Eating Your Food Intuitively

Intuitive eating is a revolutionary movement that involves recognizing the truth about eating and the underlying reasons why your body craves food. Instead of harsh dieting and food avoidance, the intuitive eating movement emphasizes the proper respect for, and understanding of the human body and the foods we humans eat. If you're keen on understanding your hunger pangs— instead of instantly gratifying them—and you want to understand when you're using food for its emotional effects, you might find that the intuitive eating approach is a great way to change your response to hunger urges and emotional needs.

1) Avoid developing a diet mentality. It's a truism that many people struggle with cycles of dieting. The reality for many following diets is frustration and often dangerous swings of weight gains and losses. Instead of worrying constantly about the latest diet fad or which diet will make you lose the most weight, discard the focus on special diets altogether. By shifting to intuitive eating habits instead, you'll never have to diet, for, eventually, you will follow a well-balanced process of feeding your body what it needs without compromising on the happiness!

2) Pay attention to your hunger. The hunger urge is not an evil, negative instinct; sadly, it has been demonized by the diet industry to seem like something to be constantly purged and ignored. Hunger, on the contrary, is a positive instinct that evolves to tell you when you need an energy refill––vilifying so helpful and basic an instinct is neurotic. When your body feels deprived of nutrients and calories (energy), it sends hunger signals to the brain. If you try to suppress this instinct, you risk binge-eating foods that are poor in nutrition as a "quick fix" for that gnawing inside. By responding quickly and sensibly to your body's hunger urges, you can eat smaller portions, feel satisfied quickly and find the energy you need to keep going strong.

• There is a reason for the time-proven, traditional meal set each day: By eating balanced meals every 3–5 hours, you ensure that your body maintains a steady level of energy. By fueling your body with properly balanced foods, you will not experience deprivation in nutrients, calories or energy.

3) Stop avoiding food. One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to change their lifestyle is to convince themselves that food must be avoided. This battle manifests itself in feelings of deprivation. When you feel deprived, you are more likely to give in to temptation. Acknowledge that your body needs food.

4) Stop punishing yourself. Instead of constantly labeling yourself as “bad” or “good”—depending on how many calories you've consumed in a day or what types of food you've eaten—simply acknowledge that food is necessary and healthy. Trust your body to let you know what types of food it needs.

• For example, if you don’t normally eat meat, but suddenly find yourself craving a meal of red meat and a fresh spinach salad, your body could be indicating to you that you are low on iron and need to supplement your daily diet with more foods that contain higher levels of iron. Instead of feeling guilty about consuming more calories in the day than you think you should, accept that you body knows what to do to balance itself.
• Be grateful that you have access to what your body needs—not everyone does.

5) Pay attention to signals of fullness. Just as the body sends signals to the brain when it needs food and sustenance, it also informs us to stop eating.

When our stomach is full, the brain receives a message. However, many people eat without paying careful attention to their bodies and the signals they receive. Since it takes the brain approximately 20 minutes to register the food you consume, if you eat too quickly or too casually (mindlessly in front of the television or computer), you may miss the full signal and end up overeating.

Cramming food in to fit around work life isn't healthy, either. That hot dog bolted down in a five-minute break between meetings will leave you hankering for sugary, fatty snacks mid-afternoon when your energy levels crash. Find a minimum of 20 minutes for a decent lunch instead––if the meetings cannot wait, work needs rescheduling, not your diet.

6) Acknowledge the satisfaction of eating foods that you love. The best way to immerse yourself into an intuitive eating cycle is to acknowledge that eating gives you a sense of satisfaction, and to stop punishing yourself for feeling satisfied by food.

• The guilt that many people have about eating actually creates a secret urge to binge-eat what they consider "bad foods." This gives food unnecessary power—which disempowers you in the process. Acknowledge that eating is satisfying, and move on.

7) Pay attention to feelings. Many people use food as a comfort agent to deal with problems such as anxiety, depression, and anger. Know there are healthier ways to deal with these emotions. Acknowledging this behavior will help you stop using food as a security blanket.

• Use food to fuel your body, not to improve your mood or let off steam. Intuitive eaters recognize the true purpose of food and strive to find alternative methods for mood improvement.
• Keep a food diary to help you notice the emotional triggers in your life. This can help you to find alternative ways of coping with stressful or emotional moments—such as meditation, taking a walk, listening to music or simply relaxing.

8) Recognize the limitations of your body. Not every person is capable of being a size 2 or having a 30-inch waist. Bodies are built differently. Some bodies have fat deposits that are curvy, some have block-shaped fat deposits. There is no way to change the natural disposition of your body, so it is important to stop trying. If you place unnecessary restrictions on yourself in order to achieve a physically impossible goal, you will become frustrated and depressed.

9) Exercise regularly. Don't think you have to abuse or exhaust yourself. Just move regularly through physical activity and revel in the differences you experience. An active body is a healthy body, and a healthy body feels great! Physical activity is also a very effective way to release stress, which can turn into a major trigger for emotional eating if left bottled up for too long.

Match your body shape and stamina to the exercise. While one style of exercise may be all the rage, it might not be your perfect match. Try different types of exercise to find what you enjoy doing and what makes a constructive difference to your fitness. If you can't work this out alone, ask a fitness coach, doctor or physiotherapist to help. When you "click" with the exercise you do, it will become a lifelong passion and won't feel like a chore. Again, this is an intuitive response!

10) Gently change your eating habits. An about-face transformation of your diet can leave you feeling hungry, depressed, anxious or frustrated. Instead of trying to revolutionize your entire diet in a few short days, simply try to gradually adjust the foods you eat. Pay careful attention to the types of food you eat, the frequency at which you eat, and the reasons why you are eating.

• Notice which foods leave you feeling sub-optimal and lacking in energy. Equally, make note of those that leave you feeling buzzed and alert. Steer toward the food that makes you feel optimal and good, not the food that might be an easy option but that leads to a fast slump.