What is Intuitive Eating?
In the context of intuitive eating, there are no inherently "good" or "bad" foods. All foods can fit into a healthy, balanced diet as you learn to listen to your body and eat in response to hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues.
Intuitive eating is not a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution. It takes time and practice to learn how to listen to your body's signals. However, many people find that the effort is worth it and that intuitive eating leads to a more sustainable and satisfying relationship with food.
The process of Intuitive Eating is a practice, which honours both physical and mental health. Intuitive Eating is aligned with Health at Every Size. There are many studies that show the pursuit of intentional weight loss is a failed paradigm, which creates health problems: including weight stigma, weight cycling, and eating disorders. All bodies deserve dignity and respect.
If you like to understand the science, here is a link to over 100 studies on Intuitive Eating:​
https://www.intuitiveeating.org/resources/studies/
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You might be thinking by now that intuitive eating sounds like fun, but what about health? Here are some of the benefits that you may experience from Intuititive Eating:
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Lower triglyceride levels
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Improved LDL:HDL ratio
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Improved glycaemic control
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Reduction in binge eating, restrictive and disordered eating
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Improved body image and higher self esteem
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Higer fruit and vegetable consumption
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Greater life satisfaction
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More positive mood
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“If you don’t love it, don’t eat it, and if you love it, savor it.”
― Evelyn Tribole
Intuitive eating is an approach to eating that focuses on listening to your body's internal cues of hunger and fullness, as well as honouring your cravings and preferences, without rigidly following external rules or restrictions. It emphasises a healthy relationship with food and your body, promoting self-care and well-being rather than weight loss or specific diets.
The concept of intuitive eating was developed by two dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, 1995. It challenges the dieting mentality and encourages individuals to reconnect with their bodies' natural signals for hunger, satisfaction, and nourishment.
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Principles of intuitive eating include:
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Reject the Diet Mentality: Letting go of restrictive diets and embracing a more balanced and flexible approach to eating.
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Honour Your Hunger: Listening to and respecting your body's signals of hunger, and giving yourself permission to eat when you're hungry.
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Make Peace with Food: Allowing yourself to enjoy all types of food without guilt or judgement, and giving yourself unconditional permission to eat.
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Challenge the Food Police: Questioning and challenging the external rules and judgements about food and eating that may contribute to unhealthy behaviours and attitudes.
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Discover the Satisfaction Factor: Seeking out and savouring foods that truly satisfy you, both physically and emotionally, while being aware of how different foods make you feel.
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Feel Your Fullness: Paying attention to your body's signals of fullness and stopping eating when you feel satisfied, rather than overly full.
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Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness: Finding alternative ways to deal with emotions and stress that don't involve using food as a primary coping mechanism.
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Respect Your Body: Cultivating body acceptance and appreciating your body for what it can do, rather than focusing on its appearance or size.
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Movement - Feel the Difference: Engaging in joyful and enjoyable movement that feels good to your body, rather than exercising solely for the purpose of burning calories or changing your body shape.
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Honour Your Health - Gentle Nutrition: Making food choices that are based on nourishment and what makes you feel good, while also recognising that health is multifaceted and not solely determined by what you eat.
The principles of intuitive eating work by improving attunement to meet the bodies biological and psychological needs as well as helping to remove obstacles to attunement (which often come from the mind in the form of rules, thoughts and beliefs).
Intuitive Eating is about listening to your body and trusting its signals to guide your food choices. Our mission is to help you establish a healthy relationship with food that is based on your individual needs and preferences.
Perhaps you're still stuck in the dieting mindset. Here are some of the proven disadvantages of yo-yo dieting:
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Slower metabolism
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Increased appetite
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Predictor of weight gain
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Increased emotional damage including stress, anxiety and depression
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Increased fatty liver, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease
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Nutrient deficiences
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Call today to find out how to be more in tune with your body.