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The 10 principles of intuitive eating
You may have heard of intuitive eating before, or you may be completely new to it. Either way, let me help you to break it down so that you can understand it a little better, and start to apply the intuitive eating principles to your life.
The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating
What is intuitive eating?
Diets have rules, intuitive eating does not. So it can be confusing to see that there are 10 principles of intuitive eating.
Let me start by explaining that, and helping you to understand what the principles are and why they are not simply more rules to follow.
Reject the Diet Mentality
If you believe you have to be thinner to be a better or more loveable version of yourself, and you want to diet, you are going to be in a restriction mindset.
And while your mind is wanting you to restrict you cannot be intuitive in your eating. I’ll explain why…
Honour Your Hunger
This is all about recognising when you’re hungry and acting upon it.
People often think that hunger is just a feeling in their stomach, but it’s much more than that, and understanding what it feels like to you is really important if you want to be an intuitive eater.
Make Peace With Food
Why is it that you feel like you have no control around food, and that you can’t have certain foods in the house because you feel like you’ll simply eat it all in one sitting?
How can pizza and cake be good for you?
Making peace with food is about regaining that control and see that all food is good food.
Challenge the Food Police
The food police? Who are they?
You know those voices in your head that tell you you’ve eaten too much, that there are too many calories in something you really want, that you shouldn’t eat something because it’s bad for you, or that you can eat now because you’ve been to the gym….. that’s the food police.
And we want them gone!
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Satisfaction in intuitive eating isn’t just about eating until you are full.
There is also sensory satisfaction to be had, and emotional satisfaction. These are just as important as the feeling of fullness.
When you understand the power of being satisfied when you eat, you can reduce your cravings and your binges.
Feel Your Fullness
As with hunger, fullness feels different to each person. Right now, if you’ve spent years dieting, you may not know what that feels like for you.
In this principle of intuitive eating you learn how fullness might feel in your body, and learn how to reconnect with your fullness signals.
Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
Find out in this intuitive eating principle how food is intrinsically linked to food, the different emotional reasons why we might eat, why it’s ok to be an emotional eater.
Also learn how you can evaluate whether it is food you need, or something else entirely.
Respect Your Body
Loving your body is tough when you’re in a place where to even like your body feels like a stretch.
In this principle of intuitive eating we talk about body respect instead, and body appreciation. Body Respect is about finding a way to make friends with your body again. Let’s just start there.
Movement - Feel the Difference
Exercise does not have to be gruelling. It can be full of joy and fun, and something you actually look forward to.
This intuitive eating principle is going to help you have a better relationship with exercise.
Let’s start by simply calling it movement. Feels better already, right?
Honour Your Health - Gentle Nutrition
When you understand the other intuitive eating principles you can begin to consider nutrition without being overwhelmed or all consumed by it.
You can eat all foods without causing health problems. As an intuitive eater you will know how one meal, or one day, will not hurt you. It’s about the bigger picture over a longer time that matters.
Putting Them All Together
Now that you understand the 10 principles of intuitive eating, let me help you to bring it all together.
I have some final tips on what order to work through the principles in, having patience and compassion in the process, and the importance of support while you’re on your journey.
Oh, and I have a little reminder of how awesome you are at the end for you.
I’m here to help, support and guide you.
Book a free 30 minute session with me and I’ll help you to find a way to start working with the 10 principles of intuitive eating.
