Eating and body image are emotional topics for many people. Millions of people have tried a variety of ways to lose weight and approach nutrition. One method that has recently gained more traction is intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is not a diet. It is a new way of approaching eating created by two nutritionists that noticed unhealthy eating behaviors in their clients. People who follow intuitive eating are trying to leave the diet mentality behind and reframe health goals beyond their body image. It can be a more sustainable approach to nutrition for many people.
What is intuitive eating?
As stated above, intuitive eating is a nutrition program that helps people make better nutrition choices without focusing on dieting. It was first outlined in a book entitled Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. Tribole and Resch are two dieticians that noticed that their clients had complicated, emotional relationships with food. They often dieted only to rebound back to the original weight or even higher. They decided that they needed to re-teach their clients how to eat the way it was originally intended.
Intuitive eating rejects the diet mentality. The diet mentality is the national and international mentality that says that losing weight and being thin are healthy and good and should be the goal. That means that the intuitive method says that people should move away from the goal of losing weight. Instead, they should focus on how food and activity makes them feel. They should keep nutrition in mind only after they have broken their connection to dieting.
What are the principles of intuitive eating?
There are ten major principles of intuitive eating. Each principle is designed to teach people how to approach eating while rejecting diet mentality and honoring their mental, emotional, and physical health. The ten principles are as follows.
- Reject the diet mentality.
- Honor your hunger.
- Make peace with food.
- Challenge the food police.
- Feel your fullness.
- Discover the satisfaction factor.
- Cope your emotions without using food.
- Respect your body.
- Exercise – feel the difference.
- Honor your health.
What are the resources to get started?
The original book entitled Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch is a fantastic first resource. The originators of the program outline and delve into the principles so that beginners can understand. People can work on these principles over a period of weeks or months on their own or they can do it in conjunction with a nutritionist who is dedicated to intuitive eating. Many people decide to move on to working with a nutritionist to further the work that they have done solo. They find that nutritionists can help them get past roadblocks that had previously challenged them. Nutritionists can also help clients see certain situations in a different light. If people cannot afford a nutritionist, they may look for other avenues of support. There are some social media accounts, like Instagram and Facebook accounts, that are devoted to supporting members on their intuitive eating journey. People find that these accounts provide a community that is working towards the same goal as them.
Conclusion
Intuitive eating is a program designed by two nutritionists who realized that their clients were struggling with traditional dieting. The goal is to re-teach people how to eat and break the diet cycle. People are taught ten principles to follow in order to regain their confidence when eating. Intuitive eating is just one approach to nutrition. Contact the Anti-aging and Wellness Clinic to learn more about your options today.
