Food should be centered around meals that satisfy your hunger, nourish your body, brings you joy, and a sense of community. But, in the world of fad diets, diet culture and food negligence or obsession, some of us have lost the natural hunger cues we are born with. Making the process of making decisions about what to eat a mental strain and controlled by our health conditions, fears and wants rather than needs and happiness.
What Is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is the process of making decisions around food based on your bodies internal hunger cues and other physical sensations- rather than following a specific meal plan or food rules. It is the process of choosing to eat what makes you feel good at that moment, rather than trying to eating what you "should". This process along with other behavioral modifications has shown success in research when used in therapy to support those with disordered eating patterns. There are many reasons to eat intuitively, the most relevant being that sustaining a "diet" or "food rules" for a long time is not plausible and likely leads to a rebound.
Intuitive eating is outlined in the following 10 principles and can be used in support of treatment, and for one's personal journey to wellness by creating a healthy relationship with food.
1. Reject the diet mentality
2. Honor your hunger keep your body biologically fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates.
3. Make peace with food and stop classifying items into bad and good categories.
4. Challenge the food police, your inner guilt-provoking voice.
5. Respect your fullness listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Observe the signs that show that you’re comfortably full. Pause in the middle of a meal or food and ask yourself how the food tastes, and what is your current fullness level?
6. Discover the satisfaction factor
7. Honor your feelings without using food.
8. Respect your body.
9. Exercise–feel the difference.
10 Honor your health–gentle nutrition- make food choices that honor your health and tastebuds while making you feel well.
Intuitive eating practices are incorporated into the Mind Your Own Plate philosophy and used throughout the support given by our dietitians and nutritionist.