New diets are continuously emerging onto the health and wellness scene. The latest and greatest, however, is not so much a diet but more of a non-diet and a lifestyle choice. Intuitive eating breaks away from the traditionalism of diets and instead embraces a mind-body holistic approach to eating and nutrition. Intuitive eating believes that nothing is off limits and “good or “bad” foods don’t exist. No one is programmed the same and what may work for some may not work for others. Intuitive eating can be a great way to rediscover your relationship to food and your body.
Intuitive eating started with two dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch who founded this approach to eating in the 1990s and promoted that the weight- loss diets that rely on restrictions and limitations ultimately did more harm than good when it came to healthy living. They also found that healthy living is getting in touch with how hungry or satisfied you are at any given moment.
Today, intuitive eating is a way to listen to body cues, become curious about your body, and reconnect or strengthen your relationship to food. Healthline says, “to eat intuitively, you may need to relearn how to trust your body.” Intuitive eating may or may not be an effective weight loss strategy, as that is not the focus of this way of eating. As an opposition to weight loss, intuitive eating presents a myriad of physical and mental health benefits outside of dieting and weight loss/gain.
Intuitive eating believes that once you stop limiting yourself the more attuned you are to the body and the more you crave healthy foods. Unhealthy weight loss and weight gain cultures could lead to mental and emotional problems down the road where you become focused on the “image” or the result rather than how the body is feeling and the journey to more balanced and vibrant health. Some of the core principles are to reject the diet mentality, honor your hunger, make peace with food, respect your fullness, and honor your feelings without using food.
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