The basic principles of intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is a term you might have heard of plus it's a trending topic, but what is it really about? When I first started my recovery, I was not sure of it as you let go of all the food rules that comforted me when I needed a sense of safety. I started learning more about this framework to restore my eating habits pre-eating disorder and used it in my own recovery and post-recovery. There are things I learned about the body like recovering your metabolism, hunger and fullness cues, and more. For those with a restrictive eating background, it might arise extreme hunger and confusion around hunger/fullness cues. It takes time for the mind and body to restore.
What are the principles of Intuitive Eating?
1. Reject the Diet Mentality
The diet mentality is a mentality that keeps you stuck in the chronic dieting loop. Diet culture messages about food and the body are a challenge. Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of it, but you can learn to tune out. Research shows that restriction diets work short-term, but not long-term as some individuals might experience weight gain. The effects of restriction may not show right away. Diets don’t work! If you haven’t been able to stick to a diet in the past, it has nothing to do with willpower or weakness.
Research reference: Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun 23;364(25):2392-404. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1014296. PMID: 21696306; PMCID: PMC3151731.
Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men - PMC (nih.gov)
2. Honor Your Hunger
Hunger is a natural response from your body indicating that it needs a source of energy and nutrients. In the midst of your struggle with food, hunger is viewed as something to feel proud of and celebrated. In recovery, I learned that ignoring my hunger cues wasn’t healthy and was a form of self-harm. Whether hunger is physical or emotional, it is not a bad thing. Emotional eating can occur from time to time as food may be a form of self-soothing.
3. Make Peace with Food
Food is meant to be enjoyed and not a source of stress. Making peace with food means establishing the concept that you have a relationship based on emotional and physical needs. This means food is not labeled as “good” or “bad”. You will notice that you don’t have stress or emotional strain when it comes to nutrition if you apply intuitive eating into practice.
4. Challenge the Food Police
The food police are the voice inside your head and what it says about food. I would like you to notice what type of thoughts arise around food and meal times. The voice of the food police can sound similar to diet culture and mentality. The food police cause you to feel guilt and worry. It causes you to judge yourself as “good” or “bad” based on what you eat. It does show up as Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch as the food police (induce guilt and worry), nutrition informant ( use nutrition information to maintain the dieting cycle), and dieting rebel (overeating and self-sabotage). This includes how you talk to yourself like if I eat something not healthy, I will ruin my diet and lose control. This will trigger the restriction, binge, and shame cycle of dieting.
5. Discover the Satisfaction Factor
The satisfaction factor is more than the amount of food eaten. This refers to the feeling of satisfaction post-meal. I am referring to satisfying your emotional and physical need for food. Sometimes you can eat a meal and not feel satisfied emotionally. There is a practice you can do to check in with yourself by asking yourself on a scale of 1-10, do I feel satisfied? If you are not, it’s okay as you can learn to find this satisfaction factor to satisfy your needs.
6. Feel Your Fullness
Fullness is a sensation from your body (stomach and brain) saying I am full now. Unfortunately, the hunger cues get disrupted with chronic dieting. The good news is you can train your body and mind to be in sync with each other. Feeling full is not a negative thing to experience as diet culture believes that not feeling full is something praised. I am not referring to uncomfortable fullness to the point of feeling unwell. There will be a point in your intuitive eating journey where full is a neutral experience not associated with guilt or anxiety.
7. Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
Emotions are energy in motion. They are often signals for you to tend to and listen to. When it comes to emotions, “ negative” emotions are usually thought of as not meant to be felt or experienced. It is rather stuffed down or repressed, therefore can show up in physical ways in the body. Emotions are something you can learn to treat with kindness and compassion. Your upbringing affects how you deal with emotions. If you learned an unhealthy way to deal with emotions, you can unlearn and replace it with healthier ways to deal with emotions! Think of emotions like visitors that stay for a while and pass through. Emotions like anxiety and fear can make you very self-critical, but it may be a sign to slow down. Remember the ebb and flow of emotions are part of the human experience.
8. Respect Your Body
Respecting yourself is among the top priority when it comes to caring for the mind, body, and soul. You can’t bully your mind and body into health! If you truly want to be healthy, make sure it comes from self-love and the desire to take care of yourself.
There are different ways you can show your body respect:
Mental: Respecting your energy limits, sleep, mental break, boundaries with yourself and others
Physical: Nutritious food, satisfying cravings, mindful movement, hydration
Soul: Doing something that brings you joy, social relationships, relationship with yourself, purpose
9. Feel the difference in movement
Movement is my word of choice rather than exercise as it sounds gentler on the mind. Movement is meant to celebrate what your body can do, but not punish it. Movement is meant to be fun, so choose an activity you enjoy. You are most likely to stay consistent if it is something you enjoy. Something I invite you to do is to reflect on your intention when doing movement like working out to ensure that it comes from a healthy place.
A small thought experiment you can do is ask yourself how these statements feel to you:
A)I need to work out to be fit and lose weight
B) I move my body because my body is strong, and I appreciate what it does for me.
10. Honor Your Health through Gentle Nutrition
Health is a precious gift the body gives you every day if you nurture and appreciate it. Gentle nutrition is a concept by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch that views nutrition as not being restrictive or too rigid. It values the principle of enjoyment and satisfying your taste while nourishing your body with nutrients. This can help you change your relationship with food and your body. The best way to heal your body is with gentleness. I remember this sentence being said when studying to be a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, which is:
“Given Half the Chance, The Body Will Heal Itself”- Joshua Rosenthal
How can you apply the principles of intuitive eating in your life?
Tune in your hunger and fullness cues when eating
Challenge diet culture nutrition messages
Nourish your body with nutritious foods
Honor and satisfy your cravings
Eating 80% healthy and 20% whatever you crave
Treat yourself with self-compassion
Value health over following fad diets and health trends
Do any form of movement you enjoy
Be open to listening to what your body needs and wants
Befriend your body
Reflect on your beliefs about your body and food rules
Intuitive Eating Resources:
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