try, remember to focus on progress and not perfection!

We’re all capable of intuitive eating, but it can be a challenging shift to make. I can help you promote healthy habits related to intuitive eating that we have explored by increasing mindfulness around our food choices, and how they make us feel. After a few sessions, you will already have learned more about yourself to help you eat more intuitively without tracking anything related to food or fitness.

So don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts on this subject in the comment section.

If you want to learn more and implement intuitive eating into your life, fill in the contact form down below to get a free one-on-one Health Coaching session!