I was looking through my podcast library for something to listen to during my walk last week. I came upon an interview with Molly K Larkin on the Jumpstart Your Joy podcast. The title was, “Learn All About Intuitive Eating, Self Care, and Creating an Attuned Relationship with Food.” I’d heard of intuitive eating before, so I thought I would listen for a better idea of what it is and for a few intuitive eating tips.

Over the last month I have not been obsessing about food, because my priority has been on writing. And because of that, my body feels better! I have been eating when I’m hungry and because I haven’t had a lot of food handy, I tend to eat the same, simple things.

Intuitive eating is all about paying attention to your body and noticing what makes you feel good. It is not restrictive with food, but it asks you to follow 10 intuitive eating tips. It is a concept and a book created 25 years ago by registered dietitians Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole.

Being restrictive is usually what does me in with diets. When I am told I can’t do something, it usually triggers me to do it! Even if I really don’t like it in the first place! I naturally do not like sweets like cake, cupcakes or cookies, but as soon as you tell me I can’t have them, they start to show up everywhere. Law of attraction stuff!

My daughter and I were talking about doing the Whole 30 experience soon. (No, I still haven’t done it.) My first reaction is always to think about what I am doing in the next 30 days and what I can’t give up. For example, I will be on vacation, so can I give up alcohol? How can I turn down those umbrella drinks at the beach? It seems like there is always a reason I can’t start it.

Back to intuitive eating.

You can do it anytime, anywhere and it doesn’t require any tools except your intuition.

On the podcast, Molly says, “Intuitive eating will help us make peace with food and our bodies and move into a relationship with food that is body led. Coming from the inside out as opposed to following a diet. Trust your body to take care of your weight.” Have you noticed that you have probably been around the same weight most of your adult life? Unless you are truly over or under eating, that is most likely your natural weight. Learn to make peace with it.

As you know if you read my blog, I believe that we have control of our lives based on what we think and how we feel. When we feel good and are having fun, life brings us more of what makes us feel that way. So, why wouldn’t I use that same philosophy with eating?

Related Post: Stop Worrying About What You Look Like

So, if you are ready for some intuitive eating tips to help you try something that is less work, focuses on what works for you, gives yourself permission to eat a range of foods, and frees yourself from weight-loss expectations, keep reading.

10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

(from Intuitiveeating.org)

Reject the Diet Mentality

Get off of the roller coaster of dieting. Stop restricting yourself of foods you love and starving your body. There is no quick fix out there. If something has worked for you, it means you have found the foods that your body wants. If you can stick with it, you are in sync with what your body needs. That is the goal.

Honor Your Hunger

Start to notice what being hungry feels like. When you think you might need a quick snack or when it is time to eat a full meal. It is important to keep your body fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates. Don’t wait to long so that you overeat. Your body knows and will adjust by storing fat.

Make Peace with Food

Give yourself permission to eat the foods you love. Notice the signals of when it is too much or if your body is experiencing some pain because of it. Adjust your intake accordingly!

Challenge the Food Police

Pay attention to when you are judging yourself for what you are eating or not eating. Get rid of the words good and bad when it comes to food. Only you know what works for your body, don’t let anyone tell you that you have to fit into a cookie cutter plan.

Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Enjoy what you eat. “When you eat what you really want, in an environment that is inviting, the pleasure you derive will be a powerful force in helping you feel satisfied and content. By providing this experience for yourself, you will find that it takes just the right amount of food for you to decide you’ve had “enough.” When you are eating something and telling yourself you shouldn’t be doing this because it is bad, you are just willing it to be bad for you. Stop doing that. Take satisfaction in what you are putting in your mouth.

Feel Your Fullness

Again, this is all about paying attention to your body signals. If you are eating a large meal, pause in the middle and check in to see if you are no longer hungry. If you notice you are hungry in the middle of the afternoon or morning, think about what you ate last. Maybe it wasn’t enough, or you need to add more carbs or protein.

Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness

Do you turn to food when you are feeling lonely, overwhelmed, bored, angry or worried? Pay attention to when you are eating outside of regular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why are you eating? Is there something else you can do? Are you really hungry? Try going for a walk or calling a friend instead. Be kind to yourself.

Respect Your Body

Accept who you are and learn to love your body. We are all unique and we are not supposed to all look the same. We need to let go of society’s focus on being skinny and instead make good choices that make us happy and healthy. Each of us as individuals need to look for the ways that can help us feel good, whatever that means to us. I like this quote from the article on intuitiveeating.org, “Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect to realistically squeeze into a size six, it is equally futile (and uncomfortable) to have a similar expectation about body size.”

Movement – Feel the Difference

“Shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie-burning effect of exercise.” Find ways of moving your body that feel good to you. The more enjoyable it is for you the more likely you are to keep doing it. Exercise is necessary. Your muscles, joints and bones need to be respected as well. You can’t just pay attention to your food; you also need to pay attention to your ability to move your body.

Related Post: Fitness Motivation

Honor Your Health – Gentle Nutrition

I think the article says this best. “Make food choices that honor your health and taste buds while making you feel good. Remember that you don’t have to eat perfectly to be healthy. You will not suddenly get a nutrient deficiency or become unhealthy, from one snack, one meal, or one day of eating. It’s what you eat consistently over time that matters. Progress, not perfection, is what counts.”

What do you think about intuitive eating?

I think this sounds lovely and is what I am always trying to do. But now I will pay more attention to those voices in my head that say I should or shouldn’t be eating something and see how it feels. These Intuitive eating tips make sense and fit in perfectly with my values and beliefs!

“The best way to eat is one that makes you feel happy and healthy.”