These are the essential intuitive eating tips that will help you feel confident, fulfilled, and in control.

Diet culture is, and has always been very common in our society. Many of us may not even realize the effects that it has on us.

We practice unnatural behaviors for our bodies for the sake of looking good, and as a result, it throws us off balance. We are afraid to enjoy ourselves and feel unsatisfied with our figures.

Naturally, we are designed to eat intuitively. We have within us the ability to balance ourselves out, time and time again. Dieting, however, can cause a disconnect with this balance system

 

This is where the practice of intuitive eating comes into play.

 

Mindful eating can help to reconnect to the body and bring back balance. I believe that even if you are following a diet plan, implementing intuitive eating practices is necessary for maintaining a healthy relationship with food. Too much restriction, or rigidity, can reap negative effects.

 

I’ve practiced intuitive eating principles for quite a few years now and am in love with its benefits. It’s cured my eating disorders in the past and helped me to build a healthy relationship with food.

 

I’ve narrowed down my top intuitive eating tips based on my experience. These are my 3 top intuitive eating principles for a successful experience and put you back in control.

1. Get in Tune with Your Body

Close your eyes, and take a deep breath. How are you feeling right now? What is the body asking for at the moment?

Maybe you are feeling stress building up and need to take some time to relax. Or, you feel peaceful and satisfied.

Practice checking in frequently with your body, and honor its needs.

Check-Ins should be done throughout different phases of eating–before, during, and/or after.

This also applies to times when you aren’t eating. The foundation of intuitive eating is having a strong sense of intuition all around.

It will feel easier to stop eating when you are full and to eat when you are hungry. You become used to providing the body what it is asking for — when your needs are met and you feel satisfied more often, you eliminate the need to feel like overeating, or overcompensating as a result.

This eliminates stress in the body and helps bring you into a more peaceful state of mind.

 

2. Move Foward, Not Back ***Most Essential***

One of the best ways to keep yourself from having a healthy relationship with food is to continuously try to make up for every time you fall off.

Doing so reinforces the fact that you are always on a diet—in other words, you are always restricted. This causes stress in the body and eventually backfires.

Remember, the goal here is to fulfill the body’s needs, not to punish it.

Intuitive eating is all about providing the body what it needs–in turn, this can help you feel, and therefore look your best.

 

If you are new to intuitive eating, you may have to first work on balancing your hunger cues- if the thought of intuitive eating makes you apprehensive, you’re not alone.

It may sound like a big leap to, “just eat when you feel like it”. When I first started, I had doubts myself. I thought this would lead me to get undesirable results. This isn’t the case, however.

 

Having a healthy relationship with food is all about self-trust. Remember, the body is wired to regulate itself–and if you allow it to, it will, time and time again.

 

If you ever struggle with feelings of guilt or shame after overeating or falling off (many of us have been there), this is a common sign of an imbalance in hunger cues.

Anytime this happens, here’s how to get back into balance:

Step 1:

First, become present with these emotions. Give yourself permission to feel them. Each and every time it happens.

These emotions will pass through and go away on their own. Beating yourself for overeating is counterproductive—it only lights the fire and inflates your negative perception of this experience.

Think of a new perspective–rather than viewing overindulging as a bad thing, perceive it as, having really enjoyed yourself. Or, fulfilling a big craving—as a feeling of relief. This is also true, right?

Perception goes a long way.

Step 2:

Next, when feeling tightness or discomfort, let it be. The body will naturally digest the excess food, and you’ll feel good, and back to normal in a short time. This feeling is temporary.

By allowing yourself to feel the effects of overeating, you help to eliminate and reduce future cravings.

Step 3:

Then, focus on the next steps. Leave the past in the past. All that matters is now. What are some ways you can make yourself feel good in your body, in this very present moment?

Find ways to enjoy yourself. Go on a walk, or take pleasure in a hobby that you like. Focus on pleasure.

Keep in mind, intuitive eating is also an emotional process. If you can find ways to feel happier and feel satisfied, you fill your own cup. This takes your mind off of negative emotions you may have — you give them less power.

The weaker you make these negative emotions, the more control you take back.

Step 4:

Later on, when you become hungry again, regardless of how much you ate earlier, just eat.

This is how the body naturally balances itself out. Your body feels the effects of everything you go through and is going to do everything it can to feel better.

If you take part in any kind of compensation behaviors ( undereating, restricting yourself from cravings, or exercising for the purpose of “working it off” ), you put yourself back into starvation mode–you create stress within the body. The chances of overeating again will be high.

This will lead you right back into a toxic cycle that will feel like a hamster running on a wheel—chasing perfection and going nowhere.

 

 Move forward, not back. You are human. Enjoy yourself, and live.

On a final note, guess what happens when you continuously move forward?

Cravings naturally reduce. You find yourself feeling happier, less stressed, and more at peace with yourself.

You start to detach and get your mind off of trying to be perfect.

 

3. Choices with Benefits

This tip is the cherry on top.

A high-quality intuitive eating process involves making choices that add value to your life.

These healthy choices can include actions and foods that will give you more energy, and confidence, and uplift you.

Eat for beautiful and glowing skin. Eat to feel light, sexy, and energized. Eat to fight inflammation and feel calm..the list goes on.

Research the benefits of the foods you put into your body, and fill yourself up with nourishment. This gets to be an enjoyable experience.

 

In addition, take actions that will have the same effect. Move the body to get the blood flowing, increase endorphins and feel great.

Your lifestyle is a form of self-care.

Becoming healthy should not feel restrictive nor stressful.

 

Conclusion

Intuitive Eating is all about learning to feel good in your own skin. These top 3 intuitive eating tips are designed to help you successfully create a high-quality experience.

First, practice getting in tune with your body.

Next, allow room for imperfection–it is a part of the process, and necessary for the body to balance itself out.

Lastly, make your journey benefit you! Choose foods that nourish you, and choose activities that bring out the best in you.

Have fun with it, and make it your own!

 

Thanks for stopping by! What are some ways you like to feel your best?

 

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