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Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework. It's an empowering process that will help you cultivate a healthy relationship with food, your mind and body. It's about self care and body appreciation, regardless of size. The process is deeply personal, and focuses on honouring your health by paying attention to your body's messages and meeting your physical and emotional needs.
The 10 principles of Intuitive Eating are designed to help free you from negative thoughts and food rules that have interfered with your natural ability to nourish your body in a way that honours your health and is truly satisfying. Are you ready to rediscover Intuitive Eating?If you're tired of dieting, but not sure what else to do, here are a few signs you may be ready to re-discover Intuitive Eating...
You are ...
Intuitive Eating offers an empowering alternative that will give you the knowledge and tools you need to let go of old habits, re-discover the pleasure of eating and gain a greater appreciation and respect for your body. Intuitive eating is associated with a more positive body image and an increased sense of well being. |
Hello, I’m Keely!
I'm a Canadian Registered Dietitian, an avid food and recipe writer, travel bug and nutrition expert. For more information about me, check out my bio here. |
The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating
Principle 1: Reject the Diet Mentality
There is a growing body of research to show that dieting is a consistent predictor of weight gain over time. 95-97% of dieters will regain the weight they lost (often more) within 5 years (often sooner). Most people are aware that dieting does not work in the long run, but may be surprised to learn that dieting actually increases your risk for gaining even more weight in the future.
There is not a single long-term study that shows that weight- loss due to dieting is sustainable. Study after study has shown that dieting & food restriction for the purpose of weight loss leads to more weight gain,"
"Worse—the focus and preoccupation on weight leads to body dissatisfaction & weight stigma, which negatively impacts health".
- Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD
If we had a medication for a serious illness that failed 95-97% of the time, would doctors still recommend it? Would you blame yourself when it didn't work? No, absolutely not! Except that's exactly what we do when we buy into the diet mentality. Dieting builds expectations of permanent weight loss that leads to frustration and disappointment. It's easy to fall into to this trap, when you feel like dieting is the only option available to you. Perhaps you blame yourself because you don't have enough willpower, you just love food too much, or you have a sweet tooth you can't control.
There is no denying that having the “willpower” to stay on a diet can give you a temporary sense of power and control, but becoming an Intuitive Eater offers a lifelong sense of self-empowerment.
Intuitive eating teaches you how to tune into and respond to what your body needs. Am I hungry? Am I comfortably full and satisfied? In contrast, dieting erodes trust in your body because "rules" dictate your food choices, regardless of how you feel. This creates a disconnect between what your body is experiencing and what you're told to do, and this may leave you feeling like you don't know how to eat any more.
The first step to fully embracing the process of Intuitive Eating is to say goodbye to the false hope that dieting will help you lose weight quickly, easily and permanently. Recognizing the toll dieting has taken on you, and that diets don't work metabolically or emotionally will help you begin to let go.
I understand your desire to lose weight is very strong. I also understand how difficult it may be to accept that dieting is not the solution you had hoped it would be. In order to nourish a healthier relationship with food, you must put your desire to lose weight on the back burner. If you allow even one small hope to linger that a new and better diet or food plan may still be out there, it will prevent you from being free to rediscover Intuitive Eating.
Principle 2: Honour Your Hunger
Adequately nourishing your body starts with being able to recognize your hunger cues and responding to them throughout the day. Ignoring these cues or restricting yourself leads to extreme hunger and inevitably over eating. When you are ravenously hungry, all intentions to eat in moderation or consciously go out the window.
As an Intuitive Eater you will learn to recognize and tune into your body's biological hunger signals. You will begin to trust and respond to your body's cues, and rebuild a positive relationship with food.
As an Intuitive Eater you will learn to recognize and tune into your body's biological hunger signals. You will begin to trust and respond to your body's cues, and rebuild a positive relationship with food.
Principle 3: Make Peace with Food
Have you ever felt angry at yourself, guilty or ashamed for eating "bad" food?
Labeling foods "good" and "bad" creates an uneven playing field. When you tell yourself certain foods are off limits, this actual intensifies cravings and eventually leads to feelings of deprivation. In other words, forbidden foods become emotionally charged. You may even find yourself thinking about these foods more often and overeat them when you finally give into cravings.
By making peace with food you let go of the rigid food rules in your head and give yourself FULL unconditional permission to enjoy ALL foods.
Labeling foods "good" and "bad" creates an uneven playing field. When you tell yourself certain foods are off limits, this actual intensifies cravings and eventually leads to feelings of deprivation. In other words, forbidden foods become emotionally charged. You may even find yourself thinking about these foods more often and overeat them when you finally give into cravings.
By making peace with food you let go of the rigid food rules in your head and give yourself FULL unconditional permission to enjoy ALL foods.
Principle 4: Challenge the Food Police
The food police is anyone who’s “policing” your food or eating. This is your own inner dialogue about food, but it could also be the voice of an authoritarian parent, a partner or even a well meaning friend. The food police monitors the unreasonable rules that diet culture has created.
You deserve to have full autonomy over your food choices. When you're keeping track of rules from your former dieting days, congratulating yourself for being "good" for eating minimal calories, or feeling guilty for being "bad", you are interfering with your ability to eat intuitively. As an Intuitive Eater you will learn how to replace these negative thoughts with a more liberating approach to food and eating.
You deserve to have full autonomy over your food choices. When you're keeping track of rules from your former dieting days, congratulating yourself for being "good" for eating minimal calories, or feeling guilty for being "bad", you are interfering with your ability to eat intuitively. As an Intuitive Eater you will learn how to replace these negative thoughts with a more liberating approach to food and eating.
