If your head is spinning trying to remember the endless rules and restrictions of fad diets, from Keto to Atkins to Mediterranean to Atlantic, there’s a completely different (and dare I say revolutionary) approach. You might be excited to know that. To food: Eating intuitively. But what exactly is intuitive eating and how do you put it into practice?
First of all, intuitive eating is not a diet, although it is sometimes mistakenly repackaged as such. Rather, it’s “a practice and a framework to help people reconnect with their bodies,” says Christy Harrison, RD, a certified intuitive eating counselor and registered dietitian. The goal is to help you discover a peaceful and easy relationship with food without having strict rules about what and when to eat. There are 10 key principles to follow to make that process easier (more on these soon).
If you’re tired of restrictive eating, including excluding food groups, measuring, tracking, and fearing food, intuitive eating frameworks can be a healthy alternative. There is a gender. “For many people, traditional diets only lead to years of repeated weight loss and gain, negatively impacting food and their body image,” says nutritionist Keri Gans. The intention behind intuitive eating is to put an end to all that. And the key is to rebuild trust with your body.
A nutritionist shares 10 principles of intuitive eating, along with the benefits, risks, and tips for trying the approach.
We will introduce you to an expert. Christy Harrison is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and author of Anti-Diet and The Wellness Trap. Alissa Rumsey is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and owner of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness. Karen Ansell, RDN, is a New York-based nutrition consultant, speaker, journalist, and author. Her Keri Gans, RDN, is a New York City-based certified nutritionist and author of The Small Change Diet.
What is intuitive eating?
The term was first coined in 1995 by Evelyn Tribor, RD, and Elise Resch, RD in their book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. As the name suggests, intuitive eating is about following your intuition to fuel your body.
Created as an antidote to the diet fads of the ’90s (low-fat, low-carb, etc.), intuitive eating means focusing on nurturing your body rather than starving it. they say.
The biggest difference between intuitive eating and dieting is that it “focuses on internal signals and cues rather than external rules,” says Alyssa Ramsey, a nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor. While traditional diet plans may focus on calories and her individual food groups, intuitive eating uses your body’s knowledge of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction to help you understand your hunger, satiety, and satisfaction at the moment. determines dietary choices, she says.
However, tuning in to your body’s needs is easier said than done. “We are all born knowing how to listen to our bodies’ hunger and satiety signals, but as we move through life our natural intuition becomes dull on many levels,” says the registered dietitian. says nutritionist Karen Ansel. For example, as a child, were you ever told to eat everything on your plate even though you were already full? may be excessive). Intuitive eating helps you pause and reconnect with your body’s natural signals.
Another note: Intuitive eating is not a weight loss method, Harrison says. “There are people who sell it that way and frame it that way, but that’s not true to the actual spirit of intuitive eating.” Although your weight may change if you try this approach (whether you gain it or lose it) Regardless), intuitive eating focuses on your relationship with food and allows you to understand and respect your body’s needs.
In fact, over 90 studies have measured positive results from intuitive editing, and the hypothesis is that your body can find its ideal weight for optimal function.
Bottom line: Intuitive eating has nothing to do with weight.
Benefits of intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is especially helpful for people who struggle with food culture, those recovering from eating disorders, and those with chronic illnesses, Harrison says. Other benefits of intuitive eating include:
Be more aware of hunger and fullness cues
Gain the power to eat what you like
It can give your body enough nutrition and make you physically healthier.
Because food is not restricted, you are less likely to fall into a cycle of restriction and binge eating.
Become aware of your emotional relationship with food
Food takes up less mental space and you can enjoy other parts of your life
It’s a healthy antidote to diet culture (and the pressure, anxiety, and judgment it causes).
Risks of intuitive eating
While intuitive eating doesn’t come with many inherent risks, Harrison says it’s important to make sure you have the right information and support when implementing it.
One potential consideration is that people who have been diagnosed with food allergies, celiac disease, or diabetes may have certain foods that must be restricted and may need to think more carefully about what they eat. Yes, says Harrison. Additionally, people recovering from eating disorders may also need more individualized guidance regarding intuitive eating. In all of these cases, Harrison recommends working with a nutritionist who specializes in intuitive eating, if possible.
10 principles for intuitive eating
First, please note that the following principles are intended to be flexible and not to follow a rigid set of rules. Instead, the goal is to listen to your body’s physical cues and be able to ignore your diet culture, says Harrison. Ready to try it for yourself? According to the official website, here are the recommended guidelines to follow to regain trust with your body:
1. Reject the idea of dieting
Food culture “demonizes certain foods, exalts others, promotes weight loss as a means of achieving higher status, fetishizes thinness and equates it with moral virtue, “We’re oppressing people who don’t fit that health picture,” Harrison said. It’s the lack of body diversity on our favorite TV shows and influencers promoting detox teas, for example.
