Intuitive eating is a method of eating that makes YOU the boss! There are no strict rules about what you can and cannot eat as opposed to a traditional diet plus this method teaches you to be the expert of your body and it’s hunger cues. The basics of intuitive eating mean that you should eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. In order to get intuitive eating down pat, you need to be able to distinguish the difference between physical and emotional hunger.
- Physical Hunger: This is the biological signal your body sends you when you need to replenish nutrients. It gradually builds and sends signals such as; a growling stomach, fatigue or irritability.
- Emotional Hunger: Emotional needs such as sadness, loneliness and boredom can create food cravings. Eating out of emotional hunger may cause guilt to some. Emotional eating is often the type of hunger responsible for bulk eating chocolate or binge eating when you know you've had enough!
So, What are the Health Benefits?
Intuitive eating is a way of eating that can promote a healthy attitude towards food and better body image. Studies have found that intuitive eating may cause healthier physiological attitudes such as a lower body mass index (BMI) and weight maintenance (not weight loss). Not only can it help to improve your self-esteem but intuitive eating may also improve the overall quality of life whilst lessening the experience of depression and anxiety.
The 10 Key Principles of Intuitive Eating
- Reject the diet mentality: Don’t feel as though you need to look or eat a certain way because of society’s standards.
- Honour your hunger: Listen to your body and eat when you are hungry.
- Make peace with food: Stop putting bans on certain foods. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat what you’d like.
- Challenge the food police: Say no to the thoughts in your head that tell you it was ‘bad’ to eat a piece of chocolate or ‘good’ for eating minimal calories! The food police only think this way because of the diet culture that has been created.
- Respect your fullness: Listen to your body when it sends you signals to say that it’s no longer hungry.
- Discover the satisfaction factor: Eat without distractions and really enjoy what you are eating. We often forget that eating is one of the most basic gifts of life!
- Honour your feelings without using food: Find ways to comfort, nurture and resolve your issues.
- Respect your body: All bodies are beautiful.
- Exercise - feel the difference: Move your body and focus on how it makes you feel.
- Honour your health - gentle nutrition: Make food choices that both honour your health whilst making you feel good. Remember that you don’t have to eat perfectly 100% of the time.
Intuitive eating can be made simple with healthy, delicious options delivered straight to you! That’s where Nourish’d comes in. We have a range of tasty meals to keep you satisfied as well as 3 different sizes - Regular, Large and Extra Large - that makes it easy to eat what your body needs. To order your Nourish’d box for next week click here. Orders close 5pm every Thursday!
Further Resources
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/quick-guide-intuitive-eating#basics
- https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/weight/intuitive-eating/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating
- https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/
- https://www.insider.com/what-is-intuitive-eating#:~:text=Research%20has%20found%20that%20intuitive,improving%20blood%20pressure%20and%20cholesterol.
- https://www.verywellfit.com/overview-of-intuitive-eating-4178361
