What Is Intuitive Eating?
INTRODUCTION
Intuitive eating is a holistic approach to food that focuses on building a healthy relationship with food, your body, and your emotions. It is based on the idea that your body knows how much food it needs, and you can trust your body’s signals to meet those needs. Unlike traditional diets that emphasize restriction, food rules, and weight loss, intuitive eating encourages you to listen to your body’s internal signals and embrace the freedom to eat without guilt. Intuitive eating is a mindset that combats the negative aspects of diet culture. Intuitive eating can help you move away from the "diet mentality" and establish a peaceful relationship with food. Practicing these skills can also lead to a positive body image and improved emotional health.
INTUITIVE EATING RESEARCH
The science behind intuitive eating shows that it can have a positive impact on you physical and mental health. Over 125 published studies have confirmed the benefits of intuitive eating. Studies suggest that people who practice intuitive eating tend to have better quality of life and mental health. Intuitive eaters also experience improvements in physical health markers like blood pressure and cholesterol levels, even if they don’t lose weight. The intuitive eating model shows promise in terms of maintaining a healthy weight and improving eating behaviors while avoiding the negative consequences of dieting.
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND
Physical Hunger vs. Emotional Hunger
Physical hunger is the body’s natural signal that it needs fuel. Internal hunger cues, like a growling stomach or low energy, typically tell you that it is time to eat.
Emotional hunger is a response to negative emotions, like stress, boredom, or anxiety. Your stomach will feel “quiet,” but your mind may feel “loud” and have sudden urges to eat in response to these negative emotions. Emotional hunger is often misinterpreted as physical hunger; this can lead to overeating because your body was never truly hungry to begin with. Recognizing the difference is crucial for intuitive eating.
Hunger and Satiety Cues
To foster a better relationship with food, we can learn to identify our body’s hunger and satiety (fullness) cues and respond to these signals in a balanced way. The Hunger and Fullness Scale below can be a great tool to understand your own hunger and fullness. It is beneficial to feel hungry and full but try to avoid the extremes (starving or stuffed). Understanding your own hunger and satiety cues will help you ease up on food restriction and avoid overeating.
PRINCIPLES OF INTUITIVE EATING
Intuitive eating is guided by 10 principles. These principles are designed to support mental health, a positive body image, and mindful eating. Following these principles can help you to shift away from restrictive eating patterns and to build a balanced, peaceful relationship with food:
Reject diet culture – Diet culture promotes food rules and restrictions that are often unsustainable and damaging to mental health. Question diets that:
Promote “yes” and “no” food lists
Eliminate entire food groups
Tell you when and how to eat
Require you to pay for the “magic solution” to weight loss.
Honor your hunger – Too often, we let ourselves go hungry because “it’s not time to eat.” Did you know if you wait to eat until you’re starving, you are more likely to overeat? It’s good to be hungry, not ravenous, when it’s time to eat.
Make peace with food – Let go of the concept of “good” and “bad” foods and give yourself permission to enjoy food without guilt.
Challenge the food police – The dieting world holds onto the belief that eating healthy and having food discipline makes you a better person. Fight against the judgmental thoughts that say your worth is connected to your food choices. Eating the perfect number of macros doesn’t make you a “good” person and eating an extra cookie or two does not make you a “bad” person.
Discover the satisfaction factor – Food is more than just the fuel that keeps your body alive. Food is also meant to be enjoyed. When people are trying to lose weight, food is often viewed as a means to an end, and the satisfaction of eating gets lost. Learn to find joy in eating again and recognize when a food experience is genuinely satisfying and when it is not.
Feel your fullness – Listen to your body’s signals to avoid overeating. You can practice this by asking yourself mindful questions while eating.
How does my body feel?
Is the food exciting or getting boring?
What is my fullness level?
Am I satisfied?
Do I want more? If so, is it because I'm still hungry or is it because of another reason?
Cope with your emotions with kindness – Instead of using food to cope with negative emotions, find healthier emotional outlets. Is it okay to have ice cream after a long day every now and then? Of course. But the goal is to have multiple, healthy coping strategies so food doesn’t feel like the only option.
Respect your body – All bodies deserve dignity. Learn to accept and respect your body by letting go of the expectation that your body needs to conform to an ideal weight, shape, or size. Remember, your worth is not determined by the number on the scale.
