INTUITIVE EATINGEat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty, sleep when you are tired. - Taoist adage.
Intuitive Eating (also known as Attuned Eating) is sometimes defined as simply eating "whatever you want, whenever you want." Whilst this description is partly true, the authentic process is much more finely tuned and 'awake' than this catch phrase might at first suggest. The simple tools of tuning into our bodies and fully experiencing each bite of food have the power to resolve many questions about food choices and diet. However, after a long period of ignoring our body's signals, getting back in touch with them can take a little bit of work - this is where working with a skilled therapist can help. It’s hard to listen to the body when a symphony of opposing authorities on diet are shouting their new findings and guaranteed weight loss methods from the rooftops, but it IS possible and the benefits to your physical and psychological health are considerable. |
WHAT IS Mindful EATING? |
When you are using all your senses in choosing to eat food that is both satisfying to you and nourishing to your body, you are eating mindfully. Mindful eating is a process of bringing full attention and awareness to food choice and the experience of eating. It also encompasses becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your eating decisions. Mindful eating (used in a non-restrictive, non-diet way), is a wonderful tool to develop.
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What is Intuitive Eating? |
This is an evidence-based approach that supports people to make food choices without experiencing guilt or anxiety. It honours hunger, respects fullness, and encourages to bring back and enjoy the pleasure of eating. It was developed by dietitians Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole and is commonly an approach used to help people heal from the physical and psychological side effects of chronic dieting. Intuitive eating goes a step further than mindful eating in that it encompass issues of body respect, emotional eating and joyful movement.
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Why is Intuitive Eating helpful? |
Mindful and Intuitive Eating are powerful strategies for breaking the trap of yo-yo dieting, compulsive eating and releasing ingrained emotional eating patterns. They are essential tools used within the Non-Diet Approach.
Weight-control diets often teach us to disconnect from and distrust our body. Diets encourage us to categorise foods, to be fearful of them, to measure and control. Dieting can turn eating into an entirely cognitive process devoid of body signals and laden with guilt and power trips. Eating this way can be extremely frustrating, anxiety provoking and typically leads to yo-yo weight cycling. Intuitive Eating is a valuable and evidence-based alternative to dieting, more conducive to our physical and mental health. |
What about weight loss? |
There is no guarantee of weight loss or gain when you adopt a mindful eating practice. The focus of this practice is attunement, acceptance, health and wellbeing.
Intuitive and Mindful Eating behaviours promote improvements to health and well-being that include physical, emotional and mental aspects. These improvements can occur irrespective of changes to body weight (assuming you are not significantly underweight). Intuitive Eating respects that body weight is highly individual and maintains that good health can be sustained outside of standardised body weight tables when our behaviours are healthy. If you are interested in these ideas please click to read our information about Health At Every Size HAES® and the Non-Diet Approach. |
You can Learn Intuitive & MINDFUL
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Whilst we can lose the ability to eat in tune with our body through dieting, the great news is that these skills can be re-learned in teachable steps. This 're-learning' process can sometimes require a period of structured eating, and this is particularly true if your eating is highly restrictive or you are prone to very regular bingeing. Everyone's journey to reconnecting to their body and eating with awareness is different.
Mindful & Intuitive Eating is sometimes defined as simply eating "whatever you want, whenever you want." Whilst this description is partly true, the authentic process is much more finely tuned and 'awake' than this catch phrase might at first suggest. Experimentation, with the guidance of professional counselling can assist you to reinstate a sense of eating competence that is sustainable, flexible and authentic. |
the Core Skills of Intuitive & Mindful Eating |
There are three core skills of intuitive and mindful eating:
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Click here to read more intuitive eating and
other alternatives to weight loss dieting.
other alternatives to weight loss dieting.
The only reliable authority, in the end, is your own body.