Principle 5: Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Eating is one of life's biggest pleasures. There is something wonderful and satisfying that comes from the experience of eating something delicious. The compulsion to comply with diet culture has taken this most basic gift away from us. When you eat what you really want, in an environment that is inviting, the pleasure you derive from this experience will leave you feeling satisfied and content. Satisfaction is at the heart of Intuitive Eating. As an Intuitive Eater you will rediscover the satisfaction of eating in a way that nourishes your body and honours your food preferences and taste.
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Source: Tribole E. & Resch E. (2012). Intuitive Eating (3rd ed). St. Martin's Press, NY, NY.
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Principle 6: Feel Your Fullness
Feeling your fullness means honouring your taste preferences and finding satisfaction in eating what you truly desire, in a way that respects your health and feels good. As an Intuitive Eater you will learn to recognize your body's subtle signals for comfortable fullness. You will learn how to check in with yourself while you are eating to ask how the food tastes and assess your current level of hunger and fullness.
Principle 7: Cope with Your Emotions With Kindness
Once you have learned how to tune into your biological hunger signals, you'll start to recognize emotional triggers more easily. Anger, loneliness, boredom, and anxiety are emotions we all experience. Each of these emotions have a trigger, and food won't resolve any of these feelings. Food may offer a temporary distraction from pain and discomfort, but eating will only make you feel worse in the long run and it will not solve any problems.
Acknowledging and honouring your feelings with kindness will help you dig deeper into your understanding of where these negative emotions are coming. As an Intuitive Eater you will learn to explore solutions and coping mechanisms that nourish, re-energize and comfort you without disrespecting your body and abusing your health.
Acknowledging and honouring your feelings with kindness will help you dig deeper into your understanding of where these negative emotions are coming. As an Intuitive Eater you will learn to explore solutions and coping mechanisms that nourish, re-energize and comfort you without disrespecting your body and abusing your health.
Principle 8: Respect Your Body
If you feel unhappy or critical of your body, I can assure you living in a diet obsessed culture is to blame. We have been conditioned to value a body type that is an unattainable standard of perfection. We are taught to pursue this ideal body type in the name of HEALTH, even at the expense of our own emotional and physical wellbeing.
The truth is that an ideal body weight does not guarantee health, and vice versa. Our weight is largely pre-determined by our genetics, and influenced by our environment. The natural healthy weight that is right for you, may or way not fit within a healthy range for Body Mass Index (BMI). A healthy natural weight is the weight that you can maintain while listening to and respecting your body.
As an Intuitive Eater you will learn that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. All bodies are good, and.... even if you don't feel it or believe it for yourself right now....all bodies deserves love, acceptance and respect.
The truth is that an ideal body weight does not guarantee health, and vice versa. Our weight is largely pre-determined by our genetics, and influenced by our environment. The natural healthy weight that is right for you, may or way not fit within a healthy range for Body Mass Index (BMI). A healthy natural weight is the weight that you can maintain while listening to and respecting your body.
As an Intuitive Eater you will learn that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. All bodies are good, and.... even if you don't feel it or believe it for yourself right now....all bodies deserves love, acceptance and respect.
Principle 9: Movement- Feel the Difference
If you've had a love hate relationship with exercise in the past, it's time to make peace with movement.
Exercising for the purposes of burning calorie to compensate for something you ate, to earn the right to eat, or to punish yourself are all part of the diet mentality.
There is a mountain of evidence support the benefits of exercise, beyond burning calories. Movement is good for your social, emotional and physical wellbeing. As an Intuitive Eater you will shift your focus to how it feels to move your body. You will re-discover the joy of movement and find exercise that feel good for you. It will be up to you to decide how much, how often and how long you like would like to exercise.
Exercising for the purposes of burning calorie to compensate for something you ate, to earn the right to eat, or to punish yourself are all part of the diet mentality.
There is a mountain of evidence support the benefits of exercise, beyond burning calories. Movement is good for your social, emotional and physical wellbeing. As an Intuitive Eater you will shift your focus to how it feels to move your body. You will re-discover the joy of movement and find exercise that feel good for you. It will be up to you to decide how much, how often and how long you like would like to exercise.
Principle 10: Gentle Nutrition- Honour Your Health
Gentle nutrition has a place in Intuitive Eating, but there is a reason it's the last of the 10 principles.
If you dive into this process solely focused on good nutrition and healthy eating- in other words "what" you should be eating, you miss out on fully understanding "why" and "how" you eat. Exploring these questions is critical to uncovering your inner food rules and other deeply held beliefs you may have about yourself, food and eating. Focusing solely on good nutrition will not help you heal your relationship with food.
As an Intuitive Eater you learn how to let go of rigid food rule, and become more open and flexible with eating. You will learn how to eat food that tastes good and makes you feel good, without judgement.
If you dive into this process solely focused on good nutrition and healthy eating- in other words "what" you should be eating, you miss out on fully understanding "why" and "how" you eat. Exploring these questions is critical to uncovering your inner food rules and other deeply held beliefs you may have about yourself, food and eating. Focusing solely on good nutrition will not help you heal your relationship with food.
As an Intuitive Eater you learn how to let go of rigid food rule, and become more open and flexible with eating. You will learn how to eat food that tastes good and makes you feel good, without judgement.
Reference
[1] Tribole E. & Resch E. (2012). Intuitive Eating(3rd ed). St. Martin’s Press, NY, NY.