Intuitive Eating

Food not only fuels our body for our living, but it also is a very important part of our being. We are what we eat. Many of us do not have a healthy relationship with the food we eat. That includes over-eating, eating junk food, eating processed food, or dieting and eating very little. In earlier days, the term ‘dieting’ was reserved for models or actresses but now, everybody seems to be categorizing the food they are allowed to have or they must keep away from. They are hundreds of diet plans available online like Keto diet, GM diet, etc. They all aim towards a single goal which is reducing weight. Nutritionists have shown that the weight shed with dieting or restricting yourselves to a few food groups tend to come back in some time. Moreover, when you diet, you carry this constant food police on your head telling you what is okay to eat and what is not. This constant tension stresses you out, even more, when you have other responsibilities like deadlines to complete or a child to take care of, etc. 

I was recently introduced to the book: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, Elyse Resch, and I have started to feel differently about my eating habits and my body image goals. In a sentence, intuitive eating means making your peace with food and eating consciously: eating when hungry, stopping when full. Just like a child. The authors mention ten principles of intuitive eating. I loved reading about all of them. But, these two are my personal favorite: 

Reject the diet mentality. The authors claim that in the process of growing up, we have lost our bodily instinct about eating when hungry, and stopping when we are just about to get full. The authors advise ditching any diet that you are following to reduce weight. These diet plans are your enemy because they promote false body images, and make you hate the way you look. It is very very important, after all, to love yourself. Only then, you can love your family and friends. Eat mindfully and consciously is the way to go. Do not starve yourself to the point when you start overeating. Rather, listen to your body when it is telling you that it needs some food. This way, you will eat proportionally and you will prepare your own meals instead of eating take-out food. Also, stop when you start feeling full. Do not over-eat. By not over-eating, you are respecting your digestive system, your body.

Make peace with food. This means not stopping yourself or not restricting yourselves to eat only a certain category of foods. By not giving any food the power to control you, you make it yours. This principle states that you eat any food when you feel like it. At first, you might start drifting towards an unhealthy lifestyle, but gradually, you will feel that by giving yourself permission to eat anything without feeling guilty, you are becoming mature and friendly towards your eating habits and you would want to eat healthy yourself.

Apart from these two, the authors advise respecting your body and coping with your emotions with kindness. You do not need to be strict with yourself every single time you eat some carbs, 

Also, being active and doing some form of exercising will not only improve your physical health but also give you more opportunities of becoming friends with your food and respecting your body, feeling gratitude towards the strength and abilities that your body encompasses which we generally take for granted and forget appreciating.