The 10 guiding principles of intuitive eating #2

If you haven’t already read part 1 of this blog I’d recommend reading that first to get an idea of how the process of intuitive eating begins. As a recap it starts with saying no to diet culture that dictates the rules about food which the food police in our heads then control. We learn to respect our hunger and fullness and so eat when we’re moderately hungry and stop eating when we’re comfortably full (whenever possible!). We also stop the fight against food and learn to be cool with all foods, yes ALL foods. The final 5 principles go something like this…

6. Discover the satisfaction factor

The pleasure of food is natural and biologically driven. So why do we spend so much time criticising ourselves for enjoying food? Being able to truly take satisfaction and joy from every eating experience is one of life’s most basic gifts. By choosing foods you really get pleasure from and making sure you take time to enjoy them you might even find you need less of them to be satisfied!

7. Honour your feelings without food

First things first - emotional eating isn’t necessarily a bad thing! It’s very normal to want to eat when we’re sad, lonely or feeling down. Food has been used for comfort for most of our lives; think about how milk is used to soothe babies or how your mum fed you hot soup when you had a cold. 

The only time emotional eating takes on a negative tone is when it’s the ONLY tool you use to help cope. Food might temporarily provide relief but once the moment’s passed, the underlying cause is still there. This step helps you find other ways to honour your feelings without (or in addition to!) food.

8. Respect your body

You don’t have to love your body. You don’t even have to like it always. But I guarantee there will be things you do like about your body and given some time and self-work I know you’ll be able to respect it; for all it allows you to do and experience in the World.

9. Intuitive movement – feel the difference

Intuitive movement means finding ways to move your body that feel right for you, at any one time. Most people think moving their body means ”feeling the burn” or doesn’t count unless you’ve broken a sweat. Not true my friend. Any type of movement that feels good to you counts. Whether that be dancing in the kitchen while cooking dinner or gentle stretches before bed. If this sounds good to you why not check out my previous blog about intuitive movement here.

10. Gentle nutrition

Talking about ways to nourish your body is typically left until most of the other steps are in place so that the guidance won’t be interpreted as ‘just another rule’ to follow. Put simply it means choosing a varied diet that gives you the right balance of nutrients from all the food groups available to you. 

Gentle nutrition also means taking a broad view of your diet and recognising that what you eat is only one factor that influences health. It’s not always easy but using your internal signals of hunger, fullness, satisfaction and enjoyment in combination with ‘healthy eating’ guidelines can ensure you’re honouring your health with gentle nutrition.

If any of these principles resonate with you, or sound like something you could benefit from integrating into your life please do take advantage of my FREE 15 minute discovery call. Click the link below to schedule this in!

Any questions? I'd love to hear from you at hello@nondietnutrition.co.uk or on 07403896800.