[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In the last few decades, we’ve seen dozens of diets come into popularity, from paleo and Whole30 to carnivore and keto. But are diets like these actually supporting your overall health goals?
According to a recent study from
Frontiers in Nutrition, caloric deprivation will usually not result in the outcome you’re aiming for. When you limit the intake of your favorite foods, impose strict rules around meal times, keep close tabs on your calorie allowance, or deny the impulse of hunger, this behavior can actually cause overeating and disordered eating patterns.
Food restriction is rooted in guilt, which is why it often doesn’t work long-term. It’s simply not effective or sustainable to enforce rigid parameters that leave no room to experience the nourishment, satiation and pleasure of eating.
Instead, of choosing another diet to feel great in your body, embrace
food freedom. This is where the practice of intuitive eating comes in.
What is intuitive eating, and how does it work?
Unlike most diets that tell you which foods to eat (and how much of them),
intuitive eating is more of a framework that helps you cultivate a balanced, healthy relationship with food. Instead of feeling like you have to restrict or eliminate particular foods from your meal plan—or shame yourself when certain cravings hit—intuitive eating teaches you how to notice, trust, and then respond to your own internal, biologically-wired hunger and fullness cues.
At its core, intuitive eating is so basic it should be instinctual:
- Eat when the brain sends hunger cues to the body (stomach pangs or rumbles, headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc.).
- Consume the food you want to eat (not limited to just the options you think are acceptable).
- Stop eating when you’re full.
This is the human body’s natural feeding response, but it's common to lose touch with hunger and fullness signals over time. The emotional urge to reach for food out of stress, boredom or loneliness can make it hard to recognize when you need to eat. Not to mention, the prevalence of cultural messages about which foods are “clean” versus which are “toxic” can make it hard for you to choose the foods you actually desire.
This means you might have to relearn what hunger even feels like, so you’ll know when to refuel with the right amount of nutrients.
A
2022 Food and Health Survey found that 20 percent of Americans follow a specific diet to create a healthier relationship with food, but one in five also report continual guilt and shame over their eating habits. The good news is, intuitive eating can help you get back to eating for yourself—without guilt, shame and fear.
What are the physical and mental benefits of intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating has been shown to alleviate stress and anxiety with food, nurture a positive body image, reduce emotional or dysfunctional eating patterns, and increase self-esteem, according to the
International Journal of Eating Disorders. In fact, the research continues, those who adopt intuitive eating are more likely to treat themselves—and their bodies—with compassion, respect and appreciation. They’re also less prone to exhibit eating disorder symptoms.
The impacts aren’t only mental, though—intuitive eating enhances physical wellness too. When practiced on a consistent basis, intuitive eating can help to lower your blood pressure, manage cholesterol and promote a healthier body mass index (BMI), points out the
Obesity Science and Practice Journal.
It can also decrease your lifetime risk of type-two diabetes, hypertension,
metabolic syndrome or other cardiovascular issues. When it comes to “health,” these are the things that matter most—not the way your body looks or how much willpower you have.
How do you practice intuitive eating? 10 principles to follow
In their famous book on the subject, aptly titled
Intuitive Eating, dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch curated a list of 10 core guidelines to make this lifestyle framework simple for anyone to implement.
These are not to be used as strict rules you have to follow. Rather, they’re meant to be helpful, foundational markers to support you on the intuitive eating journey.
1. Reject the diet mentality
Tune out the diet culture gimmicks, most of which tout a quick (but unsustainable) approach to weight loss, and will often result in a sense of failure or inadequacy. Intuitive eating focuses on how to trust the wisdom of your own body, rather than feeling shame towards it.
2. Honor your hunger
Realize the impulse to eat is a natural, biological process that you don’t have to ignore. The body requires energetic fuel (calories) in order to function and sustain physical activities. If you suppress hunger, these functions slow down, and you’ll be more prone to a binge when you do eat.
3. Make peace with food
Give yourself unconditional permission to eat whatever you want, says Tribole and Resch. The more you restrict a certain food, the more intense the cravings for it will be, which can ultimately lead to overeating. When no food is off-limits, you can enjoy as much as you’d like—without guilt.
4. Challenge the food police
Retrain yourself not to view food through a lens of morality. Rather than classifying some foods as acceptable and safe to eat, while vilifying others, drop those harmful labels or restrictions. A cookie is no worse than a kale smoothie, and you’re not immoral for choosing the cookie.
5. Respect your fullness
Notice when you reach a level of comfortable fullness—this is your cue to stop eating. Just like hunger tells you when to replenish nutrients, fullness indicates that you’ve eaten enough. The more food you consume beyond this point of satiation, the sicker (or guiltier) you will feel.
6. Discover the satisfaction factor
Allow yourself to find pleasure in the whole eating experience. Enjoy the distinctive tastes and textures of each bite. Pay attention to how the seasonings hit your palate or how the ingredients form a certain flavor combination.
Approach each meal time with mindfulness.
7. Honor your feelings without food
When you feel stressed, lonely, anxious, bored or angry, don’t numb these emotions with food. Look for a more constructive outlet to cope with the discomfort of those feelings. When you turn to eating as self-medicating, it will only exacerbate the emotional distress.
8. Respect your body
Embrace the unique design of your own appearance. No one else has the exact same body shape, size or genetic blueprint that you have. Rather than criticizing the areas you perceive as “flaws,” celebrate what makes your body special: all its strength, resilience and inherent beauty.
9. Movement—feel the difference
Use
exercise as a tool to increase your overall health, energy levels, stamina and quality of life. Don’t force yourself to exercise as punishment or over-compensation for the food you eat. Movement does not need to be extreme, nor should it be weaponized to control the body.
10. Honor your health with gentle nutrition
Make your eating choices based on what feels nourishing and enjoyable. Sometimes this might be a grilled cheese and other times it will be a salad. Consistent, intuitive eating patterns will allow you to recognize the perfect balance for you and your body over time.
Use intuitive eating to build a healthier relationship with food
Intuitive eating is a sustainable, anti-diet framework to transform how you relate to food, hunger, fullness and body image. This practice can heal you contentious relationship with food while helping you unlearn cultural messages in terms of how you “should” eat. Break free from the rules and restrictions that leave you feeling deprived, shameful and guilty, and instead, trust the innate knowledge of yourself and your body.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="163688" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1669863490802{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/madegood-organic-gluten-free-granola-minis"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="163690" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1669863508823{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/the-yes-bar-vegan-gluten-free-real-food-low-sugar-paleo-snack-bar-dark-chocolate-chip"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="163689" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1669863526019{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/partake-gluten-free-vegan-cookies"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
