eating intuitively
-University student Anya bomber speaks on intuitive eating and how to overcome the effects of diet culture.
Intuitive eating is a concept that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. It’s all about learning to listen to your body and trusting its signals to guide you in making food choices. The idea is that you can tune into your own hunger and fullness cues, rather than relying on external rules and restrictions, to guide your eating habits.
The principles of intuitive eating were first outlined in 1995 by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in their book “Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works”. Since then, the concept has evolved and expanded, with more and more people embracing the idea of intuitive eating as a way to improve their relationship with food and their bodies.
So, what exactly is intuitive eating? At its core, it’s a non-diet approach to eating that emphasizes self-care, body acceptance, and respect for one’s own natural hunger and fullness signals. Here are some key principles of intuitive eating:
- Reject the diet mentality: Intuitive eating is not a diet, and it doesn’t involve strict rules or restrictions. Instead, it’s about focusing on overall health and well-being, rather than on a specific number on the scale.
- Honor your hunger: Pay attention to your body’s hunger signals, and eat when you’re hungry. Don’t ignore or suppress your hunger, and don’t wait until you’re famished to eat.
- Make peace with food: Give yourself permission to eat all foods, without judgment or guilt. Allow yourself to enjoy the foods you love, without feeling like you’re “cheating” or being “bad”.
- Challenge the food police: Let go of the idea that some foods are “good” and others are “bad”. Don’t label yourself or your food choices as “healthy” or “unhealthy”, and don’t let others shame you for what you eat.
- Respect your fullness: Pay attention to your body’s fullness signals, and stop eating when you’re comfortably full. Don’t feel like you need to finish everything on your plate, or that you have to eat a certain amount to be satisfied.
- Discover the satisfaction factor: Eat foods that are satisfying and enjoyable to you, and savor the experience of eating. Don’t rush through meals or eat on autopilot; instead, take time to appreciate the flavors and textures of your food.
- Honor your feelings without using food: Recognize that food cannot solve all of your emotional needs, and find other ways to cope with stress, boredom, or other feelings.
- Respect your body: Accept your body for what it is, and treat it with kindness and respect. Don’t engage in negative self-talk or body shaming, and don’t compare your body to others’.
Intuitive eating is not a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution. It takes time and practice to learn to trust your own body and to let go of the diet mentality. But for many people, intuitive eating has been a life-changing approach to food and body image. By listening to their own bodies and focusing on self-care, they’ve been able to develop a healthier and happier relationship with food and with themselves.
