Intuitive Eating Definition
Despite the recent popularity of intuitive eating, the term was originally coined in 1995 and first appeared in a peer-reviewed journal in 1998. The term intuitive eating is based on the concept that the body intrinsically knows the quantity and type of food to eat to maintain nutritional health.
Intuitive eating is based on the ability to listen to our bodies in the sense of eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are satiated or full. There are no restrictions on the types of food we eat while integrating intuitive eating into our lives because our bodies will choose a variety of foods that provide nutritional balance.
Mindful Eating
Intuitive eating involves applying mindfulness while we eat, which can be helpful when practicing intuitive eating. Mindful eating encourages us to remove distractions from our lives while eating, such as watching television or using our phones. It also involves full awareness of eating, helps us focus on the taste and texture of the foods we eat, and allows us to slow down the pace of our eating.
Differences Between Intuitive Eating and Other ‘Non-Diet’ Approaches
Intuitive eating is not a diet. Instead, it is focused on building a positive body image, listening to our bodies, and helping us to improve our relationship with food. Rather than labeling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ it focuses on learning to honour our hunger cues and eating foods that benefit our mental and physical health.
Similar to other ‘non-diet’ approaches to our eating habits, intuitive eating removes the discussion of body weight or reaching a certain weight as a goal. Additionally, this methodology focuses on ourselves. In this sense, intuitive eating is used to empower us, because we are the experts of our bodies. Intuitive eating emphasizes listening to ourselves and being able to recognize what hunger and fullness feel like to ourselves.
Intuitive Eating Principles
Rejecting the Diet Mentality
A diet mentality requires us to be constantly aware of the food we eat and how it affects our bodies. When we embrace a diet mentality, it makes it difficult for us to consider hunger and the wants and needs of our bodies, as we are usually sticking to a rigid plan or being told we need to restrict our intake.
Honouring Our Hunger
Not allowing ourselves to eat what our bodies need can urge us to overeat. Intuitive eating involves recognizing when we are hungry before it gets to an extreme point, and honoring that hunger until we feel satisfied. Even though this can be challenging for us, it is important for us to recognize our hunger and feelings of fullness.
Making Peace With Food
When we allow ourselves full permission to eat, we will often find that foods we may have previously felt a loss of control around lose their appeal and hold over us. Of course, we wouldn’t want to eat the same thing every day no matter the food, but when we restrict ourselves from allowing specific foods we often think about them more. A positive relationship with food makes room for all foods and encourages us to consume a variety of foods for various reasons.
Challenging the ‘Food Police’
No food is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Intuitive eating encourages us to challenge these beliefs, and focus instead on nourishing our bodies with what makes us happy and helps us feel good.
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Eating should be pleasurable. Taking the time to eat foods that we enjoy, in a positive environment can help us enjoy our eating experiences.
Feeling Our Fullness
With intuitive eating, we can check in with ourselves during and after we eat. This allows us to pay attention to how the food we eat tastes, how we feel while eating, and our hunger levels. This will also help us recognize when we are feeling full.
Coping With Emotions Using Kindness
When we experience challenging emotions, emotional eating can occur. Intuitive eating encourages us to find different methods to cope with uncomfortable emotions, rather than relying on food. Strategies to incorporate kindness into coping with our emotions include taking a walk, writing in a journal, or calling a friend or family member.
Respecting Our Bodies
When we have expectations surrounding our bodies and appearance, it is difficult to shake the diet mentality. Intuitive eating encourages us to appreciate and respect our bodies.
Feeling Our Movement
If we feel comfortable incorporating movement while navigating intuitive eating, we should focus on how it makes us feel, rather than how many calories have been burned. This helps us to learn to appreciate being active and find ways of movement that bring us joy. However, in recovery, it’s important to discuss introducing movement with our treatment team before adding this in, to ensure that we do so safely and don’t jeopardize our progress in eating disorder recovery.
Honouring Our Health
When we learn to honour our bodies, we gain the ability to listen to what we need, helping us reach our nutrition goals while prioritizing our mental and physical health.
When Are We Ready?
When we are living with an eating disorder, we often ignore our bodies’ hunger cues. Diet culture also encourages us to ignore those cues. The best way to determine if we are ready to practice intuitive eating is to discuss it with our eating disorder treatment team, such as our therapist, doctor, or dietitian. They can provide an objective view based on where we are in recovery and help us decide whether it is a safe time to implement intuitive eating practices.
Do you want to learn more about how to repair your relationship with food and your body? Book a free 15-minute consultation call with one of our clinicians.
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