By definition Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework or model which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought. It is a weight-inclusive (as opposed to weight-normative), evidenced-based model with a validated assessment tool and over 200 research studies to date that support its effectiveness. It is rooted in dignity and respect for all bodies and honors body autonomy, it has been aligned with Health at Every Size (HAES) since 2013.
What is the purpose of Intuitive Eating?
The purpose of Intuitive Eating is to cultivate a healthy relationship with food and body; your body is your home for life and deserves to be honored and appreciated. For those that have struggled with this relationship the focus is to work to heal it.
Intuitive Eating contains 10 principles that help cultivate a deep listening to internal body signals (interoceptive awareness) and the ability to identify, access, understand, trust and respond to your unique body cues. The body is always talking to us, this process helps you to be able to slow down and listen.
1. Reject Diet Mentality/Culture
2. Honor Your Hunger
3. Make Peace with Food
4. Challenge the Food Police
5. Discover the Satisfaction Factor
6. Respect Your Fullness
7. Honor Your Feelings without Using Food
8. Respect Your Body
9. Movement- Feel the Difference
10. Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
How do the principles work?
First, they work by cultivating attunement to the physical sensations that arise from within your body so you can get both your biological and psychological needs met.
Second, they help remove the obstacles and disruptors to attunement, which usually come from the mind in the form of food and body rules, beliefs and thoughts.
What is the Intuitive Eating process?
The Intuitive Eating process involves a series of self-reflective exercises or experiences that work to improve awareness of biological cues, emotions and states by increasing somatic (body) awareness. These exercises also help to remove attunement disruptors such as food and body beliefs, rules, and counterproductive thoughts by increasing mind awareness.
What are the benefits of Intuitive Eating?
There are many! Research has shown Intuitive Eating enhances blood sugar (glycemic) control and increases HDL (good) cholesterol. It increases overall optimism, body trust, body cue awareness, body appreciation, wellbeing, self-esteem and proactive coping skills. It increases food variety and diet quality, eating enjoyment and motivation to exercise. It decreases binge eating, disordered eating, triglycerides and thin idealization.
Bottom line-
Intuitive Eating is a return to your most natural state. We were all born intuitive eaters. As infants we ate when we were hungry and stopped when we were full. We ate for mostly biological needs and sometimes for comfort. We treated eating when we were hungry the same as way as drinking when we were thirsty or going to the bathroom when our bladder was full. When we were hungry, we ate until we were full and then moved on until we were hungry again. We listened and responded to our body over and over again and developed body trust without our conscious knowledge. Over time for many this body trust erodes, generally from well-meaning parents (“no dessert until you eat all your dinner”) or ever-pervasive diet culture we live in (“carbs are bad, protein is good”). It’s understandable that we’ve lost our way and are less able to hear and respond to what our body is saying. Intuitive Eating is the process that brings us back into our amazing body and mind and allows us to be able to listen again.
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