Many people have probably heard of intuitive eating, but many may not know what it truly means to eat intuitively. Food is such an integral part of our lives: it connects us to one another, fuels our bodies, keeps us alive, and brings us joy and satisfaction. Although so many great things come with food, diet culture has made it harder to obtain many of these feelings due to demonizing certain foods, making it seem like only one specific body type is beautiful, and that healthy eating is the only way to eat. I fell into the diet culture trap and started to eat only foods that society deemed as healthy. I lost touch with my inner voice of cravings and satisfaction. I didn’t let myself eat the foods I enjoy, and I never left a meal feeling satisfied.
I didn’t realize I had lost touch with my natural hunger, fullness, and satisfaction ques until I listened to a podcast about intuitive eating. It instantly clicked that I wasn’t happy with the way I was choosing to label foods as good and bad. I decided to start listening to my natural hunger cues, enjoy all foods, and stop labeling foods as good and bad. It was not a linear process, but I regained my sense of self, became more comfortable in situations where I didn’t know what food would be present, and regained the ability to feel satisfied after a meal.
I couldn’t be happier that I started my intuitive eating journey. There were many highs and many lows but it made me realize life is so much more than what you eat; one “unhealthy” meal or dessert should not have any negative impact on your body or mind. I encourage anyone who may feel disconnected from their intuition regarding eating to embark on an intuitive eating journey. There are so many amazing resources out there from Instagram accounts, to registered dietitians, to books such as intuitive eating. Eating should be easy and enjoyable, not stressful and intuitive eating truly helped me regain my confidence around food.