Intuitive eating is...
Taking the stress out of food
Learning to listen to hunger and fullness cues
A non-diet approach to food
Mindful movement
... and so much more
There are 10 principles to Intuitive Eating, each of which will be explored in a separate post, but just to give you an overview...
Reject the Diet Mentality
Honor your Hunger
Make Peace with Food
Challenge the Food Police
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Feel your Fullness
Cope with your Emotions with Kindness
Respect your Body
Movement - Feel the Difference
Honor your Health - Gentle Nutrition
Often enough, after years of dieting, it becomes increasingly difficult to trust our bodies when it comes to hunger and fullness. We begin to question if we are actually hungry or if it is just time to eat. Doing the work involved in intuitive eating allows your body to slowly regain trust, and you will learn how to FEEL hunger and fullness, and essentially, listen to your body and follow your gut. With Intuitive Eating, you will begin to learn what hunger feels like, what foods satisfy you, when your body is full, and how to cope with your emotions and stress without needing to turn to food.
Wholeheartedly, intuitive eating is anti-diet, it is weight inclusive, and it can be scary! Many people (me included) worry about what it will mean to give yourself more freedom with eating, but the amazing thing about our body is that it adjusts fast. The things you will learn about how your body responds to a more intuitive approach will be mind blowing. You will find that you are thinking about food and what to/not to eat much less, you'll be able to be satisfied with your first choice of what to eat, and you'll find that your confidence both with your body image & how to manage your nutrition improve.
Contrary to what some may think, intuitive eating IS actually evidence based, there are a number of studies (90+) that support the use of intuitive eating strategies to promote health. Intuitive eating was created by 2 Registered Dietitians (Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch) who continue to do work to support the integration of intuitive eating strategies into health care.
When it comes down to it, only your body knows when it is hungry and when it has had enough to eat. This is why it is so important to learn how to LISTEN to your body - this is called 'interoceptive awareness', being aware of the physical sensations and emotions surrounding food, hunger, and fullness. Intuitive eating is an empowerment tool to help individuals feel confident in trusting their body signals, cultivating self confidence as well as self compassion, and rebuilding the relationship with food and your body.
Want to learn more about IE? Take a look at the books written by Evelyn & Elyse, and learn how you can incorporate Intuitive Eating into your life. Feel free to reach out to me directly on what intuitive eating work might look like for you, or if you want to learn more about why I work from an intuitive eating perspective, and how you can work with me to adopt Intuitive Eating into your life. My Signature Embracing Intuition program is largely based around the 10 principles of intuitive eating, and takes in to account the Health at Every Size Perspective, which ties in seamlessly with intuitive eating work.
