With all the food restrictions attached to various diets people follow, who would believe that there is one way to let loose and keep peace with food and your body? Right! That is the philosophy of intuitive eating.

The term itself is as easy as it sounds. It is about giving people the freedom to eat what they want without feeling guilty. Intuitive eating involves ditching labeling foods as either good or bad. There is no such thing as good or bad food, and the act of categorizing foods alone is an outside force you can ignore.

Through intuitive eating, you will be more connected with yourself. It will help you understand your inner cues, such as hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. You do not have to follow any meal plan anymore. You can also stop calculating your nutrient intake because here, you operate and consume foods beyond dietary standards.

The 10 Intuitive Eating Principles

Humans are intuitive eaters. Take as an example, the case of a newborn child. Babies will cry when they are hungry and stop when they are full. The same goes for adults. But the influence of society about what is acceptable and not affects their natural intuition for food. Still, there is one way to relearn that. You have to distinguish whether what you are feeling is a pang of emotional or physical hunger.

Emotional Hunger means turning to food based on how you feel. You might probably do this to veer away from stress, unhappiness, or to feel more thrilled.

Physical Hunger means listening to the demands of your body. It includes a growling stomach or headaches. Loss of concentration could also be a symptom. As soon as you feel all these signs, you can start to appease your body with whatever food you crave.

Intuitive eating also has its core principles to keep you guided. All of which include:

Reject the Diet Mentality

It is challenging to deviate from dietary standards, especially if it bombards you with information every day. But one thing that intuitive eating wants you to realize is that you do not need to follow a diet. So, start unloading all the dietary materials that you have. You may also choose to unfollow influencers who contribute to diet culture. It will help you train your mind, that it is you alone, who has autonomy over your body.

Honor Your Hunger

Feeling hungry is normal. It is a biological process that the body goes through. Intuitive eating allows you to feed yourself when your stomach is empty. Being sensitive to these hunger signals will hinder you from overeating.

Make Peace with Food

Food is not your enemy. You may start by getting off from the pendulum of restriction. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat whatever you want to indulge in.

Challenge the Food Police

Shake all that guilt. The initial challenge you need to conquer is your thoughts. There is no need to feel bad about your eating decisions. All these self-reproaches only come from post-existing dietary norms.

Feel Your Satiety

Not only should you listen to when your body is hungry, but also when it is full. In addition to intuitive eating, you will learn to let go of the “clean-plate” mentality and instead listen to when your body feels full.

Discover The Satisfaction Factor

There is a thin line between feeling full and satisfied. Satisfaction has something to do with your mentality. If you feel full, you will stop. But if you are unsatisfied, you will keep on looking for something to satisfy you. Thus, it is vital to attend to what your body desires. As you train yourself to eat intuitively, you will discover along the way foods that satisfy you.

Deal With Your Feelings Without Using Food

Life is full of twists and turns. It is normal to get caught and lose control every once in a while. Sometimes, you will resort to emotional eating to cope. When that happens, you have to be kind to yourself. If you think you are getting emotionally hungry, there are strategies to help you fight it. One way is to eat stress-relieving foods as substitutes.

Respect Your Body

You are in a relationship with your body. Reminding yourself that you are enough, just as you are, can save you from criticizing what you see when you face the mirror.

Regular Exercise

Instead of using exercise solely as a weight-loss technique, it can be empowering to focus on the other benefits associated with exercise. This includes stress relief, building muscle, and feeling stronger.

Honor Your Health-Gentle Nutrition

Gentle nutrition is self-care. Listen to your body and discover what foods nourish your body and make you feel good.

Intuitive Eating For Weight Loss

People delve into dietary plans primarily to lose weight. With intuitive eating, you might have the same question in mind. The answer is a big yes, you can lose weight with intuitive eating! Although it is not, and will never be a weight loss diet of any type. When you listen to your body’s cues, you will naturally find your healthy weight. Whether that means increasing, decreasing, or maintaining your weight. Some studies have shown that intuitive eaters have less food preoccupation, lower rates of disordered eating, better body image, and a higher level of self-esteem and contentment. Additionally, it helps lower your cholesterol intake and boosts your metabolism, plus it is also good for your mental and emotional health.

If you are keen to start, below are 3-intuitive eating tips you may adopt:

1. Eat Consistently - You may have a snack every 3-4 hours. Focus on a protein-packed breakfast that will keep you full and satisfied throughout the day. Try adding nut butter, free-range eggs, protein-packed smoothies, or nuts and seeds to your breakfast. Additionally, you may also include some superfood ingredients if you feel like it.

2. Stay Hydrated - Women are encouraged to drink 9-glasses of water a day. Your beverages can vary. You can choose plain water, or you may also get drinks made out of hydrating superfoods such as watermelons and cucumbers.

3. Get enough sleep - Obtaining that 7-8 hours of sleep have a bearing on your energy, affecting your hunger levels.

To Each Their Own

Each individual has their own nutritional needs. Listening to your body is an easy way to ensure your body receives the nutrition it needs to function optimally.