Movement – When people are working to lose weight, exercise often becomes a checklist item that must be completed to achieve a goal weight. This can make exercise feel like a chore, or even a punishment! To improve your outlook on exercise, try focusing on movement and how it makes you feel. Do you feel more energized? Has your mood improved? Do you sleep better? Exercising to feel better is much more sustainable than exercising to burn calories.
Honor your health with gentle nutrition – Focus on nutrition that supports both your physical and emotional well-being. Make your health a priority while still giving yourself the grace to imperfect.
BENEFITS OF INTUITIVE EATING
The benefits of intuitive eating go beyond food choices—it can significantly impact your overall health and wellness.
Weight Maintenance or Loss
Intuitive eating is not necessarily a weight loss strategy, but many people find that they achieve a balanced weight naturally by trusting their hunger cues and nourishing their bodies with the right amount of food. It shifts the focus from weight loss to self-care and long-term health, removing the pressures of dieting and weight stigma.
Chronic Disease Management and Prevention
Intuitive eating can improve your relationship with food, which can then have long-term benefits on chronic diseases. By letting go of food rules and focusing on eating in tune with your body, you may lower stress levels and reduce your risk for health conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Disordered Eating Recovery and Body Acceptance
This approach helps address disordered eating by promoting body acceptance and a positive, sustainable relationship towards food. Over time, individuals who practice intuitive eating often find relief from the strict rules of dieting and the emotional burden of chronic food guilt, leading to better body acceptance and overall emotional wellbeing.
POTENTIAL PITFALLS
While intuitive eating has many benefits, it’s not without challenges. Understanding how to navigate common obstacles will help you be successful.
Frequency of Reward Eating (Emotional Eating)
Emotional eating is a common pitfall when food is used as a reward or coping mechanism. This can interfere with your intuitive eating journey if not addressed. Recognizing the emotional reasons behind your cravings and finding healthier ways to cope with negative emotions can help you get back on track.Frequency of Overeating
Part of intuitive eating is giving yourself unconditional permission to eat. For chronic dieters who keep rigid dieting rules, having the permission to eat without guilt can feel directionless and scary. When you start eating intuitively, you may overeat occasionally in the beginning, especially if you’re still learning to trust your hunger and satiety cues. It’s important to approach this with kindness and avoid feelings of guilt. Over time, practicing intuitive eating will help you become more aware of your fullness cues and reduce the likelihood of overeating.
CONCLUSION
Intuitive eating is about respecting your body's natural hunger cues, finding satisfaction in food, and letting go of restrictive diets and the diet mentality. By following the principles of intuitive eating, you can cultivate a positive relationship with food, improve mental health, and support long-term health. If you're looking for additional support on your journey, consider reaching out to one of our Registered Dietitians. We can help you integrate these principles into your daily life and offer personalized guidance.
FAQ
Q: What is intuitive eating and how do you do it?
Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach that focuses on tuning into your body's natural hunger and fullness cues. It involves rejecting diet culture and honoring your body’s needs without guilt or restriction.
Q: Can I lose weight with intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is not focused on weight loss, but it may lead to weight maintenance or weight loss as a natural result of nourishing your body in a balanced and sustainable way.
Q: What is the difference between mindful eating and intuitive eating?
Mindful eating focuses on being present and aware of your eating experience, while intuitive eating emphasizes listening to your body's internal signals and fostering a peaceful relationship with food.
Q: Is it okay to give in to “emotional hunger” sometimes?
The short answer is yes! Let’s say you get home from a long day at work, and all that sounds good is that bag of chips in your pantry. The key is to be aware of your emotions, savor and enjoy your portion chips, and then lean on other coping strategies to address any negative emotions. This can help you enjoy a mindful portion instead of eating the whole bag of chips to numb your emotions. It is important to have several healthy coping strategies you can rely on so food doesn’t feel like the only option.
Q: What is the difference between exercise and movement?
Though they sound similar, there are a few distinct differences. Exercise is typically a planned physical activity with the intent of either burning calories, getting stronger, or changing your physique. Movement includes any type of activity that moves your body with the intent of being active for enjoyment.
McKinsey Oveson RDN, LD, CD
SOURCES
https://www.intuitiveeating.org/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666315300635?via%3Dihub