I
prepare dinner for the kids, and my 2 ½ -year old doesn't want to
eat her vegetables. A problem? No, just a normal phase for her age, and next
week, or tomorrow, she'll change her mind about carrots. So, I simply let
it go. Babies and toddlers are well tuned-in to their internal food needs
and hunger/fullness cues. Left to themselves, they eat intuitively. This
eating includes food and appetite jags.
Intuitive eating-also called "non-diet" eating, and "mindful" eating, i s a way of approaching food that is ruled by an internal hunger, fullness, and food cue drive, rather than external cues. As adults, just as most kids, if we were left to our own resources, we would never lose the ability to eat this way; however, throughout life we often do. We lose it through dieting, following food rules, such as "cleaning our plates," eating on schedule, and so forth.
For parents, it is important to follow the offer-vs.-serve rule, and to never use food as a reward or punishment. For adults, learning to eat intuitively may be a matter of relearning some long-established habits that have caused us to mistrust our bodies and our hunger and fullness cues.
Intuitive eating is really quite simple, but sometimes takes a bit of work to put into practice. This article outlines some tips on how to get started. Later I'll delve into some specific barriers to becoming successful at intuitive eating.
1. Don't
be afraid to trust your body.
As you allow yourself to follow hunger, you must feel free to eat when hungry
and not eat when full. This may mean skipping a meal at a usual mealtime or
adding some extra snacks along the way.
2. Destroy the old messages in your head that are filled with "I should" statements, such as: I must "clean" my plate. I must not eat past 5 or 6 pm or any other specific time. I must restrict carbohydrates, fats, or whatever the latest fad says to do. I must eat certain foods at certain times of day, and so on.
3. Give yourself permission to eat! Restricting calories (even on a basic diet) will result in a decreased metabolism, while being free to eat to hunger actually helps to improve your metabolic use of food. I recommend carrying food with you so you can eat as needed, even small snacks, and never be left to forage for foods that might not be your first choice.
4. There are no bad foods! There are better choices at times, and you will find as you tune in to your body you will gravitate to healthier choices naturally. Truly, it will happen!
When you fine tune this form of eating you will find that you are not only hungry, (or not), but will be able to discern that you need, for example protein from a specific source, or other specific food. This all becomes second nature, taking little effort on your part.
Intuitive eating can be a successful route for anyone of any weight across the spectrum. It will allow your body to find its natural weight. You can give up dieting, diet rules and fads, and body worries forever.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
