Love Your Body and Your Food with Intuitive Eating

Are you tired of yo-yo dieting and weight loss books that contradict each other? Intuitive eating may be the strategy you need to teach you how to love your body and your food.

Intuitive eating is based on listening to your body so it can guide you in making food choices. The term is often associated with a 1995 book by the same name, but the concepts are much older and widespread.

Studies show that following your inner cues can enhance your mental and physical health. However, the process can be confusing if you’re unsure about where to begin.

Learn how to separate fact from fiction when it comes to intuitive eating.

Myths about Intuitive Eating:

1. Avoid extremes.

There’s a difference between enjoying your food and eating anything you want without regard for the consequences. When you give up strict diets, you’ll need to invent your own guidelines.

2. Clarify your goals.

The desire to lose weight can make you lose sight of other important objectives. Intuitive eating encourages you to think about your body being strong and fit rather than just a smaller size.

3. Do your research.

While your body possesses great wisdom, it can use a little help. After all, you probably don’t instinctively recognize and avoid cookies containing trans fats. Use medical studies and product labels to guide you in making informed choices.

Recognize True Hunger:

1. Rate your symptoms.

Eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full is a basic principle of intuitive eating. However, it may be difficult after years of dieting. Increase your awareness by assigning a number from one to ten, based on whether you’re peckish or ravenous.

2. Fuel up.

It’s easier to resist junk food when you’re slightly full. Carry nutritious snacks around with you. Use an online calculator to figure out how many calories you need each day to meet your basic needs.

3. Slow down.

It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’ve eaten enough. Pause during meals to avoid becoming stuffed.

4. Stay hydrated.

Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Before you head for the refrigerator, drink a glass of water to see if your cravings will disappear.

5. Examine your feelings.

Your emotions can also make you vulnerable to overeating. Find alternatives to comforting yourself with cheesecake. Go for a walk when you’re bored and call a friend when you’ve had a rough day at the office.

Other Truths about Intuitive Eating:

1. Exercise regularly.

An active lifestyle helps you to connect with your body. Make your workouts fun by varying your routine and inviting family and friends along to join you.

2. Learn to cook.

You’ll look forward to eating your vegetables and other fiber-rich foods if you learn how to prepare them. Watch food channels on TV and browse online for quick and easy recipes.

3. Be patient.

It takes time to change your eating habits. That’s especially true if you’ve been losing weight and putting it back on over the years. Give yourself credit for taking the first steps toward restoring balance.

4. Honor your body.

Intuitive eating involves your attitude as well as your menu. Appreciate your body and its capabilities. Focus on your positive features instead of dwelling on your thick ankles.

5. Think long term.

Work towards changes you can sustain instead of crash diets that you’ll probably abandon within a few weeks. The choices you make today can help you live longer and lower your risk for diabetes and other serious conditions.

Create a more positive body image and eat the foods you love without feeling any guilt.

Intuitive eating is more fun than any restrictive diet and helps you to develop healthy habits that you can practice for the rest of your life.

Not All Carbs Are Bad! Learn the Difference Between Good and Bad Carbs

No carbohydrates are good or bad. No food is truly bad or good. Carbohydrates and food items simply cause different things to happen in your body when you eat them.

It is better to think of carbohydrates as whether you should eat them or avoid them, as opposed to them being bad or good. Carbohydrates could get their feelings hurt if they heard you referring to them as bad, or evil.

That having been said, there are distinct differences between certain types of carbohydrates.

You understand that not all fruits look and taste the same. The same is true with vegetables. There are any number of variations of pizzas.

So there are definitely different types of carbs. Let's take a look at the construction of carbohydrates, because that really is what makes carbs either healthy or unhealthy for your body.

The Difference Between Simple and Complex Carbohydrates

When a food has a very simple molecular construction, it is broken down very quickly. In the case of simple carbohydrates, they enter your bloodstream almost instantly. This is not a good thing.

When the carbohydrates you eat are complex, they are hard for your body to break down. Imagine a simple puzzle or brainteaser as opposed to the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Solving a simple puzzle doesn't do much, if anything, for your brainpower. Solving the New York Times crossword puzzle gives you an incredibly healthy brain boost. The same difference applies to simple and complex carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are sugars. They come in a couple of forms, simple and complex. You may hear simple carbohydrates referred to as simple sugars or simple starches as well.

Simple carbohydrates, as mentioned above, enter your bloodstream rapidly. They raise your blood glucose levels quickly.

Unfortunately, the sugar in these "bad" carbs is rapidly converted and stored as fat, to be used as an energy source later.

Complex carbohydrates are very difficult to break down. Their construction is intricate, so they are hard to take apart.

They are usually much higher in dietary fiber than simple carbs, and any glucose in these carbohydrates is efficiently processed before it goes straight into your bloodstream.

Simple carbohydrates include soft drinks, candy, artificial syrups, table sugar, pastries and desserts, white rice, white pasta and white bread.

Complex carbs, "good" carbs, are found in beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. If you just do what mama told you when you were a kid (Eat your fruits and vegetables!), you will avoid most simple carbohydrates, enjoy lots of complex carbohydrates, and treat your brain and body to better health and wellness.

Learn more about your health online when you read the rest of our information here about: Fight Disease With Food guide and also download the free health report available there!

Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over 35 years and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

Just send him a note on the form here - Contact Us - to request a personal no obligation one-on-one consultation with Warren

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