Why Intuitive Eating Works

People are often under this misconception that intuitive eating is just perpetuating obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, and just causing people to eat nothing but Oreo cookies and McDonald’s. While it is true that many people eat foods they previously thought of as off-limits, they also eat a lot of nourishing food as well.

Intuitive eating is not a free-for-all where you eat whatever you want, in whatever quantity, regardless of how it makes you feel. It is all about honoring your hunger, trusting your body, and eating to fuel and nourish your body.

Here are some ways that intuitive eating works, and can help you be the healthiest you have ever been.

Intuitive Eating Teaches You How to Listen to Your Body 

One of the biggest reasons why intuitive eating works is because it teaches you how to listen to your body. Your body is constantly giving you signals about what it needs, but most of us have become so disconnected from those signals that we don’t even realize we’re getting them.

Intuitive eating helps you tune into those signals so that you can understand what your body is trying to tell you, which is often very different from what your mind is telling you.

For example, you may think you need a sugary snack because you’re tired, but your body is actually trying to tell you that you’re thirsty. Or, you may think you’re hungry when really you’re just bored. Intuitive eating helps you decipher those signals so that you can start giving your body what it actually needs.

Intuitive Eating Helps You Make Peace with Food 

Another reason why intuitive eating is so effective is because it helps you make peace with food. So many of us have a love-hate relationship with food, and that can lead to all sorts of problems.

When you’re constantly depriving yourself of certain foods or obsessing over others, it’s hard to have a healthy relationship with food. Intuitive eating helps you see food as neither good nor bad, but simply as something that nourishes your body.

This can be a huge relief for people who have struggled with disordered eating or yo-yo dieting. Once you make peace with food, you no longer feel the need to overeat or restrict yourself, and you can finally start enjoying meals again.

It Relieves Stress about Food and Diets

Think about how much time you spend thinking about food, researching diets, trying to plan your life around healthy meals, and the stress that comes from fear of hunger, binge and restrict cycles and an obsession with how you look. It’s a lot, right?

Intuitive eating can help relieve all of that stress by taking the focus off of food and putting it back on your life. When you’re not constantly thinking about what you should or shouldn’t be eating, you have more time and energy to focus on the things that actually matter to you.

You Avoid Binge Cycles

This is a big deal for chronic dieters, people with disordered eating and eating disorders, and anyone who feels out of control around food. If you’re constantly restricting yourself, it’s only a matter of time before you binge. But when you learn to listen to your body’s signals and give it what it needs, you avoid those cycles of restriction and bingeing.

You no longer feel like you’re depriving yourself, so you don’t feel the need to overeat when you finally do have access to the foods you’ve been restricting. Although it may take some time to break the old patterns, intuitive eating can help you get there.

You No Longer Have Intense Cravings

When you’re constantly depriving yourself of certain foods, it’s only natural that you’re going to start craving them. But when you make peace with food and start eating intuitively, those cravings will start to fade away.

Feel like you will always crave chocolate chip cookies or salty snacks forever? First of all, there is nothing wrong with these foods. Second, you will notice that you don’t experience these intense cravings that seem to consume your mind. When you do have a craving, you will eat that thing to satisfy it, then move on. But you also understand when a craving is physical, or if it is an emotional pull from a history of restrictions. That is the beauty of intuitive eating.

You Eat More Nourishing Foods

When you’re not constantly depriving yourself of certain foods, you’ll find that you naturally gravitate towards more nourishing options. This is because when you’re not obsessing over calories or fat grams, you’re more likely to pay attention to your body’s signals.

If you’re really hungry, you’re going to want something that will fill you up and give you the energy you need. So, you’re more likely to reach for a nutritious option like lean protein or vegetables instead of processed junk food.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with indulging in your favourite foods from time to time. But when you’re not restricting yourself, you’ll find that you naturally crave more nourishing foods most of the time.

You Eat More Mindfully 

Another benefit of intuitive eating is that it helps you eat more mindfully. When you’re not focused on following a diet or restricting yourself, you can pay attention to how your food makes you feel. Do you feel tired after eating a certain food? Or does a particular food make your stomach upset? Paying attention to these things can help you make more informed choices about what you eat.

You may also find that you enjoy your food more when you’re not worried about the calorie content or whether or not it fits into your diet. Intuitive eating can help you appreciate food for what it is – nourishment for your body – and not as something to be feared or avoided.

Conclusion

If you’re tired of feeling like a failure every time you try to diet, then intuitive eating may be for you. This approach to eating has been shown to be an effective way to lose weight and keep it off long-term. If you’re ready to make peace with food and your body, then give intuitive eating a try!