How to listen to your body to eat more intuitively

The information provided on the show is for general information purposes only. If you have a health problem, medical emergency, or a general health question, you should contact a physician or other qualified health care provider for consultation, diagnosis and/or treatment. Under no circumstances should you attempt self-diagnosis or treatment based on anything you have seen on the show.Have you tried Keto, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting, and everything else in between in an effort to lose weight? You're definitely not alone, but it's time to ditch those trendy diets for something more sustainable called Intuitive Eating.So, what is Intuitive Eating exactly? Certified Nutritional Practitioner Tara Miller breaks it down below.

WHAT IS INTUITIVE EATING?

Intuitive Eating is the practice of listening to your body when making food choices. It encourages you to use your innate, internal cues and signals (like hunger, fullness and how you feel) to dictate how you eat, rather than relying on a set of external rules prescribed by someone else. There are so many diets going on, which can be very confusing, and we’ve all been there—trying to follow a diet or plan and wondering why it just won’t work. And it’s because we’re ignoring our biological instincts and needs, we’re fighting our body. Intuitive eating encourages us to reconnect, to tune in and honour our body’s needs. It’s a much more sustainable and enjoyable way to live.There have been many studies conducted on intuitive eating: showing both physical (lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, increased physical activity) and psychological/emotional benefits (reduction in eating disorder behaviours, higher self-esteem, better body image, reduced anxiety and depression). What’s interesting, is it’s the science to support traditional diets that we lack. Ninety-five per cent of diets don’t work and that’s because our biological makeup can’t sustain them. We are at odds with our instincts and needs. Intuitive eating offers the opposite—the opportunity to honour our body and live in peace with food.

HOW IT WORKS

If your body truly wants a donut every day, then of course, have a donut every day!This is a really common fear that people have when they stop dieting, though. When they start loosening the grip on what they are eating, they think that they will only eat sugar and donuts and whatever “forbidden” food they have all day, every day. But this doesn’t happen! It may feel like that’s all you want when you’re dieting, because it’s so off limits, but you’d be surprised to know that once you have permission to eat all foods, and once you’re really listening you’ll start to notice that our bodies crave all sort of foods, like fats and protein and fibre.

LOSING WEIGHT

When we’re eating intuitively and honouring our bodies and biological instincts—like hunger, fullness, satisfaction—we end up at the size that is right for us, we end up at our natural set body weight. It may not be the size society dictates or thinks is right for us, but it’s where our body wants to be. It’s where our body fights to be.[video_embed id='1918027']BEFORE YOU GO: Cabbage is the star ingredient in these recipes[/video_embed]

HEALTH ISSUES

Regardless of how you've been taught to eat or grew up eating, listening to your body is about how you actually physically feel, and most people would agree that they feel physically best when they are eating a variety of nutrient rich foods. We generally don't really feel great only eating fatty, sugary foods.However, if you do feel like you're craving a lot of foods high in calories, fats and sugar, it could be a sign you're undernourished or that you've been depriving yourself of these foods. It may be your body trying to tell you something.

RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

People who have tried intuitive eating have reported many benefits! They describe what was once and all-consuming relationship with food to one that is peaceful, easy, calm, they report less yo-yoing, weight cycling, less binging, their weight stabilizes, they’re not thinking about food all the time, they are more present, have more freedom, less pre-occupation, less judgment, they can go to a restaurant and know there will be something for them to eat on the menu. They are free to enjoy food and their life and it’s amazing.

PROFESSIONAL HELP

It is important for individuals that are under-eating, restricting or suffering from an eating disorder to reach out for professional support for their situation. Under eating can be really dangerous. A great resource is the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC).

MINDFUL EATING VS. INTUITIVE EATING

Typically intuitive eating is about trusting and using your inner cues (hunger, fullness) to guide your food choices, while mindful eating is more about being actively present during your meal, being thoughtful, being conscious, It’s about practicing awareness, so that we can actually tune in and listen to our signals. Both generally contribute to a good eating experience.

MIND AND BODY CONNECTION

When we’re dieting and at war with ourselves, we’re totally preoccupied with food, our mental health suffers, we’re weight cycling, binging, we’re stressed out, we feel like something is wrong with us and that we’re totally out of control. Intuitive eating, eating freely, corrects this. Our body relaxes, our mind relaxes, we have increased satisfaction, we free up mental energy and room for pleasure, for friends for family, for life! We’re less at war with our body, have increased self-esteem, improved body image—the list goes on and on.

HOW TO START

Before you eat your next meal or snack, rather than reaching for what you think you should have, or what you consider to be the "right" choice - try checking in and considering what you feel like. What does your body want? What would taste good and feel good right now? What will satisfy you? Try tapping into those inner cues, rather than relying on external ones, that are outside of you, and see how that feels![video_embed id= '6139904296001']BEFORE YOU GO: Dolly Parton hopes to pose for ‘Playboy' for her 75th birthday[/video_embed]