Intuitive Eating Challenge Day 10: Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
Paul Rozin, a food psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a study where he observed differences between how Americans and the French view food. What he learned was that it was less about what people ate, and more about the WORRY AND STRESS over healthy eating, that had more of an impact on a person’s health.
Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, creators of the Intuitive Eating approach, also said:
“Many of our clients unknowingly create a somatization of guilt from their eating experience. This occurs when the feelings of guilt arise, in tandem, with the unpleasant physical sensations of eating without attunement. It becomes an intertwined union of uncomfortable feelings from guilt and the discomfort from eating, joined into one physical experience.”
Think Pavlov’s dogs.
A bell was rung, the dogs were offered a treat, and the dogs salivated. Eventually, the bell was rung, the treat was not offered, and the dogs still salivated. It is classical conditioning.
Messages from our society and from the people in our life has led our brains to associate foods with different internal experiences:
Eating cake → Feelings of guilt because cake is ‘bad’ → Eating while not being attuned with hunger/fullness cues often leads to overeating → Associating physical discomfort and guilt with eating cake → Reinforces that cake is ‘bad’. out
Eating veggies → Feelings of pride for choosing a ‘good’ food → Giving yourself permission to eat as much as possible, and stopping when you notice you are genuinely full → Associating pride and physical attunement with eating veggies → Reinforces that veggies are ‘good’.
Inner attunement + External health values (e.g., eating locally to reduce your carbon footprint, choosing vegetarianism for ethical reasons, following health guidelines for exercise and nutrition) = Authentic health
Intuitive eating is also about ‘gentle nutrition’, which is: “Taste is important, but health is still honored, without guilt…. Balance is key!”
Intuitive Eating Bill of Rights:
You have the right to savor your meal, without cajoling or judgment, and without discussion of calories eaten or the amount of exercise needed to burn off said calories.
You have the right to enjoy second servings without apology.
You have the right to honor your fullness, even if that means saying “No, thank you,” without explanation, to dessert or a second helping of food.
You have the right to stick to your original answer of no, even if you are asked multiple times. Just calmly and politely repeat, “No, thank you, really.”
It is not your responsibility to make someone happy by overeating, even if it took hours to prepare a specialty dish.
You have the right to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast (or cereal for dinner!), regardless of judgmental comments or rolled eyes.
I also want to give a gentle reminder that this information is simply an introduction to the skill created by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. If you want to learn more, please check out their wonderful book, Intuitive Eating!
Please be gentle with yourself today as you try this principle of Intuitive Eating, and if you are interested in getting my emails filled with reflective questions and ideas for practicing today’s principle, click here and sign up for my newsletter!
