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Intuitive Eating 101: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food

Josanne Singh

Intuitive Eating

LiveWell Newsletter September 2024

Enjoying a meal or snack should not be filled with guilt every time you don’t eat the “right” food and movement should not feel like punishment to burn off calories from these actions. When we continuously project these beliefs and attitudes, eventually, a negative relationship with food and movement is developed. Sometimes, depending on what we allow on our feeds, a high consumption of social media can also exacerbate this.

There isn’t exactly a one size approach or a box where we can fit ourselves in to ensure that we are taking the right steps towards achieving our health-related goals. Following diet trends can often lead to frustration when results are not what was anticipated, and heavily restricted diets are usually not sustainable in the long-term. How then can we balance having a healthy eating pattern and active lifestyle whilst ensuring that we are feeling great in every way possible?

In 1995, the term “intuitive eating” was coined by registered dietitian Evelyn Tribole and nutrition therapist Elyse Resch in their book which took into consideration prior research done. This approach to eating focuses on recognizing internal cues for hunger and fullness, eating based on physical instead of emotional factors and permission to eat whenever you are hungry without discrimination towards any specific food. While no foods are off limits, it doesn’t mean that you should go off the rails with eating but instead, there should be a focus on eating with intention. When we eat, it is not always because of physiological hunger. Oftentimes, there are various external cues such as seeing snacks on the desk at work, looking at an advertisement for food or smelling freshly baked goods and suddenly having a strong desire to have them.

The 10 principles outlined in this approach can be used as a guideline to help unlearn some of the negative effects that diet culture has imprinted on us over the years. These run deep and have become a norm in society so it’s difficult to identify them.

10 Principles for Intuitive Eating-

1. Reject Diet Mentality

Let go of trends and fad diets that often have you disappointed when unrealistic expectations aren’t met.

2. Honour your Hunger

When you experience physical hunger cues, it is important to acknowledge and respond to them. Ignoring your body’s signals for food can result in an intense hunger which can lead to throwing all plans of eating well-balanced meals out the window and just consuming everything that you can get your hands on.

3. Make Peace with Food

End your war with food! Shift your language from “I cannot have this” or “I should not eat this” and give yourself permission to eat. Sometimes, when foods are heavily restricted, cravings can build and this can eventually lead to binge eating.

4. Challenge the Food Police

The food police can be your own internal negative thoughts towards eating specific foods. Let go of labelling food as “good” and “bad” and understand that all foods can have a place in your life.

5. Discover the Satisfaction

Eating food should be an enjoyable experience. It should not feel like you are being forced to eat certain foods or eat a specific way. Tune in to your body and understand exactly what you are feeling for in that moment to ensure that when you eat, you are fully satisfied.

6. Feel your Fullness

Learn to recognize when you are feeling full and honour this. There is no need to clear your plate at each meal. Instead, stop when you are full and put away the leftovers to eat at a later time if you can. Likewise, if you have a small portion on your plate and you are still feeling hungry after, grab seconds! There should be absolutely no guilt with this.

7. Cope with your Emotions with Kindness

Sometimes we eat in response to being bored, stressed, lonely or even sad. While food can help us deal with these emotions in the short-term, it does not resolve the actual issue. Find alternative ways to deal with emotions such as walking, listening to a podcast or even looking at your favourite show. Now, if you use food to deal with emotions ever so often, that is okay! The takeaway here is to not use food as a response for every emotional trigger.

8. Respect your Body

While exercise and the foods we consume contribute towards our physical appearance, genetics play a role as well and each person is different. Love your body. Celebrate the little wins and practice gratitude for everything that your body allows you to do.

9. Movement

Movement should be fun and exciting. It shouldn’t feel like you’re in the military and being forced to do a specific routine every day. It also shouldn’t be linked solely to burning calories. If you’re not feeling to run or do a one-hour HIIT workout, don’t. Listen to your body. Maybe you’d be happier taking a long walk instead. Also, forget the numbers on your watch. Focus on the way you feel during and after any type of movement. Do you feel energized? Motivated?

10. Honour your Health with Gentle Nutrition

While the intuitive eating approach speaks about recognizing your body’s internal needs, it doesn’t mean that you should neglect everything related to nutrition and the way food impacts our health. Tuning into your body’s internal needs and having foods that support your well-being can co-exist. Even if it doesn’t happen this way all the time, that’s okay. Progress should be celebrated and being flexible helps with this.

Remember, these principles were not meant to be followed as rigid rules. Instead, allow these guidelines to become a part of your life to heal your relationship with food and help with learning to appreciate your body and all the wonderful things that it does daily.

Source: Tribole, Evelyn, and Elyse Resch. Intuitive eating. Macmillan, 2012.