What is intuitive eating?

Intuition is your ability to understand something without needing an explanation. You “know” it to be true.

Being able to listen to and understand your intuition is important. It is a key part of staying healthy. Your intuition can help you avoid danger. It can help you get medical help when needed. It can even help you get enough sleep, exercise, and nutrients.

So, what happens when you use intuition to guide your eating habits? The result is intuitive eating. It’s about listening to and understanding your body’s signals and needs. You use them to guide how you eat. I’ll use a great example. I love eating hummus and Zhoug, both ate healthy dips made from herbs, beans, garlic, lemon. I like eating these dips. I keep it on hand in my fridge. I was researching foods to eat during a detox. I found that hummus and Zhoug are high in cleaning heavy metals and boosting the immune system.

How intuitive eating works

Many people call it the “anti-diet.” Its core is to let your intuition guide your food choices. This means no food is off-limits and there are no strict guidelines to follow. You eat when you’re hungry and don’t eat when you’re not. But, this doesn’t mean giving in to every craving and impulse. If you’re following intuitive eating, you would observe your cravings. This way, you can find where they came from and what your body may need.

Understanding the difference between physical hunger and emotional eating

Physical hunger is a physical and biological response your body has to being hungry. It can manifest as a growling stomach or feelings of irritability or fatigue. After you eat, these responses will go away.

An emotional response drives the need to eat known as emotional eating. You may not be hungry, but you feel compelled to eat because you’re sad, or anxious, or bored. Emotional eating uses food to fill emotional needs.

Emotional eating is not driven by your body’s need for nutrients. It can lead to overeating and poor nutrition. You can avoid emotional eating with mindfulness. When you find yourself craving a comfort food, pause for a moment and ask yourself why you want it. Is your stomach rumbling or are you having a stressful day and feel like you need a reward? By asking yourself the question, you give yourself a chance to make an informed choice for your body.

Eating until you’re satisfied — not full

Once you start eating it can take between 5 to 20 minutes to start to feel full. If you eat until full, then you may have eaten too much minutes ago. This can make you exceed your recommended calories for the day. It may even cause stomach pain.

Instead of rushing through a meal, eat and enjoy your food. Take time to experience your meal with as many of your senses as possible — how does it look or smell? You can even practice gratitude in each bite, feeling thankful for the meal.

As you eat, pay attention to how you feel. When you start to feel satisfied, slow down or even stop. You can always continue to eat if you’re still hungry.

Practicing healthy eating habits

Intuitive eating doesn’t include food restrictions. But, it doesn’t mean you should toss out all healthy eating guidelines. Your body still needs a balance of nutrient-rich, healthy foods.

You’ll want to make sure you give your body the foods it needs. Do this by eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Your plate should be colorful and balanced.

This also means being aware of eating too much saturated and trans fats, added sugar, alcohol, and salt.

Being mindful

Pay attention to your eating habits. Are you a late-night snacker? Do you always order appetizers besides to a big entree? Do you feel compelled to eat a bag of candy after a stressful meeting?

Tracking your eating habits can help you be aware of where to adjust. You can either take mental notes or write your observation down in your journal. remember: It’s not about tracking exactly what you ate. Instead, use your journal to explore your thoughts, feelings, and impulses. Look for patterns or triggers for emotional eating.

Reframing your thoughts

Emotions and food are often linked. So, it can help to rethink negative thoughts about food. Remember, food fuels your body so you can have the energy you need to thrive. For example, grabbing a cupcake when you’re sad may feel good in the moment, but it may not make you feel so great later.

Bottom line

When done right, intuitive eating principles can help you form healthy habits. They also help you enjoy the food you eat.

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Cheryl Tate
Proud Member United States Personal Chef Association
Is a 4th generation Hospitality/Food service professional offering Personal and Private chef services. Consult and meal plan for diet restrictions, In house food preparation, Catering for intimate events from 1 to 50 persons. The Chef is available for Demonstrations, hands on classes, Consultations, we want to be your go-to for and all things culinary.
Phone: 310-722-9196
Email: cestate4@gmail.com
Website: nurturingchefsla.com