The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating
There is so much to say about Intuitive Eating, where do I even start?! To me, Intuitive Eating is based on two ideas:
1. Diets don’t work. (Voluntary starvation, aka dieting by restricting calories, and famine feel the same to our biology.)
2. Our bodies have an innate wisdom and can regulate themselves, if only we will start to listen.
We live in a world over run by “diet culture”. That is: we are taught certain foods are “good” and should be eaten often (i.e. kale, celery juice) and other foods are “bad” and should never be eaten (i.e. donuts, fries). We are taught that our health outcomes rely MAINLY on our diets and exercise habits. We are taught that being fat is “bad” and we must diet to lose the weight. Oh, and if the diet doesn’t work and you don’t lose the weight? We are taught that there is something wrong with US, that we somehow failed.
Well, what if I told you all of this is just a pile of garbage?
What if it’s all a 60-billion-dollar industry created to make you feel crappy about yourself so you’ll give more money to them even though dieting fails 95% of the time but people are still being prescribed it by their well-meaning doctors who are also teaching that being fat will lead to inevitable death and you must avoid it at all costs and don’t eat the candy from the front desk on your way out because that will kill you also.
A HOT. STEAMING. PILE OF GARBAGE, MY FRIENDS.
Insert Intuitive Eating: A set of principles that have been researched and peer reviewed and created to help you heal your relationship with food. The days of banishing fast food, candy, and other “junk foods” are GONE, and the days of food freedom are HERE.
Intuitive Eating functions via 10 principles (read the book, Intuitive Eating (3rd edition or bust!) or check out their website for a more complete breakdown of each):
1. Reject the Diet Mentality:
Break up with dieting and get angry at the lies you were fed. Accept that dieting doesn’t work and sets you up to fail. Remember that voluntary starvation (aka dieting) and famine feel the same to your cells.
2. Honor Your Hunger:
If you are hungry, EAT. Doesn’t matter if it’s after 6:00pm or if all you have available to you is half of your kid’s lunchbox. Give your body the fuel it needs to keep going. Bonus points: Learn to identify what hunger feels like for you. Maybe the first sign is becoming tired, or a headache, or being grouchy.
3. Make Peace with Food:
All food is good food. Give yourself permission to eat ANY food. Yes, even that deliciously, greasy thing that you’re scared will kill you. The more you tell yourself you can’t have something… the more you are going to want it! It’s typical scarcity mentality. Also, pay attention to what foods you “binge” on (or treat like you are eating the Last Supper) and consider that maybe these binges are caused by banning them in the first place.
4. Challenge the Food Police:
Get rid of the belief that you are “good” for eating “healthy” foods and “bad” for eating cake. You are not what you eat. Our mental Food Police exist courtesy of diet culture, so don’t shame yourself for having these thoughts. Challenge them!
5. Respect Your Fullness:
Listen to your body when it says it is not hungry anymore. Know what it feels like when you are full. Check in with yourself throughout a meal and ask yourself how you are feeling. And if you are full but the food is really good? Remember that you (most likely) have UNLIMITED access to this food! You can get more ice cream later! It is not the Last Supper, although if you’ve been on many diets, it may feel this way.
6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor:
No food is going to taste as good as when it was off limits. That doesn’t mean food has to be boring from here on out! Eating can be a fun and satisfying experience.
7. Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food:
It is ok if food is a coping skill, it just shouldn’t be the only one. Learn how to resolve your feelings without using food. Food will not fix your anxiety, boredom, loneliness, or anger. Only you can do that.
8. Respect Your Body:
Accept your genes, whatever size they leave you at. We don’t shame people for their foot size, so why for their body size? Celebrate the diversity in body shape and don’t put expectations on yourself that are unrealistic. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit your body for how it is NOW, even if it means restocking your entire wardrobe.
9. Exercise – Feel the Difference:
Stop exercising with the goal of losing weight or compensating for calories. Focus on what it feels like to move your body, and choose movement that makes you happy. If you hate running, stop running! Start playing basketball, going for a swim, or something else you find fun. If you’re trying to make yourself do something you hate by shaming yourself with weight loss… psychologically speaking it probably won’t work.
10. Honor Your Health:
You can use Gentle Nutrition and make food choices that honor your health and taste good! Some foods have more nutritious content than others, it’s true! However, I believe this is last for a reason: If you try to do this while still subscribing to “good” and “bad” foods and shaming yourself, you probably aren’t going to want any healthful foods. Or you will feel like you are forcing yourself. And if you’ve been dieting, chance are it will be a while before you’re craving a salad (if ever!). AND THAT’S OK. Remember, your body is smart and can regulate itself. After having so many burgers you will just feel… done. And move on to something else!
It’s a lot of info. In therapy we break it down little by little. We talk about your past with food, where your food rules came from, what foods are “good” and “bad” and fears of allowing all food into your diet. We talk a lot about identity and self-compassion. And most importantly: What your life would be like if food weren’t the biggest focus of your day. That’s a lottttt of time and mental energy that could be redirected into other things!
Still not convinced? That’s ok! You don’t need to come to therapy 100% convinced that Intuitive Eating is the answer. It’s completely normal to be hesitant. What I ask is this: You’ve already tried dieting and it hasn’t worked, so what’s stopping you from trying this?
Come see me and let’s talk.
Best,
Emily
(Intuitive Eating principles adapted from https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/)
(Studies on intuitive eating https://www.intuitiveeating.org/resources/studies/)
