Nutrition Therapy is strongly based on the principles of Intuitive Eating. These principles use forms of physical and emotional awareness to inform our eating habits, helping to create health and balance. Intuitive Eating rejects the diet mentality. Dieting is a heavily marketed industry, but it is not one that gets consistent or long lasting results. Instead, Intuitive Eating makes peace with food. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. When we tell ourselves that we can’t or shouldn’t eat certain foods, it can lead to feelings of deprivation that spiral down into cravings, guilt, and binging. Honor your hunger instead. It is important to keep your body fueled with enough energy and carbohydrates. When we honor our basic biological signals, we are able to begin rebuilding trust and our relationship with food. It is also important to reject the ideas of “good” and “bad” food, or that we are “good” or “bad” for eating certain things. Respect when you are full. It can take practice to learn how to sense your fullness, so it can be helpful to pause in the middle of eating and check in with yourself. It also helps to cultivate the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from eating food you want, in an environment you enjoy. Intuitive Eating is a very different approach to food than what most of us have learned. It is a way to make food choices that honor your health and your taste. It takes a big picture perspective, focusing on what you eat consistently over time, and supports your ability to make the right kinds of adjustments to best create health.
