Healthy Eating Tip of the Month, August 2011

Intuitive Eating
Creating a healthy relationship with Food, Mind and the Body

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive Eating is about becoming more attuned to your

body's natural hunger and fullness signals. It is learning
how to distinguish between physical feelings (hunger pangs, TABLE OF
CONTENTS
nausea, headache, or difficulty concentrating) and emotional
feelings (disappointed, anger, sadness and anxious). What is
Intuitive
Eating .. [1]
PHYSICAL hunger EMOTIONAL hunger
The dieter’s
Below the neck Above the neck dilemma / How
do I learn to be
Occurs several hours after a meal Unrelated to time an Intuitive
Eater? .. [2]
Goes away when full Persists despite fullness
Strategies to an
Eating leads to a feeling of satis- Eating leads to guilt and Intuitive
faction shame Eater .. [3]

How an
Intuitive Eater
In other words, Intuitive Eating is about gaining a deeper Thinks .. [4]
understanding of your body and responding to its internal
10 Principles of
cues. However, this inner wisdom Intuitive
(that we are born with) is often Eating .. [5-7]
Eat when clouded by years of dieting and Hunger &
you're
food myths. Intuitive eating believes Fullness
hungry
Discovery
and stop that this non diet approach is a
when you Scale .. [8]
're
full more effective way to attain a What does
healthy weight, rather than keeping science say
about Intuitive
track of calories in foods. Eating? .. [9-11]
The dieter’s dilemma
The inherent concept of dieting is problematic. The dieter’s dilemma is
triggered by a desire to be thin. This leads to getting on a diet, which is only
feasible for a limited period of time. After a while, the dieter will increase
cravings and urges for food
which ultimately leads to the
dieter giving in to the cravings, Desire to be thin
overeats and eventually regains
any weight lost. At this point,
Dieting
Regain of lost
the dieter may be at a higher Cravings
weight than where they started!
Loss of control Reduced self control
This then comes full circle with
the dieter again, wanting to be
Overeating
thin. This was first explained
by psychologists John Foreyt
and G.Ken Goodrick.

How do I learn to be an Intuitive Eater?

The initial step to begin your journey is to
experience a paradigm shift. A paradigm as
defined by Stephen Covey, author of the best
selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People, is “a model or frame of reference by
which we perceive and understand the world”.
In relation to weight management, a paradigm
shift rejects the ideals of dieting while
embraces the concepts of mindful eating; only
then can we be more attuned with our internal cues and develop a healthy re-
lationship with food and our bodies. Need a little more persuasion? Chronic
dieting has been shown to decrease metabolism, slow the rate of weight loss,
increase binges and cravings and even increase the risk of premature death
and heart disease!
 Strategies to an Intuitive Eater

Taste each bite of food. Sound too simple? Do you already experience
the variety of textures, tastes, colors, smells your food offers?

RESPECT your body. Honor your hunger. Recognize your fullness.

Put your fork down every now and then through out the meal. This
may help you feel your fullness. At the same time, check in with
yourself to see if the food still tastes good. Usually, the first couple of mouthfuls
taste better than the bottom of the bag. If the
food doesn't taste as good anymore, consider
stopping and waiting until you are hungry
again as you’ll be more satisfied.

Schedule a time to eat, and pay

attention to eating. Remember that
taste buds are on your tongue and not
your stomach. While eating, sit down at a table and make yourself
comfortable. Standing in front of a fridge decreases attention and satisfaction.

Learn to cope without using food. Some ideas that deal with
feelings are writing a journal, calling a friend or breathing
deeply. You could also find a different distracter such as going to the
movies, dancing to music, taking a nap or strolling in the park.

Quit the body-check game. When you enter the room, do you compare
your body to the rest of the crowd and ask questions such as, “Am I the
fattest one here?” or “How does my body compare to the others?” This is a dan-
gerous and unhealthy game especially when played with people you don't know.
 Progress,
n is
not perfectio
How an Intuitive Eater Thinks what counts

Intuitive Eater Mentality Issue Diet Mentality

Am I hungry? Do I want it? Do I deserve it?

I feel guilty when I eat heavy

Will it be satisfying?
foods
Eating and
Food Choices I usually describe a day of eat-
Does it taste good?
ing as either "bad" or "good"

I deserve to enjoy eating

I view food as the enemy
without guilt

I focus on the calories burned

I focus on how exercise makes
Exercise
me feel; especially how it is
Benefits I feel guilty if I miss a
energizing and stress relieving
designated exercise day

While I'm concerned about my

weight, it is not my primary How many pounds did I lose?
goal or indicator of progress

View of
Progress What do other people think of
I recognize inner body cues
my weight? How do I look?

I have increased trust with

I have good willpower
myself and food
 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating, the Cheat-Sheet
Reject the Diet Mentality
Throw out diets that offer false
hope of losing weight quickly,
Honor your Health easily and permanently
Make food choices that honor your
health and taste buds while making Honor your Hunger
you feel well. It's what you eat Provide nutrition for your body
consistently over time that matters before any feelings of excessive
hunger - intentions of moderation
Exercise—Feel the Difference are irrelevant at this point!
Get active and feel the difference. Shift your
focus to how it feels to move your body, rather
than the calorie burning effect of exercise. Make Peace with Food
Provide unconditional permission
Respect your Body to eat; “can’t” or “shouldn’t”
A person with a shoe size of eight would foods lead to bingeing
not expect to realistically squeeze into a
size six. Why don't we have the same
expectation with body size? Challenge the Food Police
Scream NO when your head says you’re
Honor your Feelings without using foods “good” for eating under 1000 calories, or
Find ways to comfort , nurture, distract, you’re “bad” for eating a piece of choc-
and resolve your issues without using food. olate cake
Food won't fix any of these feelings.
Respect your Fullness
Listen to your body sig-
nals to tell you that you
Discover the Satisfaction Factor are no longer hungry
When you eat what you really want,
you will find that it takes much less
food to decide you've had "enough"
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 What does science say about Intuitive Eating?

