The art of intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is an eating philosophy which rejects any kind of traditional dieting rules but states that eating should be an intuitive process in which you should eat when you’re hungry, stop when you are full and eat the foods which you crave.
In theory eating intuitively sounds awfully simplistic, perhaps even silly, however in today’s world intuitive eating presents a challenge for many.
We are constantly bombarded with new diet trends and what foods are considered off limits making it hard for us to truly listen to what our bodies naturally crave.
Now don’t get me wrong, there is a kind of prerequisite for Intuitive eating to actually work which is that you are predominately eating real whole foods, meaning that you are mostly eating unprocessed foods, meaning a food that is in it’s original state.
The reason for this is that intuitive eating only works if your body isn’t nutritionally deprived. If your body is out of balance and starved from essential nutrients it is more difficult to have a proper intuition of what your body needs and you may have for example excessive sugar cravings because you are deficient in protein etc.
Hence to begin with it is essential that you are eating healthy, creating a solid basis for you to feel what your body needs.
Once you have established that you are eating a relatively clean, whole foods diet, you can begin to practice intuitive eating.
Here are some strategies that can help you in becoming an intuitive eater:
Honour your hunger
With all the dieting culture we are bombarded with, it almost feels that we are conditioned that hunger is a bad thing. However hunger is not our enemy. Respond to the early signs of hunger by feeding your body rather than getting excessively hungry. Starving yourself will more likely lead to overeating.
Make peace with food
Get rid of fixated ideas of what you should and shouldn’t eat. Some days we need more food than others, some days you will be more hungry than others, it’s normal. Especially as women how much calorific intake our body needs can often depend on the time of our cycle we find ourselves in. Additionally, there shouldn’t be any foods that are completely off limits. If you eat generally healthy, it is ok to eat some chocolate or a piece of cake now and then. Complete restriction of foods often leads to even bigger cravings and one day you might end up eating a whole cake in one session because you never let yourself have that piece of cake.
Respect your fullness
Same as respecting your hunger, respecting your fullness is also an essential part of being an intuitive eater.
Listen to your body’s signals of feeling comfortably full. If you are a fast eater, it may help to slow down and chew your food more slowly, as we tend to feel how full we truly are slightly delayed.
The Satisfaction factor of food
Make eating an enjoyable experience by creating a nice environment when you eat.
Put on some nice music, put some fresh flowers on your table, cook yourself something you enjoy eating and then take the time to eat it. Making eating a pleasurable and relaxing experience can make you need less food to feel satisfied.
Cope with your feelings without using food
Emotional eating is a common way some of us cope with feelings of sadness or anger.
Try finding other ways to deal with those emotions like for example going for a walk/run, talking with a friend, journaling or creating art.
Don’t eat when you are feeling particularly emotional, instead take a moment to calm down and get back to centre again before you have a meal.
Movement
Our body needs daily exercise just as much as it needs nutritious food. Make sure you exercise daily, even if you are busy and can only get in 20 minutes a day. Exercising sufficiently helps in increasing your appetite and helping you make healthy intuitive food choices.
I hope some of these ideas of how to eat intuitively have inspired and helped you to become a more intuitive eater. At this point in my life I am a huge fan of intuitive eating and will never subdue myself to restrictive diets that don’t work ever again. I feel my healthiest and happiest I have ever been.
