Weekly Wellness: How to explain intuitive eating to a friend

Intuitive eating can be a hard concept to explain to someone who has been deeply involved in diet culture. It is a non-diet approach to nutrition, health and wellness that focuses on connecting to our bodies to help guide us. The power is taken away from food rules and restriction and guided towards a place of abundance. No food is off limits. There are no rules. Intuitive eating was developed by 2 dieticians and consists of 10 principles to overcome dieting and regain trust with your body. It's about understanding our emotions, satisfaction, and mental health in order to meet both our physical and psychological needs.  This concept can often invoke fear in people as they think this means they are giving up or letting themselves go. This fear is far from the truth. This week I want to share some easy ways you can start the conversation.

1. To put it simply...

"It's an approach to nutrition that connects you back to your body by focusing on abundance rather than restriction."

2. AGREE to DISAGREE

When you are leaving diet culture and embracing intuitive eating...you are going to get haters. When you try your best to explain living with no food rules and you get nothing by blank stares or harsh judgment..know that it is YOUR BODY & YOUR DECISION. Don't let scepticism or other peoples diet culture ridden thoughts influence what you know to be right for YOU!

3. Sharing is Caring 

As hard as it may be to explain this approach....know that everyone deserves to eat in a way that feels best for them. Some people may not be ready to let go of diet culture. The best thing we can to do help others who may benefit from living a life of no food rules is to share our personal experience and stories of actually living it. Our stories are powerful and can have profound effect on those closest to us. Keep going.

I speak about this topic more in a video I did last week. Click here to watch!