To fully embrace intuitive eating, we recommend letting go of the idea that the perfect meal is just around the corner. The first step, according to the website, is to throw away books and articles that “give you false hope that you can lose weight quickly, easily, and permanently.”
Your body is not interested in food culture. Your body wants to survive. And in order to do so, you need to nourish your body.
2. Respect your hunger.
Honoring your hunger means eating a snack instead of holding off on your next meal when you’re hungry. If this is difficult (and it isn’t easy), try sticking to a regular eating schedule and increasing your snacking throughout the day, suggests Harrison. This element also encourages you to become aware of how you feel when you’re hungry (headaches, difficulty concentrating, feeling irritable and tired, having trouble concentrating, etc.). These are all hunger signs (aka hangers-on) and it’s important to respect them.
3. Build peace with food
In this step, it’s important not to demonize certain foods over others. Intuitive eaters have no forbidden foods or guilty pleasures. In some cases, restricting food can create a feeling of deprivation, which can subsequently lead to bulimia (and associated guilt). Making peace with food means giving yourself permission to eat the foods you want (hello, chocolate) without that nagging voice in the back of your head saying no.
4. Challenge the “Food Police”
Second, avoid labeling certain foods as “good” or “bad.” Silence the voices in your head and remind yourself that you have permission to eat what you want, when you want.
5. Discover the factors behind satisfaction
In other words, enjoy what you’re eating. Savor the aroma, taste, and texture of your food. Enjoy the crunch of lettuce, the cold creaminess of ice cream, and the warmth of chicken noodle soup. Remember that food can also bring you joy. have fun!
6. Feel full
In addition to paying attention to when you’re hungry, it’s also important to be aware of the signals that indicate you’re no longer hungry. According to the official website, it can be helpful to stop in the middle of a meal, ask yourself how the food tastes, and notice how hungry you are at that moment.
Ask yourself, am I satisfied? Am I comfortably full?
7. Deal with emotions gently.
Restricting your diet can cause a loss of control and make you feel like you eat emotionally or try to soothe feelings of anxiety, loneliness, boredom, anger, etc. through food. The purpose of intuitive eating is to help you identify your emotions and find ways to deal with them without food.
8. Take care of your body
When practicing intuitive eating, you are encouraged to respect and accept your body, no matter its size. You don’t have to shrink your body to fit a certain size or bend into a certain shape. Respecting yourself and practicing body acceptance (or body neutrality) will help you develop a healthier relationship with food in the long run.
9. Movement — feel the difference
Yes, movement is important too. Being active isn’t about tracking how many calories you burn, it’s all about how you feel after you move your body. Enjoy the energy you get from your favorite barre class or enjoy how your mind wanders on a long walk.
10. Protect your health with gentle nutrition
Practicing gentle nutrition means you don’t always have to eat perfectly to stay healthy and balanced. Choose foods that are healthy and taste good while making you feel good. Don’t beat yourself up if you occasionally eat snacks or meals that aren’t very healthy.
Top tips for practicing intuitive eating
Read the book or listen to the podcast about it
Learning about the principles of intuitive eating can help you start your journey from an informed perspective. “You’ve probably absorbed the messages of your food culture over the years, so it can be helpful to surround yourself with alternative messages,” says Ramsey.
She added that it can be helpful to explore podcasts, books, and blogs created by dietitians and therapists certified in intuitive eating. “These can help you remove many long-held beliefs about food and your body and start building new relationships,” she says. She recommends Food Psych, RD Real Talk, Nourishing Women, and the Love, Food podcast.
Looking back at the relationship between food, diet, and weight
This is easier said than done. “Question and push back against the rules and restrictions we’ve internalized from diet culture,” says Harrison. “That might mean rules about carbohydrates, what you can eat, what your weight should be, what your body should look like, etc.”
Ask for support along the way
Navigating food and food culture can bring up mixed emotions. So make sure you have a strong support system to help you navigate your intuitive eating journey. This may include consulting with a nutritionist (RD or RDN) who specializes in intuitive eating (to find a certified intuitive eating counselor to work with you, visit intuitiveeating.org is recommended.
“Everyone is different, and an intuitive eating dietitian can help you address your unique challenges and questions,” says Ramsey.
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A guide to better nutrition
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