My Intuitive Eating Journey

I first learned about intuitive eating during my master's program. It was casually mentioned by one of my professors, but unfortunately that was the extent of it. It wasn't until I graduated and started my journey as a new dietitian that I learned more about it through one of my favorite podcasts, Nourishing Women Podcast. In many ways though, I had incidentally started on my path of intuitive eating prior to learning exactly what it is.

I struggled with disordered eating tendencies throughout high school and into college. Like many dietitians I'm guessing, my interest in nutrition began more as an unhealthy fascination to learn about food in an effort to lose weight. However, when I started taking nutrition classes during graduate school and learning the very specific functions of nutrients in the body, I began to look at food in a different way - focusing less on restricting my intake of it to fit an unrealistic body size, and more as a beautiful, nourishing and satisfying gift from Mother Nature that provides us with fuel and brings us joy to share with others.

If you haven't heard of intuitive eating before and are wondering what exactly it is that I'm talking about (and you haven't googled it yet), let me explain a little. There are ten principles of intuitive eating, which are defined in the book written by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch:

1. Reject the Diet Mentality.

2. Honor your Hunger

3. Make Peace with Food

4. Challenge the Food Police

5. Respect your Fullness

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor

7. Honor Your Feelings without Using Food

8. Respect your Body

9. Exercise - Feel the Difference

10. Honor your Health

The ultimate goal is to listen to your body's internal cues instead of external food rules.

I still consider myself on an intuitive eating journey, because I haven't yet reached the end. And it's okay to be a work in progress! While I acknowledge that my relationship with food is a hundred times better than it was about six years ago, I honestly still struggle at times to fight the societal pressure to eat a certain way to be a certain weight and to be viewed as "healthy" by my peers. Yes, it is still a process to fight back at those inner thoughts and the diet-driven messages we receive daily through ads, marketing, TV, etc., but man is it worth it. I am happier and healthier - physically, mentally and emotionally - because I no longer let food dictate how I feel about myself, and I have room in my brain to focus on so many other important things because I'm not obsessing over food. Am I "perfect"? Heck no! Is there one correct path to becoming an intuitive eater? Definitely not. Everyone is different and truly listening to YOUR body will make your path look uniquely your own. I hope that you can find some inspiration in my story and I'd love to hear more about your journey - the successes and challenges you've faced along the way!

xoxo