Are you someone who gets through the holidays saying, come January I am going to eat better? If so, you are not alone. Some of us pick and choose diets we think help us lose weight; others just want to live a healthier lifestyle. Bad news, there is no one size fits all diet. What diet worked for our friend may not be the answer for us. I think one approach that we can all utilize, learn and have a positive outcome is what is called intuitive eating. It is a great way to learn about our bodies and the cues it sends us. It is creating a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable. If you wanted to follow a diet it may be advantageous to try intuitive eating first and get to know your eating habits and listen to your body.
What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is an interaction of instinct, emotion and thoughtfulness. It is more of eating on an instinctual level. There have been over 100 studies showing results intuitive eating lowers BMI, lowers cholesterol, and helps blood sugar. (Anderson et al 2015) Here are some of the components of intuitive eating:
Philosophies of Intuitive Eating
1.Reject the diet mentality – most fad diets are not sustainable and they may not have the nutrients your body needs. Some diets in fact could be harmful to you depending on your health condition. Another aspect of diets is that it leaves you feeling deprived and then we always want what we can’t have. You need to believe you can make the right decisions and have personal empowerment.
Remember everyone has a different genetic makeup and our bodies react differently. Personally, I have an autoimmune disorder and my body would not react well if I were to fast for 16-18 hours.
2.Honor your hunger- keep your body fed with dense foods that contain energy and nutrients, not sugary drinks and candy. Did you ever notice when you eat a good meal made with whole foods that you are less likely to crave snacks or other sugary foods? According to Trioble and Resh authors of Intuitive Eating we should trust our bodies to give us reliable hunger signals.
3.Make peace with food- telling yourself you cannot eat certain foods can lead to intensifying the craving. Food should not be emotional. Food should not be seen as a reward just because you are stressed out or had a hard day. Don’t allow your thoughts or other people to make food good or bad.
4.Listen to your body – this one is extremely important. Many of us don’t listen to the hunger and satiety cues. Stop and observe the signs that you are comfortably full. Ask your self-questions in the middle of eating – how the food tastes and what is current level of fullness? Take your time eating. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to know that you ate.
5.Are you satisfied? When you sit down to eat make it pleasurable. Watching television or being on your phone interrupts your signals to the brain of being satisfied. Eat in an environment that is pleasant and inviting. Stay present while eating and listen to your body’s cues. You have the right to enjoy eating.
7 Emotional eating – food doesn’t fix problems or make feelings go away. Many times people associate food with certain emotions. Some happy and some sad . Find ways to comforts and nurture your self with out using food. Emotional eating can actually make you feel worse.
8.Respect your body – we all have a certain genetic makeup and have to learn to accept certain things about our bodies.
9.Get out and move – we get caught up in having to pay for a gym membership and think we need to run marathons. Just get out and move, take a walk and yoga class ride a bike, go on line and view some exercises you can do at home for 10 minutes a day. After you finish moving focus on how you feel and that you did something. Movement of any kind will help release those happy hormones. It’s a win win.
10.Honor your health – make food choices that honor and nurture your health and your body. It is not about eating perfectly every day but rather the progress you make.
In summary, listen to your body, eat whole foods, cut out sugar but don’t deprive yourself, and don’t label food or have an emotional attachment. The first week or two – you may find it helpful to write down what you are eating and how you are feeling at that time. It helps you be honest with yourself as well as become aware of the level of satisfaction and how you may have changed your eating habits based on emotion or instinct.
Happy & Healthy New Year!
References
Intuitive Eating, 2012 Evelyn Trioble and Elyse Resch
Mindful Eating, 2014, Karen Mayo