Okay, so you may not be absolutely convinced that Intuitive Eating will work
for you. Need some expert opinion?
Here is a sample of three scientific research articles:

Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift

Bacon, L and Aphramor, L. “Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a
Paradigm Shift.” Nutrition Journal 10.9 (2011)

The current guidelines for “overweight” and “obese” individuals are to lose
weight through lifestyle modification (involving diet, exercise and other
behavior change). This approach has not only been shown to be inefficient in
maintaining long term weight loss, but
it “does not achieve the putative benefits
of improved morbidity and mortality”.
Conversely, this approach encourages
unintended consequences: food and
body preoccupation, repeated cycles
of weight loss and regain, distraction
from other personal health goals,
reduced self esteem, eating disorders,
and weight stigmatization and
discrimination. Thus, there has been
increased attention to the ethical implications of this approach. From that, a
growing trans-disciplinary effort called Health At Every Size (HAES) argues for
a paradigm shift to weight-neutral outcomes. HAES has been proven to im-
prove: blood pressure, blood
lipids, eating habits, dietary quality, self esteem and body image.
 Size Acceptance and Intuitive Eating Improve Health for Obese, Female
Chronic Dieters
Bacon, L., J. Stern, M. Vanloan, and N. Keim. "Size Acceptance and Intuitive
Eating Improve Health for Obese, Female Chronic Dieters." Journal of the Ameri-
can Dietetic Association 105.6 (2005): 929-36.

The objective of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a “health at every
size” approach in improving health, vs. weight loss. Health at every size
encourages homeostatic regulation and eating intuitively (responding to
internal cues of hunger, satiety and appetite). 78 obese, female, chronic dieters
aged 30-45 participated in this randomized clinical trial. For 6 months,
participants attended weekly group intervention (health at every size program
vs. diet program) followed by 6 months of monthly aftercare group support. The
following measures were monitored throughout the study: anthropometry
(weight, body mass index); metabolic fitness (blood pressure, blood lipids);
energy expenditure; eating behavior (restraint, eating disorder pathology);
psychology (self-esteem, depression, body image); attrition; attendance and
participation evaluation of treatment helpfulness. Attrition was high in the diet
group (41%) vs. only 8% in the health at every
size group. Post intervention, the diet group
i n g t h at your
w
It's kno as showed initial improvement in many variables,
n d y o u r worth
health a o t c hange, however weight was regained and little
nd o n
a perso te a foo
d improvement was sustained after 2 years. In
e y o u a
becaus b eled as
contrast, the health at every size group
h a d l a
that you participants not only maintained their weight
o r " f a t tening”.
"bad" and improved in all outcome variables, but
they were able to sustain the improvements. In
conclusion, the health at every size approach facilitated the participants to
maintain long term behavior change. Also, encouraging size acceptance,
reduction in dieting behavior and increased awareness to internal cues resulted
in improved health risk indicators.
 Intuitive Eating, Diet Composition, and the Meaning of Food in Healthy
Weight Promotion
Smith, T and Hawks, S. "Intuitive Eating, Diet Composition, and the Meaning of
Food in Healthy Weight Promotion." American Journal of Health Education 37.3
(2006): 130-136.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between intuitive
eating, diet composition and the meaning of food. Intuitive eating has been
shown to be a viable approach to healthy weight management. A total of 343
students at a university participated in a survey regarding the Intuitive Eating
Scale and a variety of diet related scales from other studies. The following are
the study conclusions:
- Those who scored higher on the intuitive
eating scale had lower BMI scores
- Those who scored higher on the intuitive
eating scale had less health consciousness
in relation to food
- Those who scored higher on the intuitive eating
scale had higher levels of pleasure associated
with food and eating.
There was a significant difference between males
and females in intuitive eating, dieting, health
consciousness, and eating for pleasure. Overall, high intuitive eating scores
were associated with an increase in enjoyment and pleasure of food, lower BMI
scores and fewer dieting
behaviors and food anxieties.
 Be a winner!

WHAT?
Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch’s book about
making peace with food, Intuitive Eating:
A Revolutionary Program that Works

HOW?
Visit the “Healthy Eating Tip of the Month”
board and enter your name

WHERE?
It is located in the University Hospital
cafeteria on level 2

WHEN?
Anytime in the month of August!

Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship
with your food, mind, and body--where you ultimately become the expert of your
own body. You learn how to distinguish between physical and emotional feelings,
and gain a sense of body wisdom. It's also a process of making peace with food---
so that you no longer have constant "food worry" thoughts. It's knowing that your
health and your worth as a person do not change, because you ate a food that you
had labeled as "bad" or "fattening”. 



The underlying premise of Intuitive Eating is that you will learn to respond to your
inner body cues, because you were born with all the wisdom you need for eating
intuitively. On the surface, this may sound simplistic, but it is rather complex. This
inner wisdom is often clouded by years of dieting and food myths that abound in
the culture. For example, “Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full” may
sound like basic common sense, but when you have a history of chronic dieting or of
following rigid “healthy” rules about eating, it can be quite difficult. To be able to
ultimately return to your inborn Intuitive Eater, a number of things need to be in
place—most importantly, the ability to trust yourself!
 Healthy Eating Tip of the Month
AUGUST 2011
Created by: Diyana Zainal
UMHHC Dietetic Intern

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Related websites
http://www.intuitiveeating.org
http://www.ellynsatter.com
http://www.haescommunity.org
http://www.lindabacon.org
http://www.tcme.org
http://www.med.umich.edu/pfans/services/tip.htm