Why Intuitive Eating is the Long Term Solution That Sticks
By: Megan Perez, registered dietitian/nutritionist at Nourishing Minds Nutrition
As Kelsey Pukala so perfectly stated in her most recent blog, “we KNOW diets don’t work.” By now, I believe that you know this and likely are not following the traditional fad diets we once heard so much about. In fact, most of my clients don’t consider themselves dieters at all! If you are wondering if your lifestyle is really a diet in disguise, then definitely check out Kelsey’s post. The “lifestyle” that you are following may not be as sustainable as you think.
So now what?
Does learning this leave you feeling even more frustrated than before you started dieting? Have you wasted too much time, money, and energy on attempting to change your body? It’s okay to be mad at diet culture and society for leading you down this path (despite what Jillian Michaels says!) We’ve been in your shoes. You are NOT ALONE in this. Allow yourself to feel those feelings, whether they are anger, sadness, or grief. Take the time you need to cope, however that looks for you. But then what? What do you do now after you’ve thrown everything you’ve ever known about “health” or “maintaining weight” out the window? Most of our clients come to us after hitting diet rock bottom. They often tell us that they don’t know where to start, or that they have no idea what hunger feels like, or that they don’t even know what foods they enjoy anymore. This is incredibly common.
The answer to “what comes next?” is intuitive eating. If you are looking for the long term solution, a way of eating that actually works for you, and a lifestyle you can’t fail at, you are looking for this.
What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating (IE) is an approach to improving your relationship with food that was created in 1995 by two registered dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. This framework aims to help you break free from the cycle of dieting and tune into your body’s signals to guide you in what, when, and why to eat. IE consists of 10 principles to guide you on this journey to food freedom beginning with “reject the diet mentality” - if you are reading this, you are already on your way! The next few principles discuss the importance of and how to tune into your hunger and fullness cues, challenge the negative thoughts in your head in order to make peace with food, and learn what gives you that satisfied feeling. There is a specific principle that aims to help you cope with your feelings with and without food. Finally, the framework ends with body respect, horning your body with movement, and gentle nutrition. I understand that this is a lot of information that will require a lot of your time and energy. Think about how much energy you’ve already spent on diets. Don’t you deserve to do this for yourself? Are you ready for this to be the LAST “plan” you ever go on?
What makes Intuitive Eating different from a diet?
First of all, we were born intuitive eaters. It is our natural way of eating; however most of us have become disconnected from our internal cues and do not trust our body. There are no “off limit” or “bad” foods, calorie or macro counting, strict rules, all-or-nothing thinking, or “willpower” involved. This approach is completely individualized, and you can’t do it wrong or fail. You will be the one in charge, making choices about your health that you and only you can make. The best part? It’s sustainable, unlike diets. You can eat intuitively for the rest of your life!
Why does Intuitive Eating work?
- The focus is on behavior change instead of rules or restriction
- IE helps you make mindset shifts and it changes your thought patterns about yourself, your health, and your food choices
- IE empowers you to make choices out of self-care (shame and negative feelings do NOT lead to sustainable behavior change)
- IE encourages compassion, which takes away guilt, shame, and the triggers that lead back into the diet cycle
- IE gives you the tools to tune into the physical sensations that arise when your body is communicating its needs (you are honoring your body instead of waging war against it)
- The goal is to meet both your biological and psychological needs
- IE helps you identify and remove barriers to listening to your body’s cues, which often are a result of external rules, beliefs, and thoughts from society or the media
- IE promotes a fed brain and body, so that you aren’t making decisions from a starved, chaotic state
- Making peace with food eliminates the “addictive” feelings that come with restriction
- IE is weight inclusive which removes the negative effects from weight stigma
What does the research say?
Intuitive Eating is a Health At Every Size aligned, evidence-based model with a validated assessment scale. As of 2019, there were more than 100 research studies showing health benefits of IE. In 2014, a peer review was published looking at the relationship between IE and health indicators in 26 research articles that met specific criteria (1). These authors found that IE is associated with lower BMI, improved psychological health indicators, possibly improved physical health indicators other than BMI (e.g. blood pressure; cholesterol levels), and possibly improved dietary intake and/or eating behaviors. The psychological health indicators that were especially significant include better body image and lower incidence of depression and anxiety. Another study published in 2014 analyzed over 2,200 young adults and their eating habits (2). The authors found that those adults who practiced intuitive eating principles had less harmful outcomes such as eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. In 2015, a systematic review identified psychosocial correlates of IE among mostly U.S. adult women in 24 recent studies (3). Overall, IE was associated with less disordered eating, a more positive body image, greater emotional functioning, and a number of other psychosocial benefits.
These are just a few of the many articles exploring the benefits of IE. There is research to show that intuitive eating is associated with the following:
-Lower body mass indexes (BMI)
-Higher HDL cholesterol levels
-Lower Triglyceride levels
-Lower rates of emotional eating
-Lower rates of disordered eating
-Higher self-esteem
-Better body image
-More satisfaction with life
-Optimism and well-being
-Proactive coping skills
Are you still questioning whether intuitive eating is for you? Do you have a chronic illness? Have you been told that you “need” to lose weight? Do you have an eating disorder? I truly believe that intuitive eating can be for everyone. Depending on your current status, you may need to start with specific principles first. For example, if you have an eating disorder, you may be able to begin working on principles 1 and 7 while you are on your path to healing with your treatment team. If you have chronic diseases that need managed or have been told that you need to lose weight, intuitive eating is definitely for you!
My hope is that this article has opened your eyes to a new way of living or has given you the confidence to finally go forward on your IE journey. If you are scared to give up the diets for good, you are not alone. You deserve to have a peaceful, easy relationship with food and your body. You can trust yourself. You can be an intuitive eater.
References
Van Dyke N, Drinkwater EJ. Relationships between intuitive eating and health indicators: literature review. Public Health Nutr. 2014;17(8):1757-1766. doi:10.1017/S1368980013002139
Denny KN, Loth K, Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D. Intuitive eating in young adults. Who is doing it, and how is it related to disordered eating behaviors?. Appetite. 2013;60( 1):13-19. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.09.029
3. Bruce LJ, Ricciardelli LA. A systematic review of the psychosocial correlates of intuitive eating among adult women. Appetite. 2016;96:454-472. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.10.012
Do you want to become an intuitive eater, but without the confusion and overwhelm of the permission stage? Join our online course on intuitive eating, Permission Stage Playbook, to confidently become an intuitive eater and learn to practice wellness, without obsession.
CLICK HERE TO ENROLL IN PERMISSION STAGE PLAYBOOK! (enrollment closes on Friday!)
