Intuitive Eating vs. Chronic Dieting

Shifting from a diet mentality can help assist in making peace with food and honor our bodies natural hunger cues . A diet is more than just what you eat, it is also a mindset that represents restrictive behavior going against our intuitive mind towards eating which can be achieved/determined through mindful eating. Eating mindfully and intuitively does not mean undermining your health, it represents an eating lifestyle that respects your body physically and mentally, in ways that only YOU can fully determine.

Diet culture is a system of beliefs and social behaviors that value societies view of an ideal external appearance higher than an individual's overall health and well-being. A billion dollar industry that promotes fad diets with outrageous claims of weight loss results when following their restrictions but fail to mention that these results are mainly short term.

In this blog post, we will go over three segments to help let go of a diet mentality and embrace eating mindfully in ways that best suit you and your body.

Firstly, releasing and rejecting past judgements of food. As children or adolescents, we can be taught by our guardians or peers about judgements of food that do not actually align with our beliefs. For example, an individual may be told by their mother who is a chronic dieter that a certain food has a bunch of calories that will cause weight gain and the individual can possibly carry that statement with them and depict that particular food as lethal without really understanding why that food is labeled as "bad." When in contrast, any food consumed in excess can lead to harmful effects and valuing certain foods as a part of a balanced meal or eating lifestyle is a way to be mindful and cultivate a greater relationship with food.

Secondly, bring self-awareness to your current mindset about food. Notice your current physical and mental experiences with food while you are eating. Can you challenge a diet mentality thought that may arise while you are eating? Giving your intuitive eater's voice a space to speak for you and notice what truly satisfies you, feels good for you, and what guides you to your optimal health and wellness. Furthermore, allowing yourself to fully enjoy and be present to the food in front of you.

Lastly, prioritize your health and well-being. The act of eating mindfully and intuitively is not following any rules or guidelines but focusing on your individualistic experience with food. Everyone will have different experiences with food just like everyone's optimal health and wellness will vary too. When we have poor relationship with food or endure a restrictive diet, we may experience adverse effects in our physical and/or mental health. Moreover, putting your health and well-being second to following a diet that can cause physical and emotional harm.

Certain circumstances such as having a medical condition may require being placed on a specific diet, therefore having an open communication line with your health care provider about your relationship with food can bring a greater plan on figuring a way to make your prescribed diet into an eating lifestyle.

One practice to take with you after reading this is the MyPlate Activity.

The next meal you have, ask yourself these questions below to help increase self awareness for shifting away from a diet mentality into an intuitive eating lifestyle.

- What is something your noticed physically in your body in your last meal?

-What was the savor of your last meal? Such as, the texture and the taste, sweet or salty, bitter or even sour?

-What were, if any, judgements towards your last meal?

-1-5 (5 being the most) how present do you feel you were during your last meal?

These three segments definitely do not exhaust the variety of ways to shift from a diet culture mentality and we would love for you to contact us via email or social media on any questions, thoughts or topics related to intuitive eating that you have and we will love to dive deeper into them!

References:

1) Tribole, E & Resch, E. (2012). Intuitive eating: A revolutionary program that works (3rd ed.). St. Martin's Griffin.

2) Nelson, J. B. (2017). Mindful eating: The art of presence while you eat. American Diabetes Association, 3, 171–174. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0015

This blog post is not intended to replace medical advice. Always speak to your health care provider for any advice and questions you may have regarding a medical condition.