Intuitive eating is a way of relating to food that encourages us to tune into our body sensations for hunger and fullness in order to eat what we want, when we want it, in the quantities that feel good and nourish our body. Intuitive eating requires that we practice being connected to our body sensations, thoughts, emotions and impulses so that we can make conscious choices about our health. Fundamentally intuitive eating is very different than following a diet. A diet is usually rigid and based on externally generated rules that people must follow in order to be successful. Intuitive eating is flexible and choices are based on internal cues specific to the individual’s changing needs.
Researchers have identified 4 different components of Intuitive Eating
1. Unconditional Permission to Eat. (All foods can fit)
2. Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons
3. Trusting our Physical Cues for Hunger and Satiety
4. Eating to Fuel the Body
Are You An Intuitive Eater? You can rate how intuitive your eating is by filling out the research validated Intuitive Eating Scale (IES). A higher total score indicates you are a more Intuitive Eater. Higher scores have been associated with better body image, less disordered eating behaviour, healthier weights without dieting, a greater enjoyment of food and a better relationship with food. If you would like to find out your Intuitive Eating Score take the 3 minute online quiz here.
QUESTION? If you are allowed to eat whatever you want, won’t you just eat cookies and chips all the time? This is a common misconception. Research shows that when people are given full permission to eat what they want with the intention of caring for their body, they instinctively choose foods that make them feel good over the long run. Of course, it takes practice and dedication to keep your home stocked with balanced, nutritious foods that taste good and make you feel energized. With a solid foundation of nutritious meals and snacks, there’s always room to mindfully enjoy your favorite treats like cookies or chips. All foods can fit.
How to get started? Mindfulness and Mindful Eating
Mindfulness is defined as ‘paying attention, on purpose to the present moment in a non-judgemental way’. Essentially mindfulness practice helps us engage all our 5 senses to experience our present moment body sensations, thoughts, emotions and impulses. We can use mindfulness techniques to better connect to sensations of hunger, fullness, emotions, stress, fatigue and cravings. In other words, by being mindful with our body we can improve our capacity to be Intuitive Eaters. Mindful eating can increase enjoyment of our food and help us to match the quantity of our food to what our body needs to be satiated. To informally practice mindful eating you can simply close your eyes and engage all our senses as you experience a bite of food or a drink of a beverage. Try this 5 min mindful eating activity.
Understanding Hunger and Satiety
Do you have a regular eating pattern? Do you eat at similar times of the day? Do you have big gaps between your meals that lead to becoming over hungry? Do you ever feel overfull after meals? These are all important questions to ponder as you become more connected to your internal body cues. It can be helpful to record a few days of your eating using the format of a Mindful Eating Journal. Record the time, the foods that you eat and rate your hunger before and after you eat using the attached hunger scale. Ideally, it’s best to eat before you become too hungry (aim for a rating of 3-4) and experiment with stopping eating when you feel satisfied before you are full (a rating of 7). Of course, there are no strict rules with Intuitive eating, the goal is to feel good! However, experiment with this style of ‘gentle eating’ and see how your body responds.
You can also ask yourself these questions: What food rules do I have? Do I have any habits that override my internal cues for hunger? Ie: Always clean my plate, Don’t eat after 7pm. How do you fill yourself up emotionally? Do you notice any patterns of eating for particular emotions? Notice patterns in your behaviours by recording on the journal. See if you can practice bringing a non-judgemental awareness to your eating. Be curious about your habits and see what you discover.
What feeds your Soul? Our body is not the only thing that needs nourishing. It’s worth asking yourself “What feeds my soul?” and see what comes to mind. If we are not feeling fulfilled in our lives, it can sometimes have an impact on our eating habits. We may end up soothing ourselves with food or trying to fill the void with the experience of eating. For more on this topic visit this article on my website: What Feeds Your Soul? Also check out upcoming workshops using SoulCollage®
Personal Consultations: Developing a healthy relationship with food and the body can be challenging to do all on your own. Consider reaching out for support. If you would like to explore more about your connection between body awareness, mindfulness, food, hunger, weight, emotions and soul…. book an Intuitive Eating Consultation.