Intuitive Eating

When we look at the food environment that surrounds us, it’s no wonder we struggle so much with making healthy choices. Our food supply has travelled so far from the traditional human diet. Science has allowed us to understand food on such a molecular level that we’ve allowed people to believe that if the nutrients are present the food is nutritious, even if it has been processed, completely stripped of its inherent characteristics and recreated as an “equal” to the form nature created. As an inquisitive human, previous patient care provider and now dietetic intern, I’ve seen the consequences that processed foods such as chips, pastries, soda, artificial sweetener, and hydrogenated oil have on our body and mind.

Many Americans have grown more and more unhealthy, physically and mentally (CDC - Data Statistics). While science is discovering new ways to keep us alive, for many that life includes a battle with weight challenges, heart disease, diabetes, renal failure, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and mental illness, to name a few. While attempting to educate the masses about healthy eating habits has turned into a broken record with everyone being able to recite what we should eat, it seems the motivating factors to work towards health is as fleeting as the next diet trend.

Maybe it’s the addictive sugars, or endless temptation of less-than-healthy foods on the market that keeps us from reaching our goals or maybe using weight alone isn’t motivating enough to elicit change. What if our intuition is to love ourselves as we are but societal pressure makes us feel less? If we truly learned to love and accept ourselves and used that love and acceptance as a motivational force, do you think it might be more powerful than the need to fit in? Research says it might. Let’s explore deeper.

In 1995 two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch worked together on a mind-body approach to nutrition and coined the term “Intuitive Eating”. What began as an instinctual way for their clients to approach their challenges turned into an evidence-based approach with over 90 studies that show that focusing on weight and calories can sometimes limit our progress. Instead it focuses on techniques that allow us to cultivate an inner awareness that speaks louder than the outer forces that are out of our control. With this comes a respect for the body that teaches us to love the body we’ve been given and to care for it as if it’s the only one we get.

This blog will focus on why intuitive eating is more than just eating what sounds good, but how it’s an approach that supports our healing through respect for our individuality. There is no measurement of whether you’re succeeding of failing, rather the focus is on the continuous journey toward a better understanding of who we are and how we function. We’ll explore ideas around creating a healthier relationship with food by listening to our body signals as they communicate hunger and satiety, why diets don’t always work, and why we should love our bodies in all shapes and sizes.

Join us tomorrow as we kick off with a discussion about the ineffectiveness of diets and what we can do instead.