Are you feeling tired after many years of dieting? You look like you’ve tried everything to lose weight. A low-calorie, low-sugar, low-fat, low-carb, and frankly unsatisfying diet leaves you feeling unwell and exhausted.
If this description applies to you, you might be drawn to a completely different approach. Called Intuitive Eating, this decades-old concept is designed to help people stuck in the diet cycle develop a better relationship with food. The basic idea is that our bodies inherently know what, when and how much to eat to maintain nutrition. But lifelong, unrelenting messages, from orders to “clean your plates” to parades of ultra-thin models, leave many of us unable to listen to our inner voice. It’s gone.
Eating intuitively rejects the rules and restrictions baked into the diet mindset, but it often backfires, yo-yoing and gaining or gaining weight. In fact, there is evidence that about 80% of people who lose a lot of weight regain some or all of their weight within a year. Instead, Intuitive Eating encourages you to simply eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. It also takes into account your satisfaction with what you eat, which ironically can lead to weight loss.
“Years of gaining and losing weight can be counterproductive and difficult to live with,” says Emily Blake, a nutritionist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University. “Intuitive eating is a framework that encourages you to integrate your mind and body and trust in your ability to nourish yourself,” she says.
balanced approach
Another key principle of intuitive eating is to reject the idea that food is inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Pizza, pasta and burgers are no longer on the naughty list. Similarly, salads and fruits are not “better”.
“Over time, we realize that people want balanced foods,” says Blake. “When you can eat something that feels good physically without feeling emotionally distressed or guilty, you become more trusting of yourself. You’ll start noticing cravings for food, and often craving fruits and vegetables.
Conversely, some people mistake eating intuitively for free eating, says nutritionist Nancy Oliveira, manager of nutrition and health services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“When people are given food freedom, some may opt for more ultra-processed ‘want-to-eat’ foods,” Oliveira said. “This is a little tricky. It helps you develop a better relationship with food overall, but you have to combine that with common sense and solid nutritional information. Eating potato chips all day doesn’t make you feel better.” You should know that there is no ‘in the long run’. “
hungry vs full
For many people trying to adopt intuitive eating, the big challenge is re-recognizing the natural cues of hunger and satiety and responding accordingly. “Most people recognize hunger, but many struggle with satiety,” says Blake. “It’s not really the American way to recognize when you’re full.”
Perhaps if your stomach is rumbling or you feel dizzy, it might be easy to identify that you need to eat right away. However, feeling full isn’t the same as realizing that you’ve eaten too much and are bursting and feeling nauseous.
“Sometimes we use the phrase ‘not comfortably hungry,'” says Oliveira. “I am mentally satisfied because I chose exactly what I wanted to eat, and afterwards I feel better and have more energy.”
To gauge your satiety, Blake suggests setting check-in points during your meal (say, when you’re half-eaten) and taking a few moments to assess your hunger and fullness levels. If you think you might be full, put the plate in the refrigerator. “If you’re still hungry after 20 minutes, it’s okay to eat more. It’s not a big deal,” she says. “That way you get used to those cues. It’s like building a muscle, but you’re building a skill. It takes time to get there.”
Benefits for body and mind
Eating intuitively can help you lose weight, especially if you listen to hunger and fullness cues to eat less.His 2019 research review published in the journal obesity reviews included 10 studies that followed the eating habits of approximately 1,500 people. Participants who followed the intuitive meal plan lost about the same amount as those who followed a conventional weight loss diet and lost more weight than those who did not change their eating habits.
But Blake and Oliveira stress that the intuitive goal of eating is not weight loss. Instead, it may be more practical to learn to respect your body’s “set point” (the point at which your weight naturally drops when you’re properly nourished and allowed flexibility in your diet and movement).2021 survey in International Journal of Eating Disorders It suggests that intuitive eating leads to improved self-esteem and body image.
“Even people who have a difficult relationship with food can find some mental relief because of their long history of dieting,” says Blake. “This makes it easier for me to accept my body position in terms of weight.”
4 nutrition myths that can derail your healthy dietDespite the explosion of science-backed nutrition information in recent years, certain dietary myths persist. But these misconceptions can derail your healthy diet by keeping you from getting the nutrients you need into your diet, says Nancy Oliveira, nutritionist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Social media is the main culprit, she says. Before Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms were flooded with nutrition “advice,” people more readily turned to government guidelines and other trusted sources of health information. “Now people are saying, ‘Don’t eat certain things.’ It completely confuses people,” says Oliveira. “It misleads them and distracts them from what really matters.” The Oliveira dish that seems to have the most widespread myths and why the myths are wrong: Misconception: Plant-based milks are healthier than dairy products. Soy, oat, almond, and other plant-based milks are great choices for those who are lactose intolerant or who don’t like milk. But while the latter cup contains about 10 grams of protein and 25% of the daily recommended calcium, plant-based milks tend to have much less protein. Oliveira recommends checking the label, as any type of milk may be fortified with protein, calcium, and vitamin D. “If these nutrients are important to you, be sure to double check, as amounts can vary by brand,” she says. Myth: Avoid all carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are an important component of a healthy diet, but the type of carbohydrate is important. Reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates found in cakes, cookies, potato chips and white bread that cause blood sugar spikes. Complex carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits help keep you fuller longer and provide a steady supply of fuel. “There are good carbs and our bodies need them,” says Oliveira. Myth: Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthier than frozen. Agricultural products begin to lose nutrients the moment they are harvested. However, frozen versions are usually quick-frozen to preserve vitamin levels and prevent rapid spoilage. Myth: Fat is bad. Decades after the low-fat craze began in the 90s, some still believe that fats of all kinds are banned. However, saturated fats from animal foods such as red meat are an unhealthy and artery-clogging option. Replacing saturated fat in the diet with unsaturated fat in foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish can increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Lowering helps protect heart health. Eating lots of fat, especially saturated fat, raises cholesterol levels in the body, but eating cholesterol itself doesn’t have nearly the same effect. Beware of labels that say “zero cholesterol”. This could actually be a plant-based food high in saturated fat. |
success tips
Intrigued? Oliveira and Blake offer tips for incorporating intuitive eating into your lifestyle.
Please be careful while eating. This means chewing slowly, pausing after each bite, and avoiding distractions like screens.
Stop feeling guilty. “I wouldn’t mind eating pepperoni pizza every meal for a week,” says Blake. “Don’t blame yourself for whatever choice you make.”
Keep a food diary, but omit calorie counting. Track when you feel hungry and full, when, what you eat and how you feel. “The focus shifts to why we eat what we eat, rather than nutrients and calorie content. It’s a beneficial reflection,” says Oliveira.
Check your feelings. If you feel like eating right after your last meal, ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just bored or stressed. This may be due to emotional eating. “Instead, you may want a nice cup of tea, a warm bath, or a walk,” says Oliveira.
Don’t focus on losing weight. “When you focus on scales, you stop listening to your body,” says Oliveira. “Focus on your body’s signals for at least a month.”
Please replenish your energy. For example, if you go home without eating enough during the day, you are more likely to overeat cookies if they are packed in boxes. “Part of eating intuitively is making sure you’re eating enough overall so you don’t try to practice these principles when you’re starving,” Blake says.
Please seek support. Work with a registered dietitian or health coach for even more insight.
be patient. It takes time to learn to trust your body’s signals again. “If your gut feeling is that eating isn’t working, it’s going to take a lot of trial and error,” says Oliveira.
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