People looking to try intuitive eating frequently refer to the 10 key principles. Tribole and Resch originally outlined these in the first edition of their book and then updated them in later editions.
1. Reject the diet mentality
When a person has a diet mentality, they have a constant awareness of food and how they believe it affects their body. They filter their food choices through the diet mentality in an attempt to look a certain way or “be healthier.”
Having a diet mentality can be harmful, especially if a person has it for an extended period.
People with a diet mentality choose their foods based on this mentality, and they do not always consider factors such as hunger, cravings, and what their body wants. Intuitive eating considers each of these factors.
2. Honor your hunger
Restricting food can trigger an urge to overeat. People following intuitive eating should eat enough calories, including sufficient carbohydrates, protein, and fat, to feel satisfied.
Although it may be difficult for some people, the aim of this principle is to learn to recognize hunger and fullness cues.
3. Make peace with food
Food is not the enemy.
People should not consider any foods to be off-limits, unless they have an allergy or intolerance. When people give themselves unconditional permission to eat, they may avoid uncontrollable cravings, feelings of deprivation, and the desire to overeat.
4. Challenge the food police
The “food police mindset” refers to people moralizing food. They may think that healthy foods are good and that unhealthy foods are bad.
These beliefs are not true, and intuitive eating encourages people to challenge them.
5. Discover the satisfaction factor
Eating can, and should, be enjoyable.
A person can make eating pleasurable by sitting down to eat, eating foods they enjoy, and eating in an inviting environment. People tend to feel more satisfied after a meal when eating is a pleasurable experience.
6. Feel your fullness
People should honor both their hunger and their fullness.
Intuitive eating principles suggest that people check in with themselves during and after eating. They should pay attention to how the food tastes, how they feel, and their current hunger level. Doing this helps them recognize when they are satisfied.
7. Cope with your emotions with kindness
Sometimes, people eat to deal with uncomfortable or challenging emotions, which is called emotional eating.
This one of the 10 principles encourages people to find different ways to cope with how they feel. These strategies include writing in a journal, taking a walk, and calling a friend or family member.
Additionally, seeking help from a therapist may help people find the source of their difficulties and learn effective coping strategies.
8. Respect your body
People may have unrealistic expectations for how their body should look, causing them to criticize themselves harshly. Clinging to these expectations can make it hard to reject the diet mentality.
Individuals following intuitive eating should try to appreciate and respect their body.
9. Movement — feel the difference
Rather than focusing on how many calories they burn during exercise, people can focus on how exercise makes them feel. They should use that feeling as motivation to get and stay active.
10. Honor your health — gentle nutrition
What a person eats consistently over time is what matters. They can and should choose foods that honor their nutrition goals and cravings.
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