Nutrition in Intuitive Eating: Practice makes better
Sometimes we can’t help but view something new through the lens of something familiar. Many folks who are early in their Intuitive Eating path think about nutrition as they always have – something you either get right or wrong. The good news is, you don’t have to do that any more. When approaching nutrition in Intuitive Eating, it’s all about practice, small steps, and a lot of noticing.
Remember, honoring your health with gentle nutrition comes last in the line of the 10 principles. This suggests there’s a lot of healing that needs to happen before we address the nutrient content of what we eat. But, if your medical history or a desire to improve the nutritional quality of what you’re eating means you’re focusing on nutrition before you’ve healed the wounds of diet culture, here are some ideas:
1. Place your attention on adding in nutritious foods, rather than taking anything away. Cutting out sugar, gluten, or processed foods is not the way to improve nutritional value; it’s a way to awaken feelings of deprivation, shame, and wrongness. Adding in greater variety, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to observe how you feel as a result, without all the negativity of restriction. In next week’s newsletter, I go deeper into this topic.
2. Learn enough basic nutrition science that you have a context for your unique eating experiences. Understanding the importance of having carbohydrate, protein, and fat, for example, can help you to create meals and snacks that are both enjoyable now and satisfying until you eat next. In two weeks, my newsletter talks about the diabetes advice I think everyone should follow.
3. Define “balanced” for yourself. Balanced might mean variety, having foods from all different food groups, or the right proportion of healthful and enjoyable foods. In three weeks, my newsletter will talk about this more, but the most important point is figuring out what works for you.
Bringing nutrition into your eating is not about perfection. It’s about practice. And practice makes better. A better understanding of what you like, a better understanding of what feels good in your body, and a better understanding of how to be flexible and adjust your eating based on changing needs.