Intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is an approach to eating that focuses on listening to your body's signals and respecting its needs, rather than following strict dietary rules. This concept has become popular as an alternative to traditional diets, which often lead to yo-yo effect and frustration. Intuitive eating seeks to restore a natural relationship with food that has been disrupted by diets and social norms. What are the primary benefits of this type of eating?
What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is based on the idea that our bodies are capable of regulating our food intake if we trust and listen to them. This approach includes several basic principles:
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Rejection of dieting : Intuitive eating distances itself from traditional diets and strict rules about food. Instead, it encourages respecting the body's signals of hunger and satiety.
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Respecting hunger : Learn to recognize and respect your hunger. We should eat based on physical hunger, not out of boredom or eating our emotions with food.
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Listening to your body : Be receptive to what your body needs and what makes it feel good. Every body is unique and what works for one may not work for another.
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Dealing with Emotions : Find out what emotions drive you to eat and learn to work with them other than through food. Finding other ways to manage stress or boredom can help reduce emotional overeating.
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Body Respect : Accept your body as it is. This approach involves striving for a positive relationship with the body regardless of its proportions and flaws.
The benefits of intuitive eating
Intuitive eating offers many advantages over traditional diets:
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Stress reduction : Without strict rules and restrictions, the stress associated with food and eating is reduced.
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A better relationship with food : Intuitive eating helps build a healthier relationship with food, where food is seen as something positive, not a source of guilt or anxiety.
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Lasting Results : Because Intuitive Eating is not a diet with a limited duration, it can lead to lasting changes in behavior and maintenance of a healthy weight.
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Balanced diet : Intuitive eating promotes variety and balance in the diet, which can contribute to better health.
How to get started with intuitive eating
Getting started with intuitive eating can be challenging, especially if you're used to strict diets. Here are some steps that can help you:
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Listen to your body : Learn to recognize hunger and fullness signals. This may involve consciously tracking when you are truly hungry and when you are truly full.
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Break free from diet rules : Gradually get rid of diet rules and restrictions. It can be difficult, but the important thing is to start seeing food as something natural and enjoyable.
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Examine Your Emotions : Be aware of what emotions lead you to eat. Learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger, and look for alternative ways to cope with stress or boredom.
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Respect your body : Accept your body as it is and try to treat it with love and respect. This can include finding physical activities that you enjoy and that are natural to your body.
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Mindful eating : Focus on mindful eating, which means eating slowly, taking in the flavors and textures of food and being present, i.e. not watching a TV series etc. while eating. This will help you better perceive satiety signals and enjoy food.
It must be noted
However, it is worth mentioning that intuitive eating is not for everyone. This type of eating can free someone from the diet culture, but it can harm someone. Greater control over food in the form of a box diet, for example, can help someone lead a healthier lifestyle and a better relationship with food. In this case, a person is sure that he does not exceed his caloric intake, supplies his body with the necessary nutrients and is in the hands of experts. It is therefore necessary to consider which direction you are more likely to go, based primarily on your dietary history.
Conclusion
Intuitive eating is a healthy and sustainable approach to eating that can bring many benefits over traditional diets. Listening to the body's signals, respecting hunger and satiety, managing emotions and having a positive relationship with the body are key elements of this approach. Even in this case, however, it is necessary to use common sense and if you do not trust yourself, it is better to entrust your diet to the hands of professionals and thus get rid of excess stress.
