6 Tips for Stressing Less About Food
We’re constantly bombarded by unsolicited and often contradictory advice on what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat.
What many of us don’t realize is that the ultimate guide to health and wellness exists within us – not on social media, and certainly not in any dieting manual.
Our bodies are the ultimate authority. Only our bodies can truly tell us what we’re feeling and needing in any given moment.
Unfortunately, diet culture trains us to disregard the internal cues that our bodies naturally use to communicate with us. Instead, diet culture exhorts us to rely on external cues in the form of food rules and “expert advice”.
But the reality is that when it comes to your body, YOU are the only expert there is. Intuitive eating is all about learning to let go of the diet narrative, and reconnect with the wisdom of your body – nourishing yourself with foods that bring you both pleasure and wellness.
As you begin to tune into your body, you’ll become more acutely aware of how it communicates through signals of hunger, fullness and satisfaction. Over time, you may find that this quality of mindfulness around food and bodily sensations helps you to genuinely enjoy the foods you love without feeling guilty or constantly desperate for more.
This may sound too good to be true – diet culture compels us to believe that healthy eating can only be achieved through the restriction of “forbidden foods”. Yet there’s a wealth of research showing that dieting and restrictive eating is often what causes overeating and binging. Conversely, there is research that supports the physical, emotional and mental benefits of intuitive eating. I’ve included some links below so you can see for yourself! It’s not just another fad, I promise.
https://www.intuitiveeating.org/resources/studies/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511603/
Now the question is, where to start? Integrating intuitive eating is a journey and takes practice. It can take time and patience to redefine your relationship with food and your body, but it can also be fun and exciting! With these simple tips, get ready to kiss those dreaded food rules goodbye and embrace a far more liberating and empowering relationship with food.
1. Reject the Dieting Mindset
In order to make room for intuitive eating, it is essential to see diet culture for what it is and to set aside the books, magazines and Instagram accounts that feed a diet mentality. It can sometimes be difficult to identify sources of diet culture, since many of them are disguised as resources for “healthy living”.
When in doubt, simply look out for any form of food rules and rigidity. Are you being told to avoid certain foods because they’re ‘bad’ or ‘addictive’? Are you being told to control your portions in a regimented way by counting or restricting calories? If so, this is not in alignment with intuitive eating.
The reality is that no foods are objectively good or bad. Food is just food, and when consumed in moderation, all the treats that bring you pleasure can be integrated into your life in a healthy way. Many people find that once they stop restricting ‘forbidden foods’ and allow themselves to enjoy what they’re craving, they start to obsess far less about food and experience more freedom and peace of mind!
2. Tune into your body
A big part of intuitive eating involves re-establishing healthy communication with your body. When you set aside time to mindfully tune in to the bodily sensations you are experiencing before, during and after a meal, you’ll find that your body is actually trying to communicate with you through these sensations.
Before a meal, start noticing what hunger actually feels like in your body. You can use a scale of 1-10 to check in with how hungry you are, and after the meal, you can similarly assess how full and satisfied you feel. When you gently pause to notice and receive feedback from your body, you are a lot more likely to eat mindfully and to really honor your hunger and fullness cues.
3. Eat mindfully
During meals, make a conscious effort to set aside all distractions and to fully focus your attention on the experience of eating. Start paying attention to all the sensations involved in this multifaceted experience. Take your time to soak up the aroma of the food, become aware of the colors on your plate and savor each bite. With each mouthful, allow yourself to fully experience the combination of textures and tastes that the food provides.
Introducing mindfulness in this way will not only help you feel more satisfied at the end of a meal, but will also help you better understand your unique food preferences. It may also be helpful to pay attention to the thoughts that arise during a meal. Each time you catch your mind getting lost in thought or distracted by your phone or the TV gently guide your attention back to the experience of eating. After a while, meals might even start to feel meditative and grounding!
4. Make a list of foods you love
Letting go of food rules frees up space to re-introduce and perhaps rediscover the foods that you really love! Make a list of foods that bring you pleasure, comfort and joy. This can be anything at all! Remember, within the realm of intuitive eating, there is no good or bad – no right or wrong. If you catch yourself judging certain foods, simply notice those thoughts and remember that they’re not a reflection of the truth.
After you’ve made your list, start thinking about how you can integrate these foods into your week. Planning ahead of time can give you something to look forward to, and can also be a powerful way to rebel against diet culture and reclaim a loving relationship with food and your body.
5. Surround yourself with inspiring resources to support your journey
As more and more people are beginning to recognize the toxic effects of diet culture, many blogs, podcasts and Instagram accounts promoting body kindness and intuitive eating have emerged. Following such accounts can be a huge support in your journey, as well as a powerful reminder of how many other people are committed to the same path and are experiencing great transformation. Some accounts to look out for are:
- @evelyntribole (co-author of the book, Intuitive Eating)
- @rebeccascritchfield (the author of the book, Body Kindness)
- @no.food.rules
- @diet.culture.rebel
- @dietitian.rachelgoodman
- @chr1styharrison
6. Be patient and kind with yourself!
Remember, there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to eating intuitively. In fact, progress is made by learning to let go of the notion that we have to eat perfectly, and instead learning to trust ourselves and our bodies unconditionally.
Whenever you find yourself confronted with restrictive or judgmental thoughts about food or your body, simply recognize them and know that they’re normal. At the same time, tell yourself that you don’t have to be controlled by them.
Our minds often tend to play tricks on us, but our bodies never lie. So when in doubt, step out of your mind and into your body. Nourish it with kind words, delicious wholesome food and movement that feels good. Remember that you are worthy no matter what, and that you are